Good Restaurants for Babies & Kids

Taking your kids out to eat can be a hassle, especially if they're still young. The noise, the mess and sheer amount of stuff you have to take along can make dining out more trouble than it's worth. However, taking your baby or child to a restaurant helps him develop social skills, gives him a new environment to experience and gives you a break from the cooking and cleaning. Choosing the right restaurant can make the outing enjoyable for everyone involved.

  1. Family Restaurants

    • If you have a little one, fine dining is probably something you want to save until she's older. Throwing food and crying doesn't go over well in such places. Choose a family restaurant, where kids are expected, and the servers and clientele are prepared for kids and their messes. A burger and fries place or the local pizza joint are options with food even the most selective kid will eat, but also appealing menu choices for parents. Italian restaurants, where your child can get a plate of noodles, or Mexican places, where she can have a quesadilla or burrito, are other kid-friendly options.

    Buffet Restaurants

    • Most parents with kids know they aren't likely to eat just anything. Buffet restaurants are good choices because they are usually affordable, full of families and give each person the opportunity to choose exactly what goes on his plate. This means your little one can fill up on macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets, while you enjoy shrimp cocktail and a vegetable salad. Many buffet restaurants charge a minimal price for kids, who don't always eat that much. They're also ideal if your child is a big eater because one price lets him go back as many times as he wants to.

    Breakfast Restaurants

    • Breakfast restaurants are used to waiting on tables with kids because they serve child-friendly meals and are open at all hours. Taking your baby or child out to eat during off-peak hours means less embarrassment about the noise because the place won't be full of other customers. The service is typically friendly and fast and your child can have pancakes and eggs for dinner or a burger for breakfast since most places serve the same menu all day.

    Snack Restaurants

    • If your baby or child is new to dining out, ease into it by taking her to a snack place first. Try an ice cream parlor or walk-up burger and fries joint. This way she can get used to the idea of sitting down with other diners and waiting for her food to be ready. It's also ideal if the situation deteriorates and you have to leave quickly because you can grab your food and go. Once she gets the hang of this, move on to restaurants where you sit down and order off a menu.

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