Dining Out & Bringing in Outside Food for Toddler?

If you're eating sushi won't he eat sushi? Most places can do cooked fish. If not - California rolls, eel, cucumber rolls, vegetable rolls are all cooked. Have you tried seaweed salad with him - fresh, crunchy and fun to eat like sphaghetti?

I would get a sitter though and try the sushi with him some other time.

My kiddo's have always eaten where we eat or they sit quietly and play. If I had them and I knew they didn't or wouldn't eat where we were going, we'd try to go somewhere else. But if this is the best place for you guys, I think snacks in small containers is probably okay.

Hi! I think any restaurant owner would be offended by McDonald's in their restaurant. How about feeding him ahead of time and bringing some toys for him to play with while you chat? You can bring some cookies for him to munch while he plays. My other thought is to ask the owners if they have anything off menu he might like. Chef's have kids too, they may we willing to make something simple for him.

My dad's manages a restaraunt and they do not allow outside food because of the health code.

I wouldn't bring McDonald's but I think snacks from home would be okay. I like the suggestion of seeing if the restaurant would make something "special" for your kiddo (esp since they don't appear to be too busy!). Otherwise, feed your son before you go and/or bring snacks from home that you know he likes.

I would truthfully get a baby sitter. You are going to want to have this time with this friend, she is going to want your full attention, she needs you to be there for her so do it. I think that if you did this in a restaurant I owned I'd ask you to leave. It gives the other patrons the idea it's okay to do it too, next thing you know the wife who doesn't like sushi is bringing taco bell and the kids have McDonalds while dad eats $20 worth of food and ties up a waitress for 45 minutes.

I think getting a babysitter or feeding your child before hand is the best option.

You don't say how old your son is - but yes - I think you are wrong to bring outside food to a restaurant. Get a babysitter for your son.

If you know the owners well - ask them - but I don't know what the health laws in CA are anymore - it's been YEARS since I've lived there - but if my girlfriend needs to talk to me? I'd much rather get a babysitter for my son than bring outside food in or "deal" with him for a lunch when a friend needs me.

Talk to your church. Ask them if they have a mother's helper to help you for this occasion.

GOOD LUCK!!

I would pack something from home and also (to round out his meal and to honor the fact it's someone's business) order him something tiny that he will eat (he really won't even eat plain white rice?).

We used to do this at our favorite Japanese restaurant when my daughter was little -- bring her some food from home but order her a bowl of white steamed rice. That way she also got something brought to her when we did -- which is fun for a kid. You can eat it yourself if your son doesn't.

I would not do McDonald's or other fast food because the food smell is pretty strong from fast foods (fried stuff or even grilled emits quite a smell that will clearly be "outside food"), and that plus hauling in the crinkling McD's bag is, well, a sure attention-getter and heads will all turn toward you, including the owners' heads. Bring some small toys he hasn't seen before, instead. This is a good time to use "PBB" as my friend calls it -- Parenting By Bribery! Something small (and not noisy) but new would keep him more occupied. Also bring old favorites that you use when out with him.

I hope your meal and especially your talk go well! You are very thoughtful and sensitive to think about this issue and to want to be considerate toward the restaurant owners.

Personally, I would not bring in outside fast food out of respect for the restaurant owners and guests.

Since it is sushi and I'd assume a lot of toddlers don't like it... I do not think they would have an issue if you brought something from home.

I bring food for my son to restaurants all the time. But I definitely would suggest packing something from home rather than bringing McDonalds.

Sounds like you can't get Hubby or a babysitter to watch your son.
Shucks.

Sushi places, OFTEN have other things.
Such as:
1) Soba (hot or cold) many kids like noodles. Get it without the green onions on it.
2) Miso soup
3) Gyoza
4) soy beans
5) Udon
6) Donburi
I have a picky eating son... and he will eat those things. We go to Sushi places often. Being this is Hawaii, there are many.
And I often will tell the Owner, if they can just omit the ginger/wasabi and green onions for my son's dishes. They do it happily.

Can you pack something for him from home that you know for sure that he likes and will eat? :)
Or you can call the restaurant and ask them if they mind about the fast food.
You could bring along a coloring book, and toys that will keep him occupied while you two visit too.

I would probably just bring food from home. Fruits and/or a sandwich.

I frequently bring some kind of outside food when I eat out with my kids, mostly to give them something while they wait for their meal to be delivered.

I also bring something to keep them occupied...toy cars, books, crayons.

I would serve him some of their food (like rice) and bring in some food that he will eat. I wouldn't bring in McD's, but I would bring in toddler snack items, like goldfish. Put them in a snack cup so it's obviously FOR THE KID.

My son LOVES edamame so try that if you haven't already. I bring cheese sticks or yogurt tubes just in case, or even cheerios. I have also found that places might have tomatoes, or some muchable food that he might be able to handle. If he likes the veggies that they have, but doesn't like them fried, ask for them to be the way he likes them. Most owners would be happier with a happy kid.

We have done this before and never had any objections.
My husband and oldest daughter and I love PHO. But my two youngest don't. There's a Subway next door. So we get Subway sandwiches for them to eat. But, we do have them order their drinks at the restaurant. There's no offending odor, we pick up all their trash after. And I usually leave a little bit bigger tip.

Bring some food for the toddler, but not anything from another restaurant. (The McDonald's food would smell up the joint.) Bringing some snacky items in little cups should not bother the owners.

And I second the suggestion to try the edamame on your toddler. My kiddos love it. (And if they have anything with noodles, try that too.)

I did this all the time, bring him his own food. They usually do not mind at all. I rather have a quiet toddler than a cranky one and so would they!

I always bring outside food for picky kids. I'd be discrete about packaging though, even totally repackage it into your own containers from home. Just don't flaunt it around. My sister's kid has so many food allergies and she is so strictly vegan, she packs in all her own food from home if its not a vegan friendly restaurant.

Bringing little things from home is a good idea. My son loves sushi - so maybe try to get your son to try some too? He eats raw sushi but you can try avocado rolls or philly rolls... you never know! Aside from that see if you can bring in a portable video or hand held video game. My son is pretty good in restaurants but when it gets too long he will take my phone and play a game or if we are thinking ahead we will bring his PSP. Good luck!

I would bring him food from home that he likes to eat. I would not bring McDonalds because 1) it's makes it very obvious that you're bringing outside food in, and 2) it has a smell that would probably fill the sushi restaurant.

My daughter is now almost 2 1/2 so we can get her to eat things from a restaurant if we are going out to eat at one but before she was old enough to eat something that was there I would always bring food from home for her. I would pack a yogurt and a fruit cup, bring her own drink in a cup for her, crackers - whatever she wanted really. I would NEVER think to stop at a Mc Donalds to pick that up for my kid (1. because I dont feed her that stuff and 2. because I have food available to her at home) but you have to think that the restaurant owners should be happy to see that they are making money off of you and your friend as opposed to the money that they 'lost out on' from your kid NOT eating their food