Fodor's Advice on Dining with Kids
August 2, 2007. When families stay at luxury vacation rentals, they are certain to dine out. How can one visit Maine without going to a seafood restaurant? Or travel in Texas without sampling a steakhouse?
But things change when you have children in tow. For many parents, it's an embarassing and frustrating experience. And for the other diners, a misbehaving kid can be a real annoyance. Fodor's offered "7 Mistakes Not to Make When Dining Out with Kids."
Mistake #1: Picking a place devoid of other kids
Mistake #2: Relying on the kids' menu
Mistake #3: Trying a totally new food on vacation
Mistake #4: Not anticipating meltdowns
Mistake #5: Having their meals brought out first
Mistake #6: Not tasting their food first
Mistake #7: Being a jerk when things go wrong
When traveling with the family, luxury vacation rentals can offer a real advantage: a kitchen. By strategically splitting the meals between the vacation home and the restaurants, half the battle has already been won.
Begin planning meals by thinking about which meals are toughest on the children. If Bobby gets cranky in the evenings, maybe breakfast and lunch are the best times to eat out. If Susie only likes peanut butter and jelly sandwiches made a certain way, maybe lunch is best taken in.
