https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 21 May 2026 20:45:05 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dining-out-and-blw#post-2395702 Mon, 21 Dec 2015 12:08:42 +0000 snowjewelz 2395702@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>She pretty much just eats what we eat. One of us will usually have something she can have. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dining-out-and-blw#post-2395232 Sun, 20 Dec 2015 21:09:33 +0000 MenagerieMama 2395232@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>She shares from our (usually my) plate. I order with her in mind. I do usually bring a snack (cherrios or something) in case we need to kill time and she's antsy or hungry. She usually makes a bit of a mess, but we pick up the worst of it and leave a good tip. We just don't go anywhere really fancy and try and have early dinners. We have never had an issue and eat out with her a decent amount. The last place we went our waitress was a mom and bent over backwards for us - brought LO extra foods, ice in a separate cup (girlfriend loves ice and we usually fish it out of our cups!) and picked up her toy when she would throw it. I think/hope that this exposure has given LO enough familiarity with restaurants that we can continue to go out with her.</p> <p>ETA: She's 15 mo and it's hard to predict how much she'll eat, sometimes she eats 2 bites and sometimes a ton. So we have yet to order her a separate meal because I'm sure she'd not eat that day! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dining-out-and-blw#post-2395160 Sun, 20 Dec 2015 17:49:50 +0000 Mrs Spoon 2395160@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We usually brought food for LO until she was 16-18 months. We would also feed her off our plates, but often we were eating something spicy or had other additions she wasn't ready for yet (lots of onions etc). Now we either give her some of ours or order her a kids meal depending on what type of restaurant we go to. I almost always cleaned up after her especially in those early months. When we first started BLW we always had ton of food prepped for her so it was easy to put something together before we went out. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dining-out-and-blw#post-2395153 Sun, 20 Dec 2015 17:37:55 +0000 sera_87 2395153@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Usually just feed them off our plates. If they're super hungry while we're waiting for our food I order some carrot/celery sticks. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dining-out-and-blw#post-2395145 Sun, 20 Dec 2015 17:12:59 +0000 Pumuckl 2395145@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@macintosh: we usually share sides with the kids. Baked or mashed potatoes etc. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dining-out-and-blw#post-2395140 Sun, 20 Dec 2015 17:04:44 +0000 MoonMoon 2395140@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm pretty anti bringing separate food for baby to a restaurant. We also didn't start ordering something for DS until way after he turned 2. We just let him try stuff off our plates. BLW, combined with nursing, made it so we never worried about how much food he was ingesting as long as he was having fun and not making too much of a mess! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dining-out-and-blw#post-2395124 Sun, 20 Dec 2015 16:12:08 +0000 PawPrints 2395124@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've always felt like BLW at restaurants was a ton of fun. We just stick her in the restaurant high chair and give her some of whatever we're eating. It makes a mess and I clean it up once she's done. I've discovered she likes a bunch of things I had not thought to introduce to her at home, like shakshuka and chorizo. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dining-out-and-blw#post-2395117 Sun, 20 Dec 2015 15:56:22 +0000 gingerbebe 2395117@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We didn't really do BLW but I always brought something my son could eat right away because sometimes just waiting made him antsy and angry in the high chair. We gave him Cheerios or melts and blueberries from home and then he could have some fries or steamed veggies off our plates. If I felt like he wouldn't get enough to eat I carried a pouch in my purse and squirted some into his mouth. After he turned a year when he was self feeding well, we gave him fries, bites of burger patty or nuggets and bun and some fruit of we had it and ordered him a milk. Mexican restaurants are great too - he likes pinto beans, small pieces of chips, bites of tortilla and shredded meat. I usually clean up as much as possible and leave a big tip. We also carried out own hook on chair or booster bc my son doesn't stay put in the restaurant high chairs. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dining-out-and-blw#post-2395107 Sun, 20 Dec 2015 15:28:51 +0000 Rockies11 2395107@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We just feed off our plates, even still with my 2.5 year old with a tiny appetite. If we aren't ordering shareable mains, then we get something kid friendly as an appy. I do a tidy but I don't wipe anything down because I always hated it when people did that when I was a waitress - I wanted them to leave the mess for me since it was part of my job! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dining-out-and-blw#post-2395104 Sun, 20 Dec 2015 15:21:35 +0000 catomd00 2395104@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I never brought food. I just nursed if she didn't want to eat anything and was hungry. But we felt that food at that point was just for fun and practice. She didn't consume a lot u Tim 8.5 months or so. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dining-out-and-blw#post-2395097 Sun, 20 Dec 2015 15:08:15 +0000 travellingbee 2395097@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We usually fed him off of our plates and also brought fruit, puffs etc with us. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dining-out-and-blw#post-2395093 Sun, 20 Dec 2015 14:37:47 +0000 Foodnerd81 2395093@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I often brought food for her- though it's a blur what I usually brought. Leftovers from whatever I fed her earlier probably. And sometimes we did pouches or other easy to feed her food and Cheerios. We didn't start ordering a meal for her until after 2 years because it just seemed like a waste. And a lot of times I wanted to order something I knew she wouldn't eat anyway. </p> <p>As for mess I picked up what I could and tipped well. Often they would say not to bother since they would sweep anyway. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dining-out-and-blw#post-2395081 Sun, 20 Dec 2015 14:02:14 +0000 regberadaisy 2395081@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>They've always ate some of our meals until dd1 ate enough to warrant her own meal. Now the two share something and some from our meals as well. I very rarely bring food from home. I do try to clean up a bit after them but most tell us not to bother. We just leave a nicer tip! ;) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dining-out-and-blw#post-2395079 Sun, 20 Dec 2015 13:58:13 +0000 futuremama 2395079@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We usually would just feed her off of our plates. I would order a sandwich with avocado or get sweet potato fries on the side. Sometimes, I would get a side dish of something that she could eat. I generally tried to avoid paying for a meal that wasn't going to get consumed. I usually have the floor a wipe to get what I could and tipped generously. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dining-out-and-blw#post-2395070 Sun, 20 Dec 2015 13:45:31 +0000 Anya 2395070@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We give LO food from our plates, yes i feel bad when a lot ends up on the floor but I clear what I can and tip well! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dining-out-and-blw#post-2395068 Sun, 20 Dec 2015 13:43:48 +0000 Cherrybee 2395068@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>You don't get to my size by sharing food! So from fairly early on we would order her a kids meal and then DH would pick at the bits she didn't eat! We made sure to order less messy food, fries over spaghetti for example. We put the food on the high chair tray as we would at home (plates would get launched) and would accept that she was going to make a mess. I felt less bad about the mess because we had paid for a meal for her. Then after the meal, I would get on my hands and knees to clean up. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dining-out-and-blw#post-2395062 Sun, 20 Dec 2015 13:40:45 +0000 MsMini 2395062@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So, I am pretty practical about BLW, I figure the whole point and purpose is to expose them to a variety of foods (taste and texture) so when we eat out I just give my babies a bit of whatever I have ordered to eat. I do try to grab a side that will be easy for them to manage, if possible, but if not they were always happy to gum up a piece of meat or play with lettuce or whatever. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dining-out-and-blw#post-2395060 Sun, 20 Dec 2015 13:39:27 +0000 FaithFertility 2395060@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DD is 12 months and she eats whatever we are, I have orders her, her own meal a time or two because she couldn't eat what I had (hot wings, buffalo salad..etc)<br /> I usually order her kids grilled chicken and a veggie or fruit! I take the rest home for lunch the next day </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dining-out-and-blw#post-2395055 Sun, 20 Dec 2015 13:32:59 +0000 autumnleaves 2395055@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Until he started eating enough food out to order him a kids meal, we gave him food from our plate. I also brought snacks for him in case he didn't like what we were getting or sometimes I just ordered him a side of green beans or mac and cheese. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dining-out-and-blw#post-2395054 Sun, 20 Dec 2015 13:32:05 +0000 Kemma 2395054@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I always carry plain crackers in my bag but I usually give LO fries or anything that's in "stick" form and not too messy (slices of capsicum, shredded meat etc). I always wipe the highchair regardless of what the kids have eaten and I pick up what I can off the floor. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dining-out-and-blw#post-2395049 Sun, 20 Dec 2015 13:23:40 +0000 ElbieKay 2395049@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We were not anti-BLW, but I was very pragmatic about it. There were times when our son was allowed/encouraged to feed himself, but honestly sometimes it's just too messy or time-consuming for the circumstance. I spent a long time just feeding him in restaurants to avoid a mess. (I still do that sometimes with especially messy food, and he is 21mo. Sometimes he refuses to let me do that, but not if he wants to taste whatever it is.)</p> <p>I'm not saying this to discourage you from doing BLW; rather just to provide a different perspective that it doesn't have to be all-or-nothing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dining-out-and-blw#post-2395046 Sun, 20 Dec 2015 13:19:07 +0000 mamabolt 2395046@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Until LOL was 1.5 or so we would just give her some of our meals and bring some puffs and yogurt melts to round things out. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/dining-out-and-blw#post-2395045 Sun, 20 Dec 2015 13:16:41 +0000 macintosh 2395045@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We're going out to lunch at a burger place, then picking up groceries. Yesterday at the cafe DS (7.5 months) ate a carrot muffin. He doesn't consume much but loves to play with food and hates to be spoon fed. He actually ate some of the muffin! I'm trying to encourage him to eat what we eat at mealtimes, but it doesn't always happen.</p> <p>If you're going out to eat, what does your BLW baby eat? Do you bring something? I have nothing in the house right now. Do you order something for baby knowing it's a waste? Share your own meal? Skip it or give a bottle?</p> <p>Also, do you feel bad when baby makes a mess? Do you try to clean it up? </p>