Pediatrician Mom: When dining out, how do your children eat?

This is the 3555th article of Da Yi Xiao Hu

A netizen asked: Xiami Mommy, I am a working mother and I am a bit busy at work. Sometimes I am really tired when I get home from work, but I haven’t cooked for my children yet. I really want to take my children out for dinner. But everyone says that food outside is not good for children. Do you have any good suggestions? Thank you!

When your child can't wait to have a big meal, but you are too tired to even speak, the delicious food in the restaurant outside is beckoning you, but you are quite conflicted inside, what should you do?

As the pace of life gets faster and faster, even if you have an aunt or an elderly person at home to help take care of some of the children's daily life, even if you are an omnipotent super mom, no matter how omnipotent a woman is, no matter how gentle a mother is, she will feel exhausted sometimes. In fact, if you don't eat out frequently (or order takeout), just a few times a month, your child's health will not be seriously threatened, so don't feel guilty, relax and enjoy it.

However, because the flavors of restaurants outside are generally heavier, we recommend that children under one year old should not eat out, and children over one year old should not eat out too often. And you need to pay attention to the following aspects:

Choose a suitable restaurant 1. First, choose a safe restaurant. Choose a catering service unit with a "catering service license" and a "food hygiene license" that has been obtained before the implementation of the "Food Safety Law" and the license is valid. Do not patronize small street vendors.

2. Choose a restaurant with a high reputation. The regulatory authorities assess the restaurant's reputation level based on its infrastructure and food safety conditions, with the reputation level corresponding to the three levels decreasing in turn and the risk level increasing in turn.

3. Choose a restaurant with a comfortable environment. This is very important and will affect the entire dining process. If the restaurant environment is noisy, the noise will affect the child's mood and appetite, so it is best to let the child eat easily in a spacious and bright environment. In addition, it is best to call in advance to confirm whether there are enough child seats (unless the child is used to kneeling on a chair to eat, which is obviously not realistic).

4. Choose a restaurant with children's meals. For a "harmonious" family dinner, let your children's preferences guide your choice of restaurant. Restaurants that offer children's menus are naturally the best choice. If there is no way to provide a children's menu, restaurants that are willing to provide special menus or can accept additional requests are also good (you can ask for as little oil and salt as possible when ordering).

5. Choose a restaurant with an amusement park. Restaurants that can provide a certain amount of children's play space and provide some children's toys should get extra points.

6. Choose a restaurant that allows reservations. Many recommended restaurants are often crowded during meal times, so it is best to call ahead to reserve a seat. Don't just rely on luck, because your children don't think waiting is a fun thing. If the restaurant really doesn't allow reservations, it is best to have space for your children to play for a while while waiting to kill time and release some energy.

How to order food for children When you arrive at a restaurant, ordering food is a skill. What is suitable for your child to eat, how to eat it is safest, and how to eat it to ensure nutrition is all a matter of knowledge. Listening to the child's opinions is the first priority, and parents should also consider the following points for their children:

1. It is best to choose children's meals. This can save you a lot of choice and communication time.

2. Buffet is a good choice. Although buffet is not the most relaxing way to eat, it can save a lot of waiting time and allow children to choose food freely. It can also serve as an educational opportunity to cultivate children not to waste food.

3. Pay attention to the cooking method of food. Try to choose cooking methods that minimize nutrient loss and avoid frying and grilling. It is also worth noting that although cold and raw food can preserve the nutrients of food completely, for children, these can easily cause diseases such as diarrhea.

4. It is also not advisable to try new foods. Especially if the child has allergies, parents should pay attention to the selection of ingredients when ordering food to avoid allergies in their children.

5. Tell the waiter your request. At the end of ordering, remember to explain to the waiter which part of the menu is specifically for children and make sure it is light in taste.

Other things to note: Eating out with children is not always as peaceful and gentle as you imagine. Children can't sit still for a long time, get up and play around, and make a mess on the table... You must be prepared:

1. Prepare household tableware. Children are usually equipped with tableware at home, including bowls, spoons and food scissors. Among them, the food scissors are very helpful, which can help the baby eat more easily. In addition, using the bowls and chopsticks that the child is used to, he will be more familiar with them and it will be easier for him to eat quietly.

2. Choose a suitable location. When dining, choose a suitable location, avoid decorations, partitions, stairways or places with hard materials around, to provide a relatively safe environment for children.

3. Take preventive measures. When serving food, do not place hot soup, hot porridge, water cups, etc. on the table or too close to children to prevent them from reaching out and tipping over and getting burned. Chopsticks and toothpicks should also be kept away from children to avoid accidents.

4. Speed ​​up the meal. Since children cannot sit still for a long time, your goal is to speed up the meal and leave as soon as possible. If you can make a reservation in advance, you can order the dishes in advance and eat directly when you arrive at the restaurant. If you cannot make a reservation in advance, it is best to ask the restaurant to serve the children's dishes first, or bring some cookies with you for your children to fill their stomachs.

5. Soothe your child appropriately. It is not realistic to ask your child to stay quiet throughout the meal, so you can bring your child's favorite toys with you so that he can play when he is impatient and will not disturb you and others around him. If your child loses his temper and disturbs others around him, you need to take him out immediately to change the environment and calm him down. If you need to take your child out frequently, it is best for the two parents to take turns to ensure that each parent has a chance to eat something.

6. Establish some rules. For older children, do not leave the table without permission. Children walking around the restaurant alone may run into waiters holding hot food or hot drinks, which may cause serious accidents.

Finally, maybe your child didn’t eat any nutritious food in the restaurant, that’s okay, rush home after the meal and supplement it with some vegetables, a plate of fruit, and a whole-wheat biscuit. Don’t feel guilty for letting your child eat fast food a few times. During these few times, eat with your child in a relaxed and happy manner.

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All names and place names are pseudonyms and any similarity is purely coincidental.