When Does It Stop Being OK to Bring Outside Food for Your Kid?

I only ever brought food when they were a baby. By 11 months, I'd bring Cheerios, nothing more. By then they can eat most things in a cut up form.

One thing I also do is ask them to bring something sooner. When we go out for breakfast, I order my toddler a fruit cup and ask to get it NOW. Most places will accommodate requests for food for toddlers NOW.

I never brought my DD anything beyond bottled breast milk. If I thought she would be hungry and that here wouldn't be anything suitable for her to eat, I would feed her before going. Then I would order some kind of healthy side with my meal (seasonal fruit/veggies, baked sweet potato, etc.) and ask for an extra plate, and give her small bits of my own meal. When she got a bit older, I would give her small portions of my entire meal. That way I didn't waste a meal on her, but didn't have to deal with the hassle of bringing in my own food.

For me, it was more of a matter of convenience. I didn't want to have to prepare her food, package it in a transportable container, then have to carry the dirty dish back home. :)

We try to order a full meal for the adults and if the kid will eat anything, we order that, too. That said, I have occasionally brought something for my 6 yr old (like raisin boxes) to tide her over if necessary and no one batted an eye when my sister gave her kids sippy cups at IHOP. I'd say definitely any kid under 3 is fine to bring food for.

You can always ask the kitchen to make up something simple for him, tell them what he does eat and they can put something together for you. We do this, we make south Asian food, so when someone brings in a small child we will usually saute some plain chicken and carrots or other veggie in soy sauce and serve it with a small amount of rice. But that's for the picky kids (no judgment here about that), the non-picky kids who have been exposed to all kinds of flavors and textures already usually just order off the menu. We have a Chinese couple that comes in with their 2yo daughter, and they always order the Pad Thai for her, for example.

To answer your question more directly, though, we restaurant owners don't mind if you bring in food for your child up to the age of about 5yo. After that age we won't kick you out and we probably won't say anything, but we certainly do not like people to bring their own food into our restaurant.
And yes, it is a BIG NO-NO to bring in food from another restaurant- food from home for a child with allergies or one who is too young to eat adult food is one thing, but never ever bring food from another restaurant. Many places are likely to ask you to leave, but mostly they will just complain about you behind closed doors, so leave a big tip :)

I think that by around the age of two/three you should be ordering off the kids menu. I've never been to a restaurant that didn't have something on the menu my very picky kids would eat by the time they were two.

ETA: Where are you all eating that have such terrible kids menu's? When we go out the kids menu is generally smaller portions of what is on the regular menu, at a lower price, but include a beverage and dessert. We went to Red Lobster recently and my boys both had broiled fish with rice and broccoli from the kids menu...

I would never take food from another restaurant into a restaurant. The only things I ever had on hand were simple snacks.

The restaurants probably don't mind simple snacks a mom has in her diaper bag but food from another establishment is just tacky and disrespectful in my book.

There are a LOT of things a chef can make especially for you if you just ask. Figure out what your child likes and if it is not on the menu, ask for it... pasta, eggs, etc.

I think that you were probably fine with a one year old. I do think that you should work on integrating more foods into your child's diet though. A breakfast place is pretty easy though...most kids will eat pancakes, toast or scrambled eggs.

We traveled and went out to eat a LOT with babies/toddlers. I always brought some food/snacks for them, and also fed them a bit from our plates. I never once had a problem or issue with a restaurant. Kids' meals are larger and more suited to children five and older, and restaurants know that. No one expects a two year old to order a cheeseburger and fries!!!

I always keep Cheerios or Goldfish in my bag for pre-meal snacking in restaurants and it's never been a problem. Little snacks like that are never a problem, from a family restaurant to fine dining.

That said, by one even my toothless wonder (my 3rd) ate a wide variety of foods and there was always something from someone's plate that was appropriate for him when eating out. I have never brought more than snacky foods into a restaurant once my babies were past the jar food stage.

I think it's a bit tacky, personally.

We avoid going out to eat because of poor options/choices for the kids. I think the food on most kid's menus is awful: fried, fiber-free, and devoid of nutritional value. Usually there are many healthy options for adults but kids get the worst food.

When we go out with my in laws I bring supplemental food, usually a fruit or vegetable I know he will eat and something else wholesome. I'll order a side of baked sweet potato, or something like that instead so that he gets 'restaurant food' too. If my daughter is there she and my son will split an adult entree like baked chicken, rice and veggies. Beat corn dogs and french fries from the kids menu.

We only ever brought rice cakes when DS was really little - it was something he could eat if the restaurant didn't bring a bread basket right away so he wouldn't lose it while waiting 15-20 minutes for a meal. Of course when he was on bottles, it was not an issue at all.

Other than that, he ate the same food we ordered for ourselves. We have NEVER ordered from the children's menu. It tends to be incredibly unhealthy and uninspired. There is absolutely no rule that kids can't eat the adult food. When DS was less than 3-4 or so, I would share with him and we would still have plenty of food (restaurant portions tend to be very excessive). Most restaurants are also very open to making a smaller portion of a dish to accommodate a child (or senior).

If I had to be happy with the food on the children's menu, DS would have never gone out to eat. I seriously don't understand why so many posters seem to feel your child should be happy with the kids' menu or you should leave him home. I wouldn't eat off a kids' menu.

We didn't go out too much when Kiddo was still in "puree" mode, so to speak. When he ate baby food, I'd feed him well before we went to a restaurant and he was usually sleeping for the most part. If he was really hungry again, I didn't have a problem with giving him baby food but would always ask first if they had some applesauce or yogurt, to give the restaurant the opportunity to make the money first.

When he got older, we would order sides which seemed to work. Most places have some sort of bread option available as well as milk or yogurt or fruit. I've found over time that part of my planning before we go out or travel is to check menus and see what sort of options are available. With so many restaurants offering their menus online these days, if we travel I'll write down the names and addresses of several places in the vicinity we are staying so that we have options.

Nobody is going to stop you from feeding baby food to a baby or young toddler. Any child that is too young to eat the few solid foods on the kids' menu (which are largely junk anyway in many places!) needs to have baby food or a bottle. A good restaurant manager would much rather have 2 adult diners and a non-purchasing child than no adult diners at all. Moreover, no restaurant is going to want to press the issue with a child with food sensitivities, so older kids can get away with this too. I don't think you should be forced to feed your child just crackers because there's nothing on the menu for a 3 year old. That's not a meal.

If a child has serious food allergies that have not been addressed, and which could be triggered by cross contamination in a restaurant, then you keep taking your own products. When my 8th grade students took a field trip to Washington DC and NYC, we had one student who had diabetes and celiac disease. She could not eat in any restaurants. So she took all her own food and utensils and there was no problem with it. In some cases the restaurant was called ahead of time, and I think there was a physician's note with the chaperones or in her wallet. Believe me, no restaurant wanted a serious reaction from one customer and they were happy to comply. If a wait staff person was unclear, a chat with the manager would suffice.

That said, if you continue to go out with an older child and pack your own food, the child never experiences the tastes and the fun of dining out. The child never learns to try new tastes and textures. The same problem happens if they just expect to eat soup crackers or the little jelly packets - they develop bad eating habits. So it's not something you want to encourage long term. I'd stick to healthy choices like the cut up grapes rather than the cheetos. But certainly when a child is still on soft/pureed foods, you take your own food and your own baby spoon if you want. You can try to order something for yourself that your child can taste even if it's a couple of pieces of pasta or a tiny bite of meatball or a piece of a broccoli floret. You can also ask for a small side dish of something they have as a garnish - grapes might be one thing, or a few cubes of melon or a banana at a breakfast place, etc. They'll usually throw that in for free or charge you a very small fee such as $1 which you should willingly pay.

i doubt many restaurants are going to melt down over it. but i'd never consider fixing a 'meal' (like oatmeal) and taking it in for my kid. at most some little snacks to keep 'em happy. but then, we didn't go out much when our kids were tiny.
i can't think of any restaurants that don't have *something* that kids will eat, even if it's just crackers.
khairete
S.

I always bring " side / filler foods " for my toddlers. Only because most, not all of the time , we have bad habit ( I know) of going to unhealthy places that only have fried junk on the kids menu. We spend enough & tip well , I
don't think anyone would care & usually they comment on our toddlers healthy selections, while us glutinous(?) pigs eat wings & watch football.

I'd say 3.
In the meantime, most restaurants don't have a problem with cheerios,
puffs, oatmeal, Goldfish etc.
And they shouldn't at that age w/those kinds of things unless they are an
uber fancy restaurant. Then I don't take my 1 year olds there.

For the moment it is fine, soon his meals will include more items and he will begin eating what you eat.

At this age I always took a small bag of steamed vegetables, some gold fish crackers.. Once her teeth came in there was always something she could share from our plates.

Most restaurants make a simple kid meal menu. I bet you can even order oatmeal even if it is not on the menu.

I would just feed your child a small snack before walking in and order something off the menu. If he/she is starving, ask for some toast or crackers.

When foods are made with formula or breast milk I think it's okay to bring a child a small something but any real food they eat during a visit at a restaurant should come from the restaurant. I think we've always ordered mashed potatoes with or without gravy, green beans, pancakes, scrambled eggs, maybe something with rice...kids should eat food from the restaurant if possible. If they're able to chew and swallow they can eat something.

We stayed home with our son and did take out until he was about 4 yrs old.
When we started going out we did family friendly fast food places - so we never brought food into a restaurant.

Your child is ONE. I'm sure it's not a problem to bring in some jars of food if you arent still a nurser.

We carried a baby food grinder and our kids ate bits from our plates.

I think it's OK to bring your own baby food until your baby is off of baby food.

Well my 5 yr old is diabetic so whenever we go anywhere now we make sure we have a drink and snack for her that won't mess with her sugar (she was just diagnosed 2 months ago) just laSt night we went to a hockey game and brought a poweraid zero and cheese sticks into the game with us and they had no issues with it. But I would say if there was no allergies or medical issues that by the age of 2. They should be AbLe to eat at the restarunt.

It stops being okay when the manager says it it is not okay.

I brought food probably up to age 2.. my kids are not super picky and have no medical reasons they cant eat SOMETHING on the restaurant menu.. that being said.. we don't take them to Thai restaurants or places that I know would not have anything they wouldeat..

but we fed the kids off our plates for years.. 2 adult entrees bought for mom and dad.. have enough food to make servings for 2 small children..