Bean Tips

Tip #3: Take your toddler to a restaurant

Are you afraid to take your tike to a restaurant?  Fear not.  With these seven easy steps, you’ll be dining out en famille without a second thought.

1. Your restaurant should be family friendly.  If your restaurant doesn’t have highchairs, that’s a good indication that you need to entertain other options.  Think lively, fun, not intimate, fine dining. 
2. Most restaurant menus are available online these days.  Check it out before you go.  Does the restaurant have something you can order for little Billy?  Bowtie pasta? Mashed potatoes? Or do you need to pack a picnic?  We go to a local pizzeria with Moose.  I pack English peas, blueberries, and Cheerios, and I ask the waitress for a small cup of shredded mozerella.  And if he’s good, Moose gets to share my gelato.
3. Take a pocket bib—it will catch the mess, and the wait staff will love you.
4. Disinfect the table with Lysol wipes so that your baby can eat off the table.  Or try the Kiddopotamus Tinydiner Placemat—it has suction cups that hold it to the table and a scoop to catch the mess.
5. Take a sippy cup. 
6. Take a toy or two to keep your tot entertained while you wait for your food. 
7. Make sure you’re on schedule.  If Suzie didn’t have her nap, this probably isn’t the best day to try something new.  And if you’re altering her dinnertime, make sure that she’s had a snack.

Tip #2:  Treating mosquito bites

So you’ve done all you can to protect your little cherub from those vicious blood-sucking pests, and still she’s been victimized.  To minimize the inflammation and relieve the itching, hold a cotton ball soaked in witch hazel on the affected area for a few seconds.  We also had success with rubbing the inside skin of a banana on the area, but since that requires peeling a banana to treat the bite, we just go ahead and use the witch hazel in the medicine cabinet.

Tip #1:  DND the baby!

If you’re not up on acronyms, that’s Do Not Disturb.  And if you go into freak-out mode when a floorboard creaks lest it wake your slumbering cherub, this post is for you.

White noise.  Actually, I think it’s technically brown noise.  Whatever.

You need a clock radio with those spa sound settings.  We like the waterfall.  Turn it on in the nursery and you can turn your television on in the living room.  It will make your life better.  I promise. 

It’s not foolproof.  If the baby has an older brother with a penchant for belting out “Twinkle, twinkle” at obnoxious decibels, grab some duct tape and consult another parenting resource.