dining out with toddlers

Best Toys to Entertain Your Toddler at a Restaurant

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Toddler Restaurant Toys

When you are headed out to a restaurant with your toddler, you may be dreading it. It’s fun to be able to not cook for a night but sometimes going out to dinner with a toddler can be more stressful than planning a meal at home.

It’s important to find a kid friendly restaurants. One that is louder is a great idea for little kids. Make sure there is a kids menu.

I’ve been out with my kids before and they want to climb under the table. They want to stand in the booth. And love staring at all the other people in the restaurant.

So you may be thinking – how do I keep my toddler entertained at a restaurant?

kids restaurant toys

The answer is simple – be prepared! If you are prepared for the adventure, then it is sure to go more smoothly than you think.

A perfect way to be prepared is to bring some small toys to the restaurant. If you can bring a variety of their favorite toys, all the better!

That way, you can take out one at a time and when they start to get sick of that toy, bring out another one! This way you can keep them occupied for a longer period of time.

But what are the best toys to entertain kids at a restaurant?

The best toys for restaurants are obviously quiet toys that will not disturb other diners. These are some of the best toys to bring to a restaurant to keep toddlers occupied:

Play Pack – Grab and Go

These small packs fit right into a purse or diaper bag. They come in a ton of varieties and each pack is a little package of entertainment. It comes with a small coloring book, 4 crayons and some stickers. It is perfect to keep toddlers busy!

Magnetic Drawing Board

A magnetic drawing board is perfect for a restaurant because it’s not too big and it can help with the kids being creative. The other great part is no loose pieces underneath the restaurant table!

Ring Toss Hand Game

This little game is so much fun for a toddler. It is not easy to do and they love the colors and working so hard to get the rings on!

Water Wow Books

If you have never gotten your toddler a Water Wow book, I highly recommend it.

There are no crayons or markers involved. There is just one utensil that looks like a paintbrush – you fill it with water and kids use it to paint in their Water Wow Book.

Each book generally comes with 4 or 5 pages so it can keep toddlers occupied for a while!

Magnetic Tiles

Magnetic tiles are so fun for kids because they can create all kinds of structures. They stay together with magnets so they are less likely to end up on the ground.

Picture Books

Bringing some small picture books, especially a flap book, are great for a restaurant. They can spend time looking through them and playing with them.

Small, short board books are also a good idea!

Squigz

Squigz are fun toys that function like suction cups to build fun structures. A great part is they can suction to the table to prevent them from falling off.

Magnetic Drawing Board with Beads

This unique magnetic drawing board with beads is a different toy and the perfect size to bring to a restaurant.

It is only about the size of a board book and can easily fit inside a purse. Kids can use the little pen to pull up the beads and make different designs. To clear the beads, simply push them down!

Imagine Ink Books

Imagine Ink books are great for restaurants because they are small and you only need one marker to color in them! Use the special marker to do the activities and color the pictures. Then watch the magic happen!

Kids Erasable Doodle Book

This cute 10 page book has 3 coloring pages, 2 tracing pages and 5 free drawing pages. It comes with 10 markers and is perfect for keeping kids busy while waiting for your food!

Sticker Books

Sticker books are an easy way to keep young children busy. It can also help them with their fine motor skills at the same time – win win!

Play Dough

An easy way to keep kids entertained is to bring one container of play dough. They are small enough to throw in your diaper bag or purse. And are sure to be a big hit!

Reusable Stickers

Reusable sticker books are a great way to keep kids busy. They can be used over and over again. They are small and skinny so are easy to carry around!

The next time you want to enjoy a nice meal with some adult conversation, bring 3 or 4 of these toys to a restaurant. They are sure to help keep your toddler busy and avoid toddler tantrums so that you are able to enjoy a night without cooking! Good Luck!

Check out these other toddler posts you may enjoy!

Books to Help Toddlers Start Talking

Tips for Toddler Proofing a Bedroom

How to Get Toddlers to Brush Their Teeth

Best Toddler Toys for Restaurants

1 thought on “Best Toys to Entertain Your Toddler at a Restaurant”

  1. Fantastic! Thanks for writing this, very informative. You share good information related to the best toys.

    I have benefited a lot from reading this article, I want more post about that.

    Thanks again for this useful guide.

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