Whats In my Toddler’s Restaurant Bag

As I type this week’s blog post, I’m sitting in a coffee shop inbetween appointments and school drop-off typing away on my phone because I forgot my laptop at home-thanks to my toddler who decided to wake up at 3:45 a.m. this morning and not sleep for another hour or so. So even though thankfully she slept, I’ve been awake since then, but I will take a sleep-deprived me over a sleep-deprived two year old any day. I should really need an on-the-go morning checklist. Speaking of checklists, I do have a checklist for the items I take to a restaurant when we go out for a meal with my toddler. And that’s what I’m sharing with you. So here goes!

• Changing stuff: diapers & wipes-even though we are diaper-free at home, my daughter is just not ready to use a public restroom, and I don’t want to deal with the accidents while I’m out for dinner. Plus, Aisha likes eating with her hands a lot, therefore, wipes are extremely useful to wipe her face, hands and everywhere else there’s food!
• Travel Toilet Seat: I found this nifty, travel toilet seat on Amazon, which I take on our weekend getaways. Thankfully it’s small enough to fit into a bag, and I’m hopeful for the day where she’ll tell me she wants to go to the bathroom.
• Coloring Book and Crayons: Something has to keep her busy before the food comes right. Thankfully most places provide crayons, but we always have ours just in case. Plus, then the screen doesn’t come out right away.
• Snacks: Yes, we take snacks to a restaurant. We’ve had experiences where the food takes awhile to come. So snacks help us power through. We have crackers, cheerios, and a granola bar at all times, and there are times we finish all 3!
• Fork & Spoon: Now we can’t expect restaurants to have kid-sizes utensils right? So I carry a designated fork and spoon. I like this Bentgo one for 2 reasons: it comes in a case-so the dirty utensils won’t get everywhere and it’s dishwasher safe. Plus, it’s cute!

So that is my restaurant checklist. I have contemplated with other items beyond this list: like an extra set of clothes or a tablet. However, we haven’t found an extreme need for either one up until now. What are some items you take to restaurants with your kids??