Soup and a Boost

We went out to dinner tonight and finally, on the second kid, I have figured out the way to find the ideal toddler food on almost any menu. Soup is my secret weapon. Almost every restaurant has a soup of the day, and almost every soup has as a component of it softer than usual veggies and meats, I ordered Nate a cup of soup, pulled out all of the veggies and meat and pasta with a fork, and let him go to town on the chunky goodness.

My other why-didn’t-I-think-of-this-with-Alex tip is that I have given up on restaurant high chairs completely and instead brought our own portable booster. Specifically, our Safety First Booster. Restaurant high chairs generally have missing or too-loose straps, and at this age Nate can climb right out of them. That issue is partially solved by the Floppy Seat, but then there is still the issue of eating surface, especially now that Nate is mostly feeding himself. I much prefer strapping our own booster, with tray, to a freestanding chair. That way, I know Nate is strapped in tight, and the germs on his eating surface are our germs, not strange restaurant germs.

This was the least stressful dinner out we have had in a long time. The booster seat now lives in the car until further notice!