Baby Friendly Restaurants

Dear Diary,

When I first ventured outdoors with Caitlynn,  I said to myself, Self, restaurants should cater to babies by offering a special menu. First off, that would help moms who accidentally left pureed peas and chopped chicken on their kitchen counter at home.  Sleep deprived, I sometimes forgot to put my homemade meals back in the refrigerator! Second, the infant only options would add more hours to the day of working mothers.

When I went back to work when Caitlynn was 10-months-old,  I had a tough time balancing  the home and the office.  I no longer had the time to whip up homemade baby food in my overpriced baby blender and freeze a two-week supply.  So sometimes I felt guilty for feeding my daughter food out of a jar.  I’m not anti store-bought meals.  I just missed making some of her favorite foods.

So, imagine my surprise when I treated my nephews to Eat N Park one day.  It’s like Bob Evans, which by the way, has Kids Eat Free Tuesdays for those outside of my zip code. In June, to celebrate Eat N Park’s mascot’s birthday, the kids menu prices drop down to 99 cents. By the way, the mascot is a Smiley faced cookie! As I ordered mac & cheese for my little princess, I noticed in small print that kids 10 and under are served snacks, free of charge.  Babies receive bananas and a plastic bib. Cloth options are available in the gift shop at select locations. Who knew there was a baby friendly restaurant right down the street from our house!  I’ve dined at this 24/7 hot spot for years, but since I didn’t have other children, I never needed a kids menu.  Caitlynn devoured her macaroni, so I took the fruit home for her breakfast the next day when I would rush to get to work on time.

I applaud Eat N Park for feeding families and recognizing that babies are customers too. Recently, McDain’s, a Pittsburgh restaurant and golf center banned babies from the dining room.  When questioned, the owner stated that kids under six were too rowdy.  In North Carolina, a seaside cafe posted a sign that said, No screaming children allowed.  I can understand that customers want to eat in peace.  But what about loud mouth patrons or intoxicated customers?  Should they forbid those paying people as well?

Hey DFTM family–What do you think about the baby bans?  Have you ever been asked to leave a restaurant, because you brought a baby?  Do you know of other restaurants offering infant options?  Where can you find baby friendly food on adult menus?