where to put infant when you go to restaurant

[mellie35]

I learned from this board that people will flip the high chairs upside down and put the carseat on that. We did take our baby (she is almost 6 weeks) out for the first time last week and the owner of the restaurant went to do that. I freaked out a bit.

So, what does everyone do? If you have a special seat or something you recommend me buying, let me know. Thanks.

[meltoine]

I put the carrier on the floor and hold the baby unless they're asleep.

[Brie]

I just asked for a booth and would set the infant carrier on the seat, or we would hold him/wear him while we ate.

[soozy87]

We just put his car seat on the inside of the booth if possible.

[purplecow0206]

We just bring her in with the car seat and put it on the floor, it seems the safest to us.

[Deleted]

I put the carrier in the booth with us.

[ilikedonuts]

Booth or use an infant sling that a lot of places have that you set the carseat in and then they have a big strap to make it extra secure.

The upside down high chair thing freaks me the f out. I've only seen it once in public thankfully.

[anna7602]

I wore my baby in an Ergo with the sun hood up (to prevent getting crumbs on her little head) or pulled the stroller up close to the table if she was asleep in it.

DD would not just sit and hang out quietly if she was awake unless she was being held until she was about 6 months old, so a carrier kept my hands free. After that age, she could pretty much sit in a restaurant high chair.

[magpie]

Booth or leave the car seat on the floor and hold the baby/up to the table, depending on the space.

[gibbinator]

I ask for a corner si I could put the carseat in the floor, or a booth so I could set it beside me.

[biogirl21]

We try to get a booth so I can put the car seat next to me. If the place doesn't have booths they usually have some contraption that holds the car seat.

[h]

We used those car seat sling things if the restaurant had them, otherwise we set the carseat in a booth or on the floor. We generally ended up holding the baby regardless. None of our kids stayed asleep or content in their infant seats for more than a few minutes.

[Deleted]

I too do the high chair thing. I tried to stick her out of the way.

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[dbsk8dance]

Mar 18, 2014 17:59:55 GMT -5 h said:

We used those car seat sling things if the restaurant had them, otherwise we set the carseat in a booth or on the floor. We generally ended up holding the baby regardless. None of our kids stayed asleep or content in their infant seats for more than a few minutes.

The issue is the seat flipping and the child hitting their head. I don't trust myself to be paying attention 100# of the time.

That said we all have our comfort levels.

[h]

Mar 18, 2014 18:13:13 GMT -5 dbsk8dance said:

Mar 18, 2014 17:59:55 GMT -5 h said:

We used those car seat sling things if the restaurant had them, otherwise we set the carseat in a booth or on the floor. We generally ended up holding the baby regardless. None of our kids stayed asleep or content in their infant seats for more than a few minutes.

The issue is the seat flipping and the child hitting their head. I don't trust myself to be paying attention 100# of the time.

That said we all have our comfort levels.

The seat flipping how? Out of the sling or put of the booth? I don't do the high chair thing, but I find the sling and booth options to be fairly safe.

[thebreakfastclub]

I don't think the sling could flip due to its width and stability. I think a booth is fine too.

Trying to eat a meal while holding a baby sounds like the most non-fun thing ever.

[badtzmaru22]

Either in a booth with the infant seat next to me, or at a table, and just roll the snap n go up to it in place of a chair. The snap n go was the perfect size for that. I miss eating out with a sleeping newborn!!

[rex]

i have never seen or heard of this highchair situation until right now, nor have i heard of or seen the sling you are talking about.

we just stick the carseat next to us in the booth.

[osulori]

When I first started hostessing in college, we did the upside down high chair thing...briefly, until our order for the sling things came in. Still makes me shudder to think about.

We do the sling, hold him, put him on the booth seat, or if the table is angled so one seat is pretty tight against the wall I will set the infant seat on that but usually only if I know one or the other of us is going to be holding him most of the time.

[dbsk8dance]

Mar 18, 2014 18:18:59 GMT -5 h said:

Mar 18, 2014 18:13:13 GMT -5 dbsk8dance said:

The issue is the seat flipping and the child hitting their head. I don't trust myself to be paying attention 100# of the time.

That said we all have our comfort levels.

The seat flipping how? Out of the sling or put of the booth? I don't do the high chair thing, but I find the sling and booth options to be fairly safe.

I meant the flipped high chair thing. I misunderstood what you were saying. Sorry.

I think the booth is fine and I've never actually see one of the slings,

[rex]

Mar 18, 2014 18:52:10 GMT -5 tulips said:

Mar 18, 2014 18:48:59 GMT -5 rex said:

i have never seen or heard of this highchair situation until right now, nor have i heard of or seen the sling you are talking about.

we just stick the carseat next to us in the booth.

SLING

not even remotely what i was picturing lol 

it is probably just not common here. i see everyone else doing what we do or their child is old enough to sit in a high chair. 

[bronxgirl]

Mar 18, 2014 17:26:30 GMT -5 @littlemoxie said:

I do the high chair thing with the armrest up and sit next to it. I'm pretty confident that I can reach my hand out to stabilize it should anyone bump into him. I'm also not too worried about DS "surviving" a low-speed 2.5 foot fall to the ground while buckled into something meant to protect him in a car crash.

As long as the high chair is flat and not curved (and placed in a secure area) it should be fine.  I see it all the time around here and did it with DD when she was little.  Nothing to freak out about. 

[bronxgirl]

Mar 18, 2014 18:13:13 GMT -5 dbsk8dance said:

Mar 18, 2014 17:59:55 GMT -5 h said:

We used those car seat sling things if the restaurant had them, otherwise we set the carseat in a booth or on the floor. We generally ended up holding the baby regardless. None of our kids stayed asleep or content in their infant seats for more than a few minutes.

The issue is the seat flipping and the child hitting their head. I don't trust myself to be paying attention 100# of the time.

That said we all have our comfort levels.

if you do it properly that won't happen

[Willis Jackson]

Lol at either of my babies just chilling or sleeping in a car seat for more than 5 seconds.

We held them until they could sit in a high chair.

[curbsideprophet]

Leaving DD in her car seat was usually not an option, she was not a fan. Someone usually held get or wore her.

[Deleted]

I just held him/cradled him in my lap sitting cross legged. We had more problems with who gets to hold him instead of who needs a free hand to eat. So easy.

[shell24]

I either use the upside down high chair or a sling if the restaurant has that.

[mellie35]

Thank you all for your help. Did not know about the sling.

[redpenmama]

I prefer booth with the carseat but will do the sling or upside high chair too. Depends on the restaurant.

[bronxgirl]

Mar 18, 2014 21:52:37 GMT -5 @fivedogs said:

Mar 18, 2014 19:04:19 GMT -5 bronxgirl said:

if you do it properly that won't happen

The bottom of the upside-down high chair is smaller than the top and there is 15+ lbs balanced on the top.  In terms of physics, there is no way to do it properly unless you widen the base and lower the center of gravity.  ETA: I don't particularly care if people choose to do it, but I wanted to clarify that the set-up is inherently unstable and top heavy.

actually, there is a way to do it properly which is not necessarily "inherently unstable and top heavy".  In addition to having the base flat on the ground, if the chair is  placed between other chairs where there is no room for it to fall then you're fine.  Yes, if you have it free standing with nothing near it to prevent a fall, then you are taking a bigger risk.