Rookie Mama's Playbook: Let’s Go Out to Dinner

When Sebastian was a newborn going out to dinner was easy because he would sleep sweetly in his car seat. Well those days are long gone! When he graduated from the car seat and was able to sit up on his own, I thought I had found a solution to dining out. Restaurant high chairs, with a chair cover, seemed like a reasonable option. The problem was most were lower then the table . So, of course my baby took every opportunity to put his mouth directly on or under the table. YUCK! Even with a table top cover, he managed to find some place dirty to put his mouth. He was also too small to fit the seat properly and squirmed around and slipped from side to side. To entertain him while we gulped our food down, my husband and I would take turns handing him toys. His favorite game was the drop them on the floor and watch Mommy and Daddy pick them up game. Not exactly the “date nights” we were used too!

Trying to make the high chair work!

My baby is now an extremely active seven and a half month old. And thankfully I have found the perfect solution to dining out. In fact, I never leave the house without my Chicco 360 Hook On High Chair. It can be purchased at www.diapers.com for about $69. It attaches easily right onto the table and comes with a snap on tray. It has an innovative seat that locks in six positions for a happy mealtime. Baby can face Mom for feedings or be turned and face out to keep him busy and let other views entertain him. Rubber grips clamp to the table quickly and securely. It folds down completely for easy transportation to and from your car. The only problem I have noticed is that the buttons that folds the arms in can stick at first. After a few uses they loosen up. I feel completely secure putting my baby in the seat and I love the fact that he never touches anything on the restaurant table. So it is really a germ free environment for him. Because the seat places baby at our level, he seems more content to sit there and eat his meal or even play with his toys. Speaking of toys, I highly recommend the Sassy high chair suction on toys. They can also be found at Buy Buy baby or online at Diapers. com. for about $7.99. They suction to the tray well and so the dropping to the floor game is avoided.

My nephew Sawyer hanging out in his Hook On. He is 18 months.