My two year son has started acting up in restaurants. Any help with knowing how to keep peace at the table ?

We will be going two Disney World in two weeks and want to make the trip fun . With being on vacation will be eating out alot and want to make the meals pleasent for everyone. He does not do thing like sceam, but he has started throwing food and turing everything in to a toy. The means he wants his plate to be tire and spin. HAHA. He also want to drink out of a glass and not a sippy cup, even though at home we use sippy cups every meal. When he does not get his way of coures he cries. So I take him out of the restrant to cool off and return for him to start all over again. When I remove him I go over the rule of eating out. I know he is two and toddler like to move, but I want to be able for him to also learn how to conduct himself in a public place. We have tried bring toys cars what turns in to drop on the floor and pick up game. The crayol they gave he wants to eat them and the menu turn in to a paper airplane. I dont know where these manners in the past two weeks came from .

Answers:
Two is a little young to expect him to be a gentleman at the table. From the time our son started eating baby food, we didn't let him throw food or any of that. If he did, he was removed from the table (highchair) for awhile and didn't get to finish the meal with us. I took small things to resturaunts with us, but as soon as the food came, all toys were removed from the table. We had a few episodes where he just wouldn't behave no matter what and so we had our food placed in "to go" containers immediately and left the resturant. Like the previous suggestion, it taught him that eating out is a privilege that can be taken away. In the short time you have before your trip, you might try spending some time at each meal showing him how to properly use his spoon and fork and tell him that if he can not behave he will not get to go to the resturaunts. I will tell you this.... we did the Disney world trip in Novemeber and our son was 4.. Normally an angel at the table, but all the excitement does freak them out. Keep repeating the rules and if you tell him he's to be punished or lose a privilege for mis-behavior, stand by it. Even at Disney World.

Other Answers:
Something that worked when we were kids and really only took a couple of times for us to learn was this: Whenever one of us started acting up, we were taken from the restaurant for the duration of the meal and had to sit in the car with one of the parents. We were only given a pbj sandwich to eat that night. We did NOT get to return to the restaurant. We learned that eating out was a privilege and if we violated that privilege it was taken away permanently for that evening,day whatever. Bringing toys with him probably sends the signal that it is play time and not meal time.

Do yourself a favor and avoid restaurants this trip. Eat in your room, eat outside, go to food vendors, or have a picnic. It with make for a much happier trip. Work on restaurant behavior next year when he can understand it. Have a great trip.

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My two year son has started acting up in restaurants. Any help with knowing how to keep peace at the table ?

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