Dining Room with a Toddler (2 year old)

[M&MGirl1]

[quote name='Vanessa L']I would love to know what ship you were on that you witnessed an adult screaming at the top of his lungs (or even just crying) because his/her family was trying to push them to do more than they were capable of doing. I've been cruising since 1984 and never seen this from an adult. YMMV, of course.[/QUOTE]

Actually, I went on a singles cruise on the Glory. One particular bunch of people showed up to dinner so trashed every evening that they quickly dissolved into yelling/screaming and would get up from their table and harass others. I HATE ill behaved kids, but I would have happily taken a crying baby over that group. Sadly neither the group coordinators or Carnival staff did anything to stop this group either.

[bplazo]

[quote name='Vanessa L']I would love to know what ship you were on that you witnessed an adult screaming at the top of his lungs (or even just crying) because his/her family was trying to push them to do more than they were capable of doing. I've been cruising since 1984 and never seen this from an adult. YMMV, of course.[/QUOTE]

I have never seen it either or adults throwing all their food on the floor.

[Vanessa L]

[quote name='tkportersat']Unfortunately the ME people are out there in all areas.....not just with the kids. It is really a shame that some are not aware they share the universe with others.[/QUOTE]

Oh I'm am so aware of that! But, since this thread is about screaming kids (or well behaved ones, depending on how you look at it) I'm keeping it to the topic, lest I get dinged by the mods for being off topic :D You know, I want to do what is right ;)

[SMSACE6]

Anyone who has spent time with babies and toddlers, should and will likely be understanding to however your little one reacts. To expect a 2 year old to behave perfectly, ie "quietly" in such an environment is expecting too much. And OP, I have been seated near tables in the MDR with Toddlers who upchucked their dinner, and they went red faced and wailed, but those at my table were just sympathetic to the little one and his or her parents who were red faced with embarassment, as we had been there and done that before with ours. Op, you have every right to enjoy dinner in the MDR with your toddler, and the waiters will fuss over your little one too, as many of them have some of their own back home, and understand. Go, enjoy your cruise with your little one!:)

[Cocoanib]

All kids are different, but DD enjoyed eating in the dining room and it was some really fun times for us. We did'nt bring any extra entertainment with us, because for us being in the dining room was truly entertainment enough. New people, surroundings, foods...
If you think your child will do better with other stuff to do, then bring along some of their fav items or something new to look at. She did take some interesting pics with our camera though :)

DD is 22 months and has eaten out a fair amount of times. The hostess and waiters were wonderful with her. She ate what I ate and enjoyed most of it.

Just be sure you dine when they have had ample sleep and get a starter, so they have something to start eating right away. The fresh fruit is really good!

[Cocoanib]

I wanted to add that we add early seating for dinner and were seated with another family with children. None of the children were quiet, but neither was the dining room, so there talking, squeeling and laughing just blended in with it all!

[alreadypacked]

[quote name='Rhitson88']Haha really?? This is a terrible idea. Walking him outside is just fine. But bringing a mini dvd player to keep him busy is only going to make the problem worse later on. Can't always have a dvd player so what happens later on if you don't have it and thats now what he wants when he eats. Anyways, your 2 yr old will be fine.[/quote]

Agreed. I once worked as a hostess at an upscale restaurant for 3 years. I would see well-heeled parents come in with a toddler in tow and just put a DVD player in front of the kid and proceed to ignore him/her while they engaged in their own conversation or conversed with another couple with whom they were with.

Sometimes the child was poorly behaved, throwing food on the floor and so forth with nary a glance from the parents.

I was always astounded by this practice. I realize things have changed (there were no DVD players in my day), but when I was growing up, my parents interacted with us at the dinner table, and corrected us when our behavior required it, so that we learned at an early age to behave properly at table.

Slapping a passive entertainment device in front of a kid just seems like a band-aid solution. Would it not be better in the long run (for the kid and the parents) to not rely on passive entertainment devices which could cultivate the following: [I]Kid can't sit in a restaurant for an hour or wait in a line for 15 minutes without watching a DVD, listening to an MP3/Ipod or what have you, or playing a "video" game.[/I]

Seems like the pushing of passive entertainment in front of kids at all occasions is a monster in the making.

Having said that, it's always refreshing to see parents out there who are interacting with their children, giving them limits, teaching manners etc.

[mara93]

We've left the MDR early (no dessert :( ) because of a screaming toddler. It happens.
Did it happen every day? No.
The waiters will help. They would bring out DS food/dessert before ours, play games with him, dance, make puppets, etc.

I congratulate you on taking your child with you. I don't understand why anyone would want to leave an integral part of the family back home. Heck, if I could, I would bring my dogs, too.