TODAY WE'RE EATING OUT

From lunchtime outside the house to dinner at granny and granddad’s or in a restaurant: the first meals out require a great degree of organisation. Here is some advice on how to best organise and manage eating out.

Inside the home, managing mealtimes soon becomes an easy routine, thanks to the fact that you have everything you need at your fingertips.

If, on the other hand, it becomes necessary to feed baby outside the house, you need to organise yourself as well as you can to ensure that your little one can enjoy a calm, relaxed meal, just like at home. This starts with arranging baby's place at the table.

A LIGHTWEIGHT HIGHCHAIR FOR YOUR SECOND HOME

While you may have a fully-equipped highchair at home, you can opt for a lightweight and easy to use version for your meals out. This can be kept in a holiday home or at the grandparent's, so that it is all set up and ready to welcome baby at mealtimes.

A BOOSTER SEAT OR HOOK-ON CHAIR FOR RESTAURANTS

If you decide to eat out at a restaurant, it's a good idea to call first to ask if there are highchairs or booster seats available for smaller children.

In the event that the restaurant does not provide these, it is important to bring a handy booster seat, which can be attached to any type of chair and is compact and takes up very little space, even in small or crowded environments.

Hook-on chairs that can be attached to the table are equally practical, particularly if these can be adjusted, making it easy to deal with baby's needs, before and after mealtime too. These accessories also have the advantage of being able to keep your little one at the table with mummy and daddy, without causing too much of a hindrance, enabling you to eat all together.

When organising mealtimes outside the home, it is advisable to choose less expensive, more basic products that are easy to manoeuvre - without forgetting the importance of safety and quality, of course.