What’s In for Dining Out with Kids?

Many parents feel that dining out with children is worse than a food fight in a junior high cafeteria, but it doesn’t have to be that way! With a little preparation, mealtime out with kids can be an enjoyable treat for all. Most parents already know to pack wipes, small snacks, and bibs, but there are other products available that can help make the event easy, clean, and fun for both children and parents. On The Giggle Guide^® take-out menu are tasty products from Neat Solutions, Babe Ease/Clean Shopper, Bink Link and Hape Toys — delicious finds for going out without going crazy!

Neat Solutions Cleans up the Dinner Act

The dreaded scenario happens every time families with young children go out to eat: the kids restlessly squirm in their seats waiting for their food. Then, when the meals finally arrive, the plates they are served on (hopefully not china) get tossed across the table like frisbees, and the cute little paper placemats that many restaurants provide quickly end up on the floor, leaving just the tabletop, which is most likely crawling with nasty germs, as the final resting place for the kids’ meals. Shouldn’t there be an easier way to dine out with small children? Neat Solutions has the answer!

Neat Solutions offers parents peace of mind in a germ-filled world with a complete lineup of travel-friendly, disposable and biodegradable products including Table Topper^® stick-in-place placemats, Potty Topper^® toilet seat covers, diaper changing pads, bibs, Floor Topper^® floor mats, car seat covers, and burp cloths. These innovative products are offered in a wide range of designs, including favorite characters like Dora the Explorer, Diego, Sesame Street, Winnie the Pooh, Disney Cars, Disney Princesses and Baby Einstein.

Also available is the award-winning All-in-One Meal Kit; a neat solution that contains everything needed for baby’s meal sealed together in one small conveniently portable kit! Each kit contains a sip cup with no-drip spout, Table Topper^® stick-in-place placemat, bib with crumb-catcher, Elmo fork and Big Bird spoon. All Neat Solutions products are eco-friendly and are BPA, PVC and pthalate-free.

For more on how Neat Solutions has all the problems of dining out with children covered, visit www.tabletopper.com

The Clean Diner Eliminates Gross Outs When Dining Out

Although restaurants offer a convenient service by providing high chairs for their youngest patrons, the high chairs often include a “tasting” menu of food and grime! The mess haul may be more than a diaper wipe-off can handle!

The Clean Diner by Babe Ease is the neatest idea for eating out without being grossed out! The Clean Diner covers the entire surface of the high chair. Made of machine-washable, quilted cotton, the Clean Diner is easy to use and transport. It even includes a safety strap and toy loops, and is adjustable for a secure fit every time.

The Clean Diner is available in both an Original and Chic design. The Original Clean Diner retails for $24.99, packed in an eco-friendly PET box. The Chic line retails for $31.99 and is packaged in a matching drawstring tote.

Clean-up in germ-busting product sales with all the neat ideas from BabeEase at www.cleanshopper.com

Bink Link Keeps Binky in Its Place

If restaurant high chairs are less than appetizing, restaurant floors are even worse. Repeatedly picking up and cleaning a dropped pacifier can be like adding an aerobics workout to your dining “pleasure.” Fortunately, Bink Link pacifier clips keep the beloved binky secure and clean.

Bink Links are made with high-quality materials, including wooden beads, non-toxic paints, a colorfast cord, and a safe metal clip. They are independently tested to conform to ASTM/CPSIA standards.

Visually, Bink Links are a lot of fun. Designs are colorful and creative, with both modern and retro styles. Some of the themes include ice cream, candy, skull and crossbones, and rodeo. So, not only will the happy pacifier connoisseur keep the binky off the floor, the little gourmet will also look good doing it! Bink Links retail for $14, and are packaged on recycled silk-screened chipboard.

To place your order, please link to www.binklink.com

Hape Toys Whet the Appetite for Fun!

Sometimes, the dining out experience drags on too long for the youngest diners. While the family is waiting for the food or check, a little distraction goes a long way to satisfying active appetites!

Hape’s Beleduc glove puppets offer another option for family-friendly floor shows in restaurants! These hand-washable puppets fit easily into a purse or diaper bag. With a varied cast of 59 characters, there’s something for every kid. These retail for $7.95 and provide a wonderful opportunity for imaginative play while waiting at the main course attraction. Hape features many award-winning toys for children, and their commitment to ecological responsibility makes them a favorite among “green” parents.

For the toddler set, Hape’s Educo magnetic mazes are easily transportable and endlessly entertaining. They feature easy-to-clean Lucite covers that keep all loose pieces safely inside. Smaller mazes (Go-Fish-Go and Choo-Choo Tracks) are $14.95 and the larger, 10 x 10 styles are $24.95.

For more ways to entertain kids at home or away, see the showstoppers at www.hape-international.ca

Attention Retailers and Manufacturers: What products do you sell that help families when dining out? Comment below…