I refuse to give up good dinners when we travel. I also want Apollo to get to bed on time. Both take a little planning, especially when the restaurant opens close to toddler bedtime.
These are four ways we plan for the meals we want to have, with enough time and help to make the evening work.
Tip 1 · Earlier seating and all-day service
Work backward from bedtime
Start with the time your toddler needs to be back in the room. Leave room for the trip back, bath or pajamas, and your usual bedtime routine. That gives you a realistic window for dinner.
Book an earlier seating where you can (e.g. 5pm or even 4:30pm is an option at some restaurants!), or look for a restaurant with all-day service. Preview the menu ahead of time so you have an idea of what to order. Remember, a 5pm reservation does not mean your toddler will eat dinner at 5pm. Account for time to get seated, order, and for food to be made. I typically buffer 15-30 minutes. You can enjoy a proper meal before the evening rush and still have time to get back.
Tip 2 · Food ready at opening
Preorder before you arrive
We’ve found that many European hotel restaurants don’t open for dinner until 7pm or later, which can put dinner right up against toddler bedtime.
One of our best strategies is to stay at a hotel known for its food, with multiple restaurant options, and ask to preorder before we arrive. Choosing our meals in advance lets us ask for the food to be ready when the restaurant opens, cutting down the time spent deciding, ordering, and waiting at the table. We’ve done this at multiple European hotels.
I typically contact the concierge at least an hour before we plan to eat. On the first day, I allow a little more buffer because the hotel may need to coordinate the request with the restaurant. Share your arrival time, meal choices, and any dietary requirements, and confirm when the food can be served.
At the Alpina, we sent the concierge this message:
“We’re traveling with a toddler whose bedtime is at 8pm. Could we select our meals in advance and have them served when the restaurant opens?”
The reply was: “Of course. What would you like to order?”
The same strategy can help with lunch. If your toddler naps at noon and the restaurant doesn’t open until noon or 1pm, ask whether you can preorder lunch and have it served as soon as the kitchen opens. We’ve come across those lunch opening times often in Europe, so it’s worth checking before you plan the day.
Room service is another possibility to ask about. However, when the timing works, I prefer eating in the restaurant: someone else handles the dishes and cleanup, and we’re only on the hook for cleaning up the toddler.
Tip 3 · A great meal downstairs
Choose a hotel known for its food
When choosing where to stay, look at the restaurants too. A hotel with food you are excited about, even a Michelin-starred restaurant downstairs, can make a great dinner much easier to fit into the evening. Check the restaurant’s opening times and whether it welcomes young children before booking.
You save the journey across town, and your room can be an elevator ride away if your toddler needs to head back. Note, this really only works if your baby is sleep trained or can sleep independently. Watch your baby and get notified on the Nanit app. Since Apollo sleeps independently, in the rare case he wakes up, the time it takes for one of us to arrive at the room is shorter than the time we’d give him to resettle on his own anyway. If you both want to stay for dinner after bedtime and want full peace of mind, arrange for a trusted adult to remain with your child.
Tip 4 · Family, friends, and babysitting recommendations
Arrange help for date night
Some dinners deserve the time to enjoy every course. If you are traveling with family or friends who are happy to help, plan an evening when they can stay with your toddler.
You can also ask the hotel about babysitting services or local recommendations. High-end restaurants may be able to suggest someone too. For example, at Hiša Franko in Slovenia, which has three Michelin stars, the restaurant proactively gave us trusted sitter recommendations.
Arrange this before the evening. Speak with the sitter, confirm their experience with children your toddler’s age, and agree on the bedtime routine, timing, and cost. Leave your contact details and make sure they know how to reach you.
A recommendation gives you a starting point. Choose someone you feel comfortable leaving your child with, so you can actually relax and enjoy dinner.
Before you book dinner
- What time do we need to leave to keep bedtime on track?
- Can we eat earlier or preorder?
- How far is the restaurant from our room?
- If dinner runs past bedtime, who will stay with our toddler?