SMALL FRY

Some suggestions on the best destinations when dining out with the young ones in tow.

Taking your toddler out to eat can be a special kind of chaos. Any parent who has experienced one of these little monsters knows the acronym PITA all too well. Our little princess Olivia (21 months) has recently graduated from size three diapers to size four and has developed quite the personality. She’s already smarter than me (she got it from her momma) and seems to be judging me with those adorable blue eyes. While she enjoys putting herself in time out, you can only imagine the trips into public we share together. Just recently she thought it would be fun to climb onto the table and try dancing.

But in all seriousness, she has become a bit of a pain in the ass when we eat out. Things went from smooth sailing to rough seas quickly, and my wife Shannon and I have had to weather the storm and adjust our dining experiences to cater more to Olivia. While we’re never ever (ever) going to get that old life back, that doesn’t mean we won’t try. What we’ve realized is that eating at a restaurant with a toddler doesn’t have to be a nightmare! In fact, it can be downright... okay if you plan ahead.

My wife Shannon and I came up with a tactical plan for a recent night out to Barnaby’s. Although we have all spent plenty of time consuming adult beverages on the patio, Barnaby’s is actually also a family-friendly juggernaut. Visiting on a Wednesday means it’s wing night (10 wings for only $5), plus kids eat free with the purchase of an entree! Wait, there’s more: $3 Yuengling pints.

And if free food isn’t enough, the icing on the cake for the kiddos isn’t just the ice cream at the end of their meal, but the fact that Barnaby’s has a magician/ balloon artist every Wednesday and Thursday night to distract our little lady while we eat.

Olivia was chowing down on her chicken fingers and fries — with extra ketchup, obviously — when roaming magician Arland approached our table. While he entertained Olivia by constructing a pink princess wand balloon, the adults at the table had a moment to indulge in their food without the threat of a water cup being thrown at a neighboring table. Not only did she absolutely love the balloon, but she really seemed interested and engaged with Arland. He is great with kids, and I can’t thank him enough for the 10 minutes of distraction.

Barnaby’s has amazing specials every night of the week, and I highly recommend taking a look at their website to find what makes the most sense for you. For my family, when the world gets back to normal, we will be frequenting on Wednesday or Thursday nights, not because Olivia’s meal is free, but because the overall experience was, well, freeing.