I had dinner at a local restaurant over the weekend. My mother taught me (although I rarely put this advice into practice) that if you cannot say something nice, don't say anything at all. So I won't. This time. Next time I might not be so nice.

My wife mentioned some items to me that she thought should be in my blog. I decided that since I cannot fulfill my critique the restaurant I had planned, I decided to let her write a blog.

---

My husband and I have always enjoyed eating out and trying new restaurants. I think one of the things Matt most looked forward to when I was pregnant was taking our child out to eat and watching her explore new foods. Quinn visited her first restaurant when she was less than 48 hours old. Fortunately our baby loves to eat and isn't picky, unfortunately eating out with a toddler can be difficult. Aside from the obvious baby meltdowns, eating out can cause me have real concerns for our child's health and safety. The following is a short list of suggestions I have for those working in the restaurant industry.

Please clean highchairs after they have been used. I fail to understand why high chairs can not be cleaned when the tables are cleaned. There is no reason for a high chair to be greasy and have food residue smooshed into it when I go to put my child in it.

Another highchair note, please inspect your highchairs for safety concerns. The safety straps should always fasten correctly and the wood should not have splinters or cracks.

Please do not place hot plates or drinks in front of my child. Babies are naturally curious and want to explore new objects. They explore with their hands and mouths and do not know that hot things can hurt them. Babies are also quick and can stretch so please make an effort not to put anything dangerous anywhere near them.

Please do not make my child wait to eat. She is old enough to understand that highchair= eating. It is really appreciated if you bring crackers or bread to the table as soon as possible.

And, just a final note that doesn't apply to me anymore but I think it's worth mentioning. When our daughter was tiny I would sometimes ask for a cup of hot water to warm a bottle. Not once did anyone think to leave room in the cup for the bottle. If you fill the cup up to the top with boiling hot water it will overflow when I attempt to stick the bottle in there.

Becoming a parent has vastly changed the way that I look at restaurants. Family friendly eateries can be difficult to find and I appreciate the ones we have found. Some of my favorite places to eat have quickly made the list of places we no longer go because they are just not appropriate for a small child. Thank you to all of the restaurants over the past few months that have put up with my child's tantrums and the mess she leaves behind.