It’s a funny title for a blog post, but subsequent to our first All-Inclusive holiday with little ones, we’ve decided that the art of buffet dining with young children definitely deserves some attention.
There are so many delicious advantages to going all inclusive, you don’t have to worry if the little ones don’t like something: you can simply choose them something else, you don’t have to wait a long time for your food to come, it’s ready and waiting when you need it, and most importantly, for your whole glorious holiday, you never have to worry about buying, preparing or cleaning up any food: bliss!
However, just like every experience you have with small children, there is a certain amount of skill involved in tackling an all inclusive buffet successfully for maximum enjoyment!
These are our suggested steps for family buffet success!
1. Choose a table as close to the buffet as possible. This is because if you choose to sit far from the food, by the time you’ve sorted out the children’s meals, you risk them being done and dusted before all of the adults can get their food.
2. Preferably leave one adult at the table with the young children whilst the other tackles the buffet (Never leave a child alone in a high chair). This helps alleviate the problem of tiny tots running around and getting lost whilst you try to pick and choose food options.
3. The adult who tackles the buffet should fill one plate for themselves, and one for the kids, all at the same time. This is to avoid the previously mentioned problem of the kids eating all of their food, before the adults have managed to get theirs. Whilst we were on holiday, once the food was back at the table, we divided the kids’ plate between our two boys.
4. Now the remaining adult can go and choose their food. On the way back, it’s helpful if they choose a snack to replenish the plates of the children. Once they’ve picked up their food and taken it back to the table, a round of drinks is also a good bet, preferably with straws and ice that the little ones can play with.
5. The first parent should now be ready to go on a pudding run, whilst the second finishes the main course. The same process for choosing mains can be followed.
6. Just as at home, take activities for the kids to amuse them during meal-times, we found re-usable sticker books to be a god send 🙂