Appropriate age group:
Toddlers

Description:
When our son was one or two (he's 18 now), he got bored easily. When he acted up and didn't respond to verbal requests to settle down in restaurants, my husband would quietly pick him up and take him out of the restaurant. They usually sat in the car and my husband would tell my son that they would stay there until he was ready to behave. He explained that it was ok to be loud and boisterous at the playground but not in a restaurant. Then he would leave it up to our son to choose when he was ready to go back in to dinner and join the rest of the family. The choice to go back in meant he was ready to play by restaurant rules. After "missing out" a few times, a reminder or two was all it took to get him in line. He didn't want to miss the fun by sitting in the car with Dad.

Other comments or suggestions:
This method isn't much fun for the parent who sits out dinner. However, even though our son was a very strong-willed child, it only took a few dinners out to get his attention. Sitting in the car was boring and a little self-control was all it took to stay in the restaurant.