Dinner in New York with Mommy

Astrid and I went to a Cuban restaurant for dinner tonight. It's funny how some restaurants/waiters/waitresses get the whole kid thing and some don't. Here they definitely didn't. They gave Astrid a really tall, skinny glass of water at first, that was just asking for a disaster. There was no way she could hold it without tipping it over. In the photo you see the smaller glass I requested, that's more suitable for a toddler.

Being a parent, when you dine at a restaurant with your toddler, you have to be prepared to ask for:
1) Another menu for the kid (b/c yes, she does want to look at her own menu)
2) Water for the kid, preferably in a kid friendly cup, or a small glass. (Lots of places completely ignore the kid and just bring 1 glass of water to the table.)
3) A separate set of silverware. (Some places just assume you'll be feeding the kid, so you only need 1 set. But as a toddler, she wants to/and can feed herself with utensils.)
4) Silverware that can fit into the baby's mouth. (Several times when I've asked for a spoon for the baby I've been given gargantuan serving spoons that will not do. Others will give her a plastic spoon and fork without prompting.)
5) A separate small plate for the baby. (Lots of places just assume she'll be eating off my plate. Something which I don't allow.)
6) Extra napkins. (I'm always prepared for the mishap, spill, or mess).

From experience I've learned to ask for all of this upfront so I don't have to wait or have to flag down a lone waitress. And now that Astrid's old enough, she too asks for these things.

Our waitress stared at us and seemed to be in awe when as soon as she brought out my frozen pear mojito - Astrid raised her water glass up to mine to toast and said "Cheers!"