When My Baby Is Fussy During Travel Meals...

Will I Ever Be Able to Eat Internationally in a Restaurant Again?

Let’s be real: eating out with a fussy baby or whiny toddler can be tough on each and every person involved. Sometimes it’s just meltdown city.

But here at WS&T, we’re all about doing the hard things – travel meltdowns included.

Mourning the Old Travel Ways

One of the biggest adjustments we had to make once we started traveling internationally with our baby was accepting that we couldn’t do it like we used to. Gone are the days of breezing through airports with a carry-on travel pack and enjoying romantic 8 PM dinners.

Alas, mourn them and move on.

But the payoff is that you (still!) get to see new places and show your little one the world. And let’s be honest: that pint-sized traveler (love you, AJ) is part of the fam now, so they get some say in the dinner plans.

The Great Dinner Meltdown Phase

Midway through our trip to Colombia, AJ suddenly flipped from an easygoing newborn (who’d peacefully snooze in her stroller) to a “Needs Her Bedtime Right Now” baby. After one especially hellish dinner attempt in Medellín, we realized:

Parenting = Pivoting. Constantly.

For the rest of our trip, we embraced her early bedtime and new witching hour by:

Eating Dinner Early: Snag a 4:30 or 5 PM reservation. Bonus: this is a sneaky way to grab an open table at popular spots.
Cooking at Home (Airbnb Style): We did this in Salento, experimenting with fresh market finds in our Airbnb kitchen.
Hotel Picnics: Grab takeout and enjoy it in your room. Perfect for sampling popular restaurants minus the fear of a dining room meltdown.

Admittedly, we’ve had a couple midday meltdowns, so we’ve taken turns stepping outside or, in one case, packing our lunch to go. Daytime picnics also became our go-to when AJ couldn’t hang with the restaurant vibe at all.

Colombia’s Baby Obsession

Baby's foot on a wooden table in a dimly lit restaurant with warm lights. Blurred people in the background create a cozy atmosphere. — "Barkeep, pour me a cold glass of milk"

One unexpected perk in Colombia: people love babies. On three separate occasions, waitresses appeared out of nowhere and asked to hold our fussy little one. We were able to get a few bites in, and they got their baby fix. Win-win.

Goodbye Nightlife (For Now)

I won’t sugarcoat it: giving up anything resembling nightlife was tough. T, ever the optimist, found a silver lining – he always does, even if we’re lost in the jungle. Since we were stuck in our hotel or Airbnb after bedtime, we turned it into “us” time: a beer and a movie, a quiet hour with our books or travel journal, or some distraction-free conversation.

Bonus: everyone is well-rested for an early start the next morning.

The Future of Dining Out: Baby's Fussy Travel Meal Diverted

As AJ grows older, we know her bedtime will shift, and soon she’ll actually join us for dinner. We can’t wait for that stage – and if all goes according to plan, we’ll be subconsciously infusing her with French table manners (shout-out to Bringing Up Bébé by Pamela Druckerman).

But for now: picnics and pivots all the way!

So, to all the parents wondering if you’ll ever again dine internationally without a meltdown: Yes! But it might look a little different while the surprise baby-fussy-travel-meal could rear its head. Embrace the early seatings, the takeout picnics, and the on-the-fly changes. It’s not exactly glamorous, but it’s still so worth it – because you’re out there seeing the world, tiny travel buddy in tow.

Keeping the Kids Happy & Fed on the Road? Click below to check out some curated picks for making life easier when traveling with (and without) small children.

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