Call me cheap, but when I go to a restaurant I pack my kid a meal from home

"You want me to pay $10.50  for chicken tenders and chips that my son is going to throw on the floor?" the mum said in her divisive post.

'Call me cheap, call me whatever.' Image: TikTok

You know what's better in theory than in practice? Dining out with your kids. 

From juggling the demands of picky eaters to picking their dinner up off the floor when they inevitably knock it over. And let's face it, kids' meals are not cheap.

It can make the whole experience seem like it's not worth the effort.

That's why one mum on TikTok has decided she is no longer going to put up with her kids wasting restaurant food and devised a different approach to eating out instead.

The internet had a mixed reaction that ranged from, 'This is abuse' to, 'This is genius'. 

Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this. 

RELATED: I’m a stay-at-home-mum with a full-time nanny

The three reasons why she brings her toddler a meal from home

Mum Karlie from the account @unbreakablemom shared the clip and it quickly amassed over half a million views. 

"Call me cheap, call me whatever, but if we’re going out to a restaurant, I’m packing my kid a meal," she begins. "I do this for many reasons. On Friday nights, my family and I get together and tonight, we’re getting food out. My son is not getting food out."

Her first reason for this is expensive food will go to waste after her two-year-old takes a few bites.

"You want me to pay $10.50 for chicken tenders and fries that my son is going to throw half of it on the floor? You’re crazy," she asks rhetorically.

Secondly, she believes that what she brings for her son is probably "healthier than what the restaurant has."

"Tonight on the menu..." she says while showing the toddler-proof dinner.  "Peanut butter and jelly, bananas, mild cheddar cheese cubes, and a chocolate Lara bar."

And the third reason behind her decision is that, "When my son goes to a restaurant, he isn't waiting for anyone to take his order. He wants to eat now. I can just hand him this and let him go to town."

'Call me cheap, call me whatever.' Image: TikTok

RELATED: I didn’t love playing with my toddler, until now

'This is abuse'

Her video was quickly flooded with negative comments like:

• "My brother-in-law’s stepfather used to do this to him as abuse."
• "This is so wrong. Maybe don’t bring your children then?"
• "I tried doing this once and I felt so much mum guilt. Like I was leaving her out or something."
• "Seems like you are teaching him that he will always be catered to immediately. No patience. Maybe teach him table manners and he has to wait."
• "In my house, everyone eats out or no one eats out! My parents had the same rules!"

'I thought everyone did this?'

But luckily several other TikTokers rushed to Karlie's defence:

• "Bringing a packed meal for a picky toddler who likely won’t eat anything there anyways? No, it is not abuse."
• "This is actually genius. My son is so picky and I always end up paying for something he doesn't eat."
• "Listen, my child would much rather have Lunchables than anything on that menu."
• "You can tell who's a parent and who's not in the comments."
• "I thought everyone did this! Literally common sense, it's like a parenting hack."

This article was published in September 2023 and was updated in September 2024. 

Originally published as Call me cheap, but when I go to a restaurant I pack my kid a meal from home