This Cute Restaurant Hack For Kids Keeps Them Entertained Without Screens

Long ago, before I had kids, I was the best parent ever, right? I’d never let my kids eat junk food, they’d be exclusively breastfed, and no screens — ever! Now, all that went way out out the window when I actually had kids.

However, one rule that my husband and I have stuck with is no phones or screens at the dinner table — especially when we’re out to dinner at a restaurant. There’s always exceptions to the rule due to extenuating circumstances, but for the most part, we try out best to just be present when enjoying a meal together.

For those wondering how this can even be possible in today’s world of tech-obsessed kids and burnt out parents, one mom has a simple, easy toy hack and you just need a couple of Polly Pockets!

“I think one of my best parenting moves to date has been making Polly Pockets, exclusively a restaurant thing,” TikTok user @youcancallmekait said in her viral video.

“My daughter was about five. I started carrying a couple of these Polly Pockets in my purse. That way if we were at a restaurant, and she got bored, I could pull those out of my bag and she had something to do.”

Three years later, Polly Pocket toys are still the go-to for dinner entertainment.

“I never like made it clear to her that she can play with these outside of that designated time, but because of that, it makes it really special and it keeps her entertained for a good 30 minutes,” she continued.

To make a preemptive strike against commenters who may take up issue with Kat’s “anti-screen time” rhetoric. She wants to make it very clear that she knows that every family is different, and when it comes to parenting — you do you!

“Here's my disclaimer. This is just a hack to give people ideas of something to do other than screen time while their children are waiting. I do not care how much screen time your child gets. I do not care if your child is on a screen at a restaurant because the fact of the matter is you can't know somebody's situation at a glance,” she said.

“Some children use iPads as a communication device for many different reasons. Maybe you have a single mom who just needs a few minutes to breathe or your parents who never get to talk to each other. So you give your kid your phone for a little bit so you can have an uninterrupted conversation. It's none of my business.”

For Kait and her daughter, screen time is not a productive use of their time, and they both function better with less of it.

In recent years, Polly Pocket toys have made somewhat of a resurgence. In 2012, Polly Pocket toys were discontinued in the U.S. but remained available in Europe and South America. However, six years later, a Polly Pocket reboot was released in summer 2018. It included a new product line, including micro-sized play sets and 3-inch fashion doll assortments.