Eating out with a baby or toddler can be, uh interesting. Selecting a kid-friendly restaurant is followed by maneuvering to find a table in a secluded, but not hidden spot, requesting a high chair or booster and then determining what on the menu is appropriate for a child with often limited dentition.

Dining with a child with an, as of yet, immature immune system adds another layer of issues to consider when eating out. Happy to throw food on high chair, floor and other diners, most little ones are also happy to smash food into the table then scoop it up and swallow.

I’ve found the best way to keep food and germs separate when dining out is disposable placemats like these Baby Einstein Biodegradable Disposable Placemats. Compact enough to fit into diaper bag or purse, they features stick-on tabs to keep them in place on high chair or table and are a big enough to cover the entire, um “field of action”…which can be rather large with an exuberant little one.

And, since I strive valiantly to be as green as possible, though not always successfully, I was thrilled to see that these placemats are biodegradable. I can, with good conscious, toss the food splattered mat in the trash.