CRAYONING on place mats will distract them for only so long.

Enter PlayDine. The brainchild of Dan Lowenstein (father of two boys), it provides on-site child care at an restaurant near you – that is, if you live near the Upper East Side’s Big City Bar & Grill, PlayDine’s first (and as yet only) client.

The other day, a quartet of kids played happily in the “activity center” – a gated, rubber-padded area alongside a bar whose taps were covered by finger puppets – supervised by two PlayDine staffers, former preschool teachers.

“One dad stayed for three hours the other day,” says PlayDine staffer Sarah Lawlor. “He was watching a football game – and his son didn’t even notice he was gone.”

Kids must be between 18 months and 9 years old; PlayDine charges $10 per child.

For details, call (646) 382-6479 or visit playdine.com.