How do you do things with your kids without help

This may seem silly, but for those of you without family/friends help, how do you go about running errands for yourself? Like I have been putting off my yearly OBGYN and eye doctor appointments for a long time now because I don’t think my son would just sit and be still in the room while they’re doing whatever with me. Or even going out to eat?? Since a big part of my son’s life has been during the pandemic, I don’t know how to keep him occupied when we do occasionally go in a restaurant. (Snacks only work for a short time for anything)