Dining with a 14 Month old

[tadcd]

Our baby is now four months old, and I am planning our trip for November. Since he is our first, I have several questions before I make my ADRs:

1) I am assuming that by the time he is 14 months he will be eating the food we eat. Are we required to order something for him off of the children's menu or can we share our meals with him?

2) Is there any WDW restaurant that is "off limits" to little ones?

3) Are sit down meals difficult at this age (are we better off with counter service?)

4) Will we be best off with early ADRs if sit down meals are ok?

Thanks for your help...

[TheRustyScupper]

1) I am assuming that by the time he is 14 months he will be eating the food we eat. Are we required to order something for him off of the children's menu or can we share our meals with him?
. . . kids under 3 "eat free" off your plate
. . . they also eat free at buffets
. . . if you order something (like drinks) they can be charged for it

2) Is there any WDW restaurant that is "off limits" to little ones?
. . . no
. . . but a few "discourage" them (eg. Bistro)

3) Are sit down meals difficult at this age (are we better off with counter service?)
. . . sit-downs can be tough due to fidgety time
. . . counter service might be best

4) Will we be best off with early ADR's if sit down meals are OK?
. . . probably

[clarkee]

We have taken our two kids several times beginning when they were five months old. My suggestion is just be flexible. Bring your own stroller and when your child needs to nap, they will nap. When they are fussy and need to get out of the stroller, get him/her out of the stroller.

Make the reservations that you want to make. Disney is prepared to expect that you will bring children and they will all have different behaviours at dinner. Practice now taking your child out to restaurants when you can. Show your child the expectations that you have as they grow toward 14 months. Bring snacks and small toys to the restaurant.

Make reservations at the times you want to eat (early is better) and if your child falls asleep, wheel the stroller up to the table. There are obviously more kid friendly restaurants (ones with character greetings). The really fancy ones like Victoria and Alberts do not allow small children but you wouldn't want to bring them there anyway. Children can share your meals or often the restaurants let you get something off of the children's menu at no charge since they don't yet qualify for the dinning plan.

We bought a small clip on high chair at Babies R Us that folds up and we took it with us everywhere. Our child was used to it and it made for a more enjoyable dinner experience.
Just plan to take your time and be guided by what your child needs on that day.

As long as you don't make a rigid schedule with a whole bunch of "must-do's" you will be pleased by what you can do.

[Dulcee]

My parents started bringing me to WDW at 9 months. My sister started bringing hers at a year. And trust me they never did without sit down restaurants because of little ones.

I honestly think if you start early with your little guy he'll very soon understand whats expected of him in public. It always amazes me when we go out with friends who have children and the rare occasions they bring them they let them run wild because hey, they're kids. We would never have gotten away with it.

As far as late ADRs. When we went with my sister and had late dinner ressies we found that my nephew was pooped, fell asleep in his stroller and slept next to the table right through dinner. If your little guy is happy sleeping on the go as he gets older this could be a great option.

And if you do run into a meltdown here or there, its WDW, its kid friendly. People will understand. Enjoy your vacation, food and all

[Brainiak5]

Lots of great advice by the previous posters. My kids have been eating out since they were a few months old and we've never had a problem with the sit downs at WDW. The main thing is to be flexible and know your child. One of the best aspects of staying on property is the ease of going back to your room if the kids need a break, grabbing a nap and then heading back out in the early evening. The afternoon siesta can head off lots of meltdowns.

If you do the character meals, try to get a feel for how he reacts to the characters beforehand in the parks. My daughter absolutely LOVED Minnie - but wanted nothing to do with Pluto. Whereas my son loved the all the characters except for Mr & Mrs Incredible. He actually ran up to Donald and hugged him while we have pics of him eyeing the Incredibles suspiciously. The characters are very understanding if your child is wary of them and will keep a respectful distance if they need to.

My last bit of advice is take tons of pictures - the memories you make will be priceless. Have a great time!

[Magic Smiles]

It always amazes me when we go out with friends who have children and the rare occasions they bring them they let them run wild because hey, they're kids. We would never have gotten away with it.

Those are the people that should be asked to leave the restaurant. Disney or not, another family should not feel they have the right to disrupt others. I am also paying (usually a lot) for my meal and would like to be able to enjoy it. If you know that your kids can't sit through a nice meal, then take them to McDonalds My DS would never have even thought to get up from the table and run around in a restaurant.

[megustamex]

Just a tip - at 14 months, the buffets are harder than the regular TS restaurants, because one of you always has to stay with the baby while the other goes up and gets food and you feel like you don't get a lot of time together at the meal. You end up eating alone with the baby! It's easier and more enjoyable to be waited on.

Other than the Bistro de Paris and Victoria and Alberts, I believe children are welcome everywhere. That is one of the great things about Disney. You won't ever be the only one in a nice restaurant with kids. It takes so much stress out of going out to eat! I agree with the previous poster - if you want your kids to behave in restaurants, take them out early. My friends who never take their kids out to eat have a lot of trouble when they HAVE to take them out. We practice behaving in restaurants everywhere, even in McDonald's

[Flower]

I actually prefer to take my kids to sit-down restaurants over quick serve as the sit-down/buffet have better dining choices for the little ones, example: mashed potatoes, corn, etc. (I ensure they sit and behave!) Also, if you do take a jar of baby food you can get a bowl of hot water to warm the container in. Sit down dining is just more relaxing!

Be sure to take advantage of the baby care centres located at each of the 4 parks. They are relaxing to take a break from the parks, they sell baby stuff incase you forgot something, have changing tables, and daddy and older siblings are able to come in and watch a movie, play, eat some popcorn, etc. They also offer breast feeding rooms for mommy and baby only.

You may also want to look into a grocery delivery service to your resort room. I would order stuff online and have it shipped directly to the room, diapers, baby snacks, milk, yogurt, etc so I did not have to pack a ton of extra baby stuff.

We have been taking our sons since our youngest was 4 months for his first Disney trip and we have been twice a year since.

[tadcd]

Thank you for your very helpful responses! We are very excited for the baby's first trip and now will be much better prepared. Much appreciated!

-Teresa