Toddler meals at Disneyworld

[deanimal]

We're visiting Disneyworld for the first time next month after 2 previous visits to Disneyland in California. When we last went in October with a 2 and a 3 year old we ordered toddler meals at several restaurants with small servings of mac and cheese and applesauce for about $3.99. It was just the right amount of food for our kids. I don't see toddler meals offered on any of the menus I've seen for Disneyworld. Does anyone have them there?

 

[Ro Z]

Kids meals are available for kids under 9. Most are mac n cheese,chicken nuggets etc. Sides include applesauce or fruit. You can get fries if you want. They are about $6 including drink and dessert. For kids under 3 they can eat off your plate or at a buffet for free.

 

[Hopefully]

We're visiting Disneyworld for the first time next month after 2 previous visits to Disneyland in California. When we last went in October with a 2 and a 3 year old we ordered toddler meals at several restaurants with small servings of mac and cheese and applesauce for about $3.99. It was just the right amount of food for our kids. I don't see toddler meals offered on any of the menus I've seen for Disneyworld. Does anyone have them there?

There is no Toddler Meal option at WDW. The classes are only children and adults. Children under 3 are expected to share with an adult, or if that is not enough food for them and you are on the DDP you can purchase a childs meal out of pocket for them.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

There is no Toddler Meal option at WDW. . .

1) Correct.
2) WDW does not have to cater like Disneyland.
3) Disneyland (DLR) must try to entice you to eat there.
. . . WDW has people captured and you pretty much eat all meals there
. . . DLR has too many day-tickets, so you easily eat on the way home

 

[chloelovesdisney]

We were in WDW for a week in December with my 13mo. They really do a lousy job for toddlers. The food the adults were having was not usually something he would eat, and we threw out half the kids meals each time.

He's used to roasted or grilled chicken and took one bite of their kid's chicken nuggets and flat out refused them afterward. I did get salads with chicken a few times and that chicken he was okay with.

They need to add a toddler selection to their menu. To say that kids under three eat free is completely false, if you actually want to feed your kid you have to purchase a child's meal but they aren't geared towards toddlers. For the kid's pasta, we needed maybe half that, obviously a 13mo is not going to eat as much as 5, 6, 7 or 8 yo.

I had yogurt and cheerios in the room from our garden grocer order, bought bananas, apples and hard boiled eggs in the gift shop. Vegetables were pretty much a lost cause, as he's not up to raw carrots yet (he loves them steamed) and that seemed to be their usual and only choice.

The counter service in Japan has a side of vegetables and you can request no teryiaki sauce.

If you have buffets scheduled those are your best bets but there are reports of being charged if you make your toddler their own plate. You may put the food on your own and then give it to them at the table.

Liberty Tree Tavern charged $5 for a plate of buttered noodles that he took two bites of. 'Ohana served him the children's options and did not charge us.

You may be able to order just applesauce at counter service places which I didn't realize until the end. In some cases it would have been better than anything other choice they had (for us).

We don't feed my son french fries or hamburgers, if you do it will be a lot easier.

We're going back in February and I'm going to be bringing in more food for him.

 

[TDC Nala]

To say that kids under three eat free is completely false

WDW says that kids under three eat free at buffets, family style and fixed price restaurants. They do not claim that kids under three eat free anywhere else. They're pretty much expected to share. If you purchase anything specifically for them, there is a charge at a la carte restaurants.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

WDW says that kids under three eat free at buffets, family style and fixed price restaurants. They do not claim that kids under three eat free anywhere else. They're pretty much expected to share. If you purchase anything specifically for them, there is a charge at a la carte restaurants.

To think that toddlers will share adult meals regularly is a little ridiculous on WDWs part, the food is not toddler friendly. I'm happy to purchase food for him, if it's healthy and something he will actually eat, and if he does eat it, not throw up a few hours later. With so many families traveling to WDW, there's no reason not to have a junior kids meal selection like they do in DL.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

And since I know this is an issue now when we go back in February I'm simply bringing most of his food in with me.

 

[hulagirl87]

And since I know this is an issue now when we go back in February I'm simply bringing most of his food in with me.

This is what we are doing. Even thought she is under 3 and free, she is super selective (ok, picky) about what she eats. I want to make sure that we have things that she is comfortable eating. We are doing a lot of the buffets, but more for the characters than the food. DH will eat pretty much anything, I'm a little picky (ok, so DD probably gets that from me ) so buffets are a good thing for us. Fingers crossed that there will be cheese somewhere on the buffets. DD will eat that always!

 

[lorenni]

Can someone help me clarify this? My 16 month old is free at buffets, but he can't have a plate to eat his food on? How is he supposed to eat? Do I put food on the tablecloth?

This is making no sense to me.

 

[amomma23]

"Eat off an adult plate" is not literal. At a buffet they can have their own plate. They are welcome to share your food for free at a non-buffet place, and you can ask for an empty plate there if you like.

 

[kdog_1981]

Can someone help me clarify this? My 16 month old is free at buffets, but he can't have a plate to eat his food on? How is he supposed to eat? Do I put food on the tablecloth?

This is making no sense to me.

I just go back... My 2 yr old and 11 month old ate for free at the family styles and buffet restaurants. They will give you a plate or you can get one from the buffet. You can order them a drink as well and you don't pay for it.

Hope this helps.

 

[RachaelA]

Can someone help me clarify this? My 16 month old is free at buffets, but he can't have a plate to eat his food on? How is he supposed to eat? Do I put food on the tablecloth?

This is making no sense to me.

I never read the whole being charged if you make your under 3 child their own plate at a buffet until like 2 weeks ago.

We ate at 3 character buffets and made DD her own plate at every meal and had no problems.

Plus at Garden Grill they brought her out her own platter of all the kid's meal choices and at 'Ohana they asked us what we wanted for her and gave us options (I remember mac & cheese and chicken nuggets being two of those options). All free of charge.

Someone reported last week that they got 1/2 a kids meal, drink and dessert at CRT for free for their under 3 child. And many people have reported that their child got a free meal at Akerhaus.

I would not depend on any of this of course. We always either order something DD will eat as our own meal or bring fruit cups, veggie pouches, cheerios and lots of snacks for her. We also order sides of steamed veggies sometimes. I'm not overly concerned about her eating a complete well rounded meal at Disney. But if you are, I know Gerber makes small diced veggie travel meals that are at any store with all the normal baby food.

 

[livinlife25]

We just got back and I would have loved better toddler options. It was frustrating having to pay $6-9 for a meal I didn't even know if he would eat. He did best eating at the buffets where we could give him something else if he didn't like something. He ate best at Cape May and devoured Ohana's noodles. This was on the dining plan though. Next time we are going to try to not do the dining plan, so it will be interesting not having as many buffets.

 

[LilGMom]

Kids under three can eat off their parents' plates (as in they don't get to pick something off the menu for free but you are welcome to pay for it and you can ask for a separate plate) and there is no charge for under three at the buffets. There are no "toddler" menu items but you can order, and pay for, a side item. The kids meals tend to run closer to $9 now and include an appetizer (usually soup or salad), an entree, a dessert and a drink at most restaurants. Some TS restaurants don't have all inclusive kids' menus (like La Hacienda) so make sure you double check what the kids' menu says is included or ask your server.

When our kids were toddlers we usually packed food for them or they would eat off our plates. It also doesn't hurt to see if the kitchen can make your toddler something that may not be listed on the menu. Our youngest loved grilled cheese sandwiches for a long time and was our "go to" food when out. It isn't listed as an option but most of the restaurants were very willing to make him one because it wasn't like we were asking for something that they wouldn't already have the ingredients readily available for.

 

[aaarcher86]

I can understand the frustration for toddler choices, but I don't agree about making a menu option for them honestly. It is such a small time frame when kids are toddlers or don't eat that much that it would be kind of silly to have a whole menu dedicated to them IMO.

I've seen more reports of toddlers out eating older children lately than anything else.

 

[CalSea12]

I do not think the toddler menu would work with my kiddo, because she typically eats off our plates and she is not even one yet. So I know either she will always being eating off our plates until she gets older or I would get her a big kids meal. She isnt picky and actually prefers our food over kiddo food.

The only restaurant I am going to this time that makes me worry a little is La Hacienda because of the spice. She didnt do well the last time she ate Mexican food. Otherwise I think she will do fine. I was wondering about her actually getting a plate at buffets though, good to hear she can have one.

 

[aaarcher86]

I do not think the toddler menu would work with my kiddo, because she typically eats off our plates and she is not even one yet. So I know either she will always being eating off our plates until she gets older or I would get her a big kids meal. She isnt picky and actually prefers our food over kiddo food.

The only restaurant I am going to this time that makes me worry a little is La Hacienda because of the spice. She didnt do well the last time she ate Mexican food. Otherwise I think she will do fine. I was wondering about her actually getting a plate at buffets though, good to hear she can have one.

There were only a few reports of getting charged for getting a plate. Most people said when they were charged they told the server the child was under 3 and the charge was removed.

You shouldn't have a problem at all.

 

[6disneykids]

I haven't had a problem in the past with my kids eating part of an adult meal. Our family meals aren't what some consider "toddler friendly" and what we order in March, I don't think my 2 year old will have a problem with. Our trip in March is the first in along time that we will only have 1 of 6 under 3, so we have been sharing meals with toddlers at Disney for quite awhile. My concern is that my older kids, not yet Disney adults will be un happy with choices they are offered.

 

[travelgirl06]

While I think it's cool DL has a toddler menu option, it isn't something I would expect... How many "normal" restaurants have this option - with the exception of a few fast food places having " kids" and "big kids" meals, I can't think of many...

When we are out we either order something we can share with DD (pretty much anything that isn't too spicy) or we get her a kids meal. Some kids meals are great (veggies, healthy options, etc.) and others are less-than-stellar. We do usually wind up bringing about half of the meal home, which I don't mind since I pack it into daycare lunches. Smaller meals would be a nice, when leftover-saving is less of an option, but sharing off an adult plate or ordering an appetizer that you can all share or bringing snacks are all feasible