Am I making a mistake dining with 18 month old

[LindsayDunn228]

Unfortunately a large number of people do NOT have a realistic view of their children's behavior.

You are absolutely right!

 

[chobie]

Hi,

We are considering doing sit down dinners every night(dining plan). We will have our well-behaved 4 year old and an 18 month old. She is now only 10 months so I'm not sure what she'll be like when she is 18 months. She is pretty good right now.

Am I being stupid thinking I can enjoy myself at a sit down dinner every night? Anyone else have experience with this? Thanks!

Val

There are two extremes: 1. those people who do not care how their children behave and affect others and will let them scream and run around restaurants. 2. Those people who are completely intolerant of children and the mere sight of them at a restaurant bothers them and they are ready to become irritated at the slightest thing from the kids.


Most people are somewhere in the middle. The mere fact that you are asking people's advice says to me that you are both respectful of other people, while still wanting to enjoy your vacation. Make some ADR's and have a plan B ready to go if the baby seems particurally fussy right beforehand.

Have a great trip!

 

[pennyplanner]

Always interesting to read all sorts of opinions on the DIS Boards!

I have to agree that while my kids were good diners, there were certain WDW restaurants that I simply would not have attempted. All the signature restaurants come to mind.

A dinner at CA Grill is simply too long to make a toddler sit through IMO. If my child is antsy even without fussing loudly, then I cannot enjoy my dinner! Even with the dining plan, that is too much money to spend and not really enjoy the whole dining experience.

My husband would often skip dessert and head outside with the kids while I finished my meal and paid the check. Mine are teens now and we are in a very different dining stage, enjoying every minute of it as they are adventurous diners!

Plan B is always a good idea for families with kids of all ages, especially at WDW!

Have fun planning and enjoy your trip!

--penny

 

[Nagle]

I agree that you should be fine taking your toddler to the restaurants. We always felt (probably still feel!) better taking them to the "less fancy" places at WDW - Chef Mickey's, Biergarten, etc. We usually go earlier than later. I figure the adults only groups come out later and go to the nicer places and I'm happy to avoid them. Any kid can have a bad night but overall our children have been fine. The places with entertainment have worked the best. Biergarten was probably my son's favorite at 20 months because he loved watching that band on the stage!

I think if you want to try some fine dining have a sitter come to your room and you can go to a nicer place for a few hours.

Have a great trip!

This really is what I was trying to convey. We have been to WDW about 10 times in the 9 years since our son turned 5. We did eat at Disney restaurants, but we usually chose places like Chef Mickeys where to us, the expectation was that there would be lots of kids and plenty of noise. A long dinner at 7:30 PM is "probably" not the best scenario for a very young diner who likely has spent a long day at the parks. All kids (mine included) have a meltdown here and there along the way and I realize that it happens. Call me selfish if you choose, but our first visits to Jiko and Yachtsman were booked for 7:30 pm to hopefully lessen the chance of a 1 or 2 year old having a tantrum at the table next to us.

MOST parents are aware of their children's behavior and do their utmost to avoid having it affect other diners. I wish I could say the same of the people across the aisle at Boma 2 weeks ago. They had finished their dinner about 20 minutes before and the parents were lingering over drinks and coffee (they were seated at 2 table back to back. It was about 8:30 pm). They actually sat there and watched their kids wreak havoc with the waiters/waitresses and other diners at the nearby tables. One of the kids had one of those multi-coloured lightsabers and was waving it around like Luke Skywalker. The kid actually whacked a waiter with it and almost tripped him. The parents just chuckled. This is what I wish to avoid when I am having dinner.

Sorry for those who are insulted by my earlier post. Just how I see it.

John

 

[DisneyPhD]

We went in Jan and had a 4 year old and 17 month old. The 4 year old was great. Really wonderful the entire trip.

The 17 month old did really well EXCEPT in resturants. She just started a phase where she did not want to sit in her chair. If we straped her in she would scream bloody murder for about 5 min, and then give up. The problem is I didn't want to subject others to this at 1st.

Our 2nd meal we were at Liberty Tree Tavern (I love this place for lunch normally.) and the baby was tried. She did NOT want to sit in her seat but have me hold her. I don't mind this until it is time to eat. Well we put her in her chair just as another couple was being seated right near us. I was telling DD she needed to stop because others didn't want to hear it and the women next to us said (I kid you not) "Tell me about it." She was NOT joking.

She proceeded to pick on her own son (about 7 years old) the entire meal with her husband. This poor kid could do nothing right. Then she started in all the things everyone else did wrong at WDW (take young kids, let them dress up.) She even had the nerve to go on about how "she never had to hold her kids on her lap when they were kids, and no one she knew never had to hold the kids in resturants." Keep in mind I was holding DD because she would scream when I tried to put her down. She was very tried.

I was so bothered by this evil women. DH couldn't hear here, but he know I was not pleased with her. I had made the decison that it was more important to have as nice as meal as possible with my family (and set an good example for my kids) then tell her off.) Dh said later he was afriad I was going to. When he heard from me what she said he said he wished I had.

Just another example of adults actually acting worse then kids. Looking back I should of put DD in her chair, strapped her in and let her scream it out right in this womens ear.

We learned. We didn't let her get to hungery or tried. We still kept all our ADRs, but tried to do more meals in the room when we could (DVC).

Also at LTT we had a male waiter who wasn't "kid friendly". At many other places we had really nice women who just fawned over DD. She did great then. We had the nicest meal at the Yacht club galley (walk in) The waitress was great and so was the food.

One thing with us was DD is allergic to milk and eggs. We had to wait for the cheif many times to order or know what was safe. She couldn't eat the bread most of the time and wanted too (others were, she doesn't understand why she can't.) This made the eating thing a wee bit harder for us.

Best of luck, it can be done. It wasn't pretty, but we learned from the experince and the meals at the end of the trip were better then the start.

Make sure to get your child used to eating in resturant high chairs (strap them in).

Have a great time. The resturants at WDW are great for kids. It is just eating out daily that gets hard.

 

[chobie]

This really is what I was trying to convey. We have been to WDW about 10 times in the 9 years since our son turned 5. We did eat at Disney restaurants, but we usually chose places like Chef Mickeys where to us, the expectation was that there would be lots of kids and plenty of noise. A long dinner at 7:30 PM is "probably" not the best scenario for a very young diner who likely has spent a long day at the parks. All kids (mine included) have a meltdown here and there along the way and I realize that it happens. Call me selfish if you choose, but our first visits to Jiko and Yachtsman were booked for 7:30 pm to hopefully lessen the chance of a 1 or 2 year old having a tantrum at the table next to us.

MOST parents are aware of their children's behavior and do their utmost to avoid having it affect other diners. I wish I could say the same of the people across the aisle at Boma 2 weeks ago. They had finished their dinner about 20 minutes before and the parents were lingering over drinks and coffee (they were seated at 2 table back to back. It was about 8:30 pm). They actually sat there and watched their kids wreak havoc with the waiters/waitresses and other diners at the nearby tables. One of the kids had one of those multi-coloured lightsabers and was waving it around like Luke Skywalker. The kid actually whacked a waiter with it and almost tripped him. The parents just chuckled. This is what I wish to avoid when I am having dinner.

Sorry for those who are insulted by my earlier post. Just how I see it.

John

Well the bottom line is that you can't control other people's behavior and there is a substantial likelihood that whatever restaurant you go to WDW that has a kids menu will have kids there and some kids will be acting up. You can't control that --you can only control how you will react.

The OP is obviously respectful of other diners or she would not have asked the question she would have just done what she wanted to do without asking anyone's advice. So comments about people not having a realistic view of their children's behavior, is not likely to be helpful.

Do you really think that the OP or anyone else upon reading that might have this sudden ephiphany that "gee my kids really are brats"?

 

[LAinSEA]

My 2 cents...its all about timing.

My husband and I did a nice sit-down every evening on both our trips to WDW. We don't have children of our own and while we adore those of others, we found that the time families dined seemed to have a big impact on quiet and enjoyment of both the family and us.

The earlier the dinner was, for example 5:00 to 6:00 p.m., the better behaved the young diners were. The kitchen also responded with swifter service during the early evening. However, if we were dining after 7:30 p.m., we saw many more melt-downs by little ones, and a lot more whining even by older children and teens while they waited, and waited, for food.

The other situation when we witnessed little ones getting really fussy as the meal progressed, was when Mom and Dad began with a drink, then appetiser, then entree, then coffee and desert and the pre-schoolers' meals came with the appetiser and they were done eating and ready to go before their parents' main courses were delivered at the signature restaurants. As adults, we enjoy this slower pace of food, but once the belly is full for the little one, they just don't see the point of sitting quietly while Mom and Dad enjoy their meal. This was usually when the struggle to keeps kids in their seats began and then escalated into trouble and disruption of other diners.

I don't think having a sit-down planned every evening is a bad thing for families with little ones, but timing those meals make a big difference as does the expected length of the meal planned.

-Laurie

 

[sara74]

I think I posted early on this thread but I thought of a few more things to add. We are attempting the CG with our little ones, but I called and changed our optimistic 'watch Wishes' ADR to a more realistic 5:30 (as early as I could get) which is early as us since we normally eat at 6 or 6:30. I also changed our optimistic 'watch IllumiNations' ADR at Rose and Crown to lunch at Marrakesh. So as gung ho as I initially booked things I came down off of the booking high and thought long and hard about what our family could manage gracefully. Heck, we can get THROUGH anything but doing it without tears is something else!

I will say that some diners do think the worst the moment a small child enters a restaurant - even before they have a chance to assess the child's behavior! A few weeks ago we took the kids out for a casual dinner and they behaved as I would normally expect. Good but not perfect. Well an ederly woman came to our table at the end of her meal to complement their behavior and admit that she had shuddered when we walked in thinking her dinner was going to be ruined! I was a little shocked at her complement, more shocked at her admission and most shocked when DD emerged from under the table where she was cleaning up her brother's cheerio spill and popped one from the floor into her mouth! Yuck!

 

[hercamore]

Only you nknow your kids and how tired they'll be after a day at the parks. My kids are young adults now. We never took them out to eat at a nice place for dinnner vacation or not. They were just too tired because they were early risers.

Once my l8 YEAR OLD son starrted to nod off at a restaurant in downtown disney about 9 p.m. during a very hot June vacation 6 years ago, LOL. He almost fell out of the booth!

herc.

 

[Kid in Me]

Hi,

We are considering doing sit down dinners every night(dining plan). We will have our well-behaved 4 year old and an 18 month old. She is now only 10 months so I'm not sure what she'll be like when she is 18 months. She is pretty good right now.

Am I being stupid thinking I can enjoy myself at a sit down dinner every night? Anyone else have experience with this? Thanks!

Val

I think things should go well. You are in Disney!!!!!! Everyone has children, it's not like you are in a restaurant where kids are off limits. I think your best bet would be to try and get an early ressie. Kids get tired and fussy later. I am a mom of four and we have gone to Disney every year. We have always had a newborn or toddler with us. Expect that you 18 mos old might have a "bad day", but so does everyone elses kids. I think you will do just fine. Like another post said, bring entertainment. I always toted around little things in my bag to pull out for entertainment. Have fun!

 

[jessica52877]

My son has gone to disney since 5 weeks old and sat at table after table with no problems. I am probably more on the strict side as I do not allow getting up at the dinner table, a chair is to set in and he does! I kept him in a highchair while eating out much longer then at home as I felt as if it gave his less freedom and he was perfectly happy with it, so I also think that is a huge help. We don't go out much at home, at most 2x a month so his main eating out is at disney.

Many meals he would become tired and I would go outside, get our small stroller and stroll it up to the table, it slid underneath nicely where his highchair had gone, he would just lay down and go to sleep. I must say though I specifically bought the stroller with scenarios like this in mind.

 

[hannah's dad]

We took our 14 month old in March and didn't have any real issues. We often eat out at home, so she is somewhat used to the restaurant drill. At meals when she decided she had enough of the high chair (which was usually around dessert), we sat he ron our laps, ate dessert quickly, and then left.

We also chose earlier times and chose louder restaurants that would both engage her and overtake her babbles and fusses.

 

[Jenn Lynn]

DS will be 15 months when we go. He is well behaved in restaurants right now so I am hoping for more of the same later.

We have picked family places. I think the fanciest we have are Boma, LeCellier, and Coral Reef.

 

[CRSNDSNY]

For our first trip our daughter was only 5mo and she slept through most of our trip! I think that kinda spoiled us! Next month for our trip she will be a year old and I am a bit nervous about how she'll be when we're eating.

I've pre-emptively planned most of our sit-down meals to be character oriented to help keep her occupied.

We've taken her out to eat numerous times here at home and know that she has a time- limit until her breaking point. We try to keep her entertained with her meal, books, toys, etc.

GOOD LUCK to you all!

 

[CRSNDSNY]

We had the nicest meal at the Yacht club galley (walk in) The waitress was great and so was the food.

Oh my goodness! I'm glad to hear this! Last trip when DD was 5mo, we went to YCG and the hostesses were SO NICE and made such a fuss over DD! It was wonderful! Unfortunately, I wish I could say the same for the food. DH loved it, but I didn't.

 

[sakura-panda]

Edit: I went back and read the OP and decided that it wasn't what you were looking for at all. I couldn't delete it, so I'm just going to leave it just in case it is useful to someone else.

Our trip isn't for a couple of weeks, but we have been taking ds (now 2.5 years old) out to eat with us since he was born -- I prefer to eat a places that sit you down and bring your food to you, so that is where most of our eating out is done. Loud places give me a headache, especially if we are in one long enough to eat, so I generally stay away from those.

One thing I started early was that if ds started fussing, we went outside. No ifs, and, or buts. No next times. Either quiet down now or out we go.

We don't do anything when we go outside -- we stand just outside the door, out of the way of people coming in or going out (or in the little entryway if it is cold outside) and we don't go back until ds stops crying or fussing. Sometimes babies and toddlers can't calm down on their own, and they need someplace quiet to regain control. When he stops completely, we go back inside.

We rarely go "outside" anymore -- these days, a simple, "Do you want to go outside?" usually straightens him up. In the early days, we each ate several meals alone while the other of us was outside with ds, until he learned that he had to behave in order to sit with us.

The other thing that I have always done is to carry in a "toy bag" with me -- filled with little toys and games that ds doesn't get to play with otherwise. Normally these are little and quiet toys like animals or little people figures. These days, he's heavy into Thomas the Tank Engine, so I bring a Thomas lunch box filled with his wooden engines and he is pretty happy to (quietly) play with those.

My "reality check" is that people often stop me as we're leaving, or stop at our table as they leave, to compliment us on DS's behavior. While it is nice to hear, it also drives me crazy that people find his manners so unusual that they have to stop and mention it to me.

Those are my two bits of advice for you -- One is to make sure you have a plan in place for if your child starts acting up. The second is to have something to do -- sit down meals are a long time for little ones to sit in one place, and having something fun to play with will help make the time go smoother for everybody. If you're lucky, there will be enough activity in the restaurant to keep the little one's attention, but it is always good to have a solid back-up plan in place.

--Katie