Character Meal with Baby

[UConnFan]

Hi! My husband and I are planning a trip with our baby (due in May) for next November. Baby will be 5ish months old. Have you been to a character meal with a baby? Do you find it is worth it?

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Well, you don't have to pay for baby. But your child may be terrified of the characters, or sleep right through.

The character meal is for you, not the baby.

 

[minnie mum]

The baby will be so young that a character meal wouldn't have any value at all for it ( assuming that a 6 foot tigger or bear didn't freak it out). But if you want to dine with the characters, go for it.

Not character meal specific, but you'll want to consider the logistics of restaurant meals with a baby who may not be ready for a high chair and who is still on pureed food.

 

[TsLoveMickey]

Exactly, the baby is free so if you want to go for pictures or what not, there's no harm! The youngest we've brought kids was the week before my son turned one, and we all loved it!

 

[MakiraMarlena]

With a baby that age, it's going to be whether YOU want to try the character meal or not. The baby might be scared of the characters, might sleep or might actually prefer to be somewhere else, with a kid that young you can't tell. As noted, you won't have to pay for the baby to be there, so you can give it a shot.

 

[UConnFan]

That's what I figured, but I thought I'd ask just in case! Thanks!

 

[MinnieSweetheart]

That's what I figured, but I thought I'd ask just in case! Thanks!

If you can at all consider pushing your trip back a few weeks. It is much more difficult logistically to bring a baby who cannot sit upright. We took our daughter when she was 7.5 months old and it was very easy, but she was sturdy in her stroller and could sit comfortably in chairs and in our laps.

I read a blog where a woman mentioned wearing her young baby through meals, but that would not have worked for us. Our rule is at least 6 months for Disney because almost all shots and unsupported sitting up made a big difference to us.

Our baby was very interactive with the characters. She would touch and try to eat their noses. She really enjoyed them. She would also sleep sometimes during meals.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

The character meal is for you, not the baby.

YouBetchya.

 

[DisBuckMan]

Just make sure that you include the baby in your reservation head count number...and that's true for all table service meals, not just character meals.

 

[Baklava]

Chances are at 5 months the baby won't care one way or the other, but be prepared. My 1 year old was pretty firmly convinced the characters were going to eat her. Only face characters were a go.

 

[MinnieSweetheart]

Chances are at 5 months the baby won't care one way or the other, but be prepared. My 1 year old was pretty firmly convinced the characters were going to eat her. Only face characters were a go.

Oh NO!! I'm so happy our daughter loves the characters, because we are dorky character people.

 

[StirlingSilver83]

We took our son to a bunch of character meals when he was 8 months old but a lot changes with babies from 5 months to 8 months old, lol. We also had his big brother there so the character meal wasn't a complete waste. I love character meals so even if big brother wasn't there we would probably still have done the character meal.

 

[OhThePain]

As others have said, some infants do well with characters, others not so much. Face characters, like the princess meals, should be ok because they can communicate with the baby a little easier. If you want to try meals with other characters, don't book them early on in the trip. Give the baby a trial run or 2 with M&Gs and see how they do. If it's a success, keep the ADRs. If it fails, cancel the ADRs before the date you have the scheduled for (you can cancel up to 11:59 PM the night before a character meal and not get charged).