Character Meals w/child not eating there?

[heatherj]

Oh my sooooo many questions for this trip . . . . . .

DS6 is on a very strict diet and is limited at this time to only about 8 simple foods that must also be pureed. Our plan is to feed him first or take his specially prepared foods with us and feed him at the restaurants. He also has to be spoon fed. Of course we want to do a few character meals - will we have to pay full price for a meal for him if he can't and won't be eating? I have no problem paying some kind of fee or cost just for the character interaction for him. We are a party of 6 - and the rest of us will be eating, etc. If we can do this must it be mentioned when making an ADR or just when we get there or what?

I am starting to feel overwhelmed with this trip. I usually feel like a very knowledgeable Disney person but his trip has me overwhelmed with questions.
So much has changed for us since last trip.

Thanks for sharing!

Heather

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Normally there should be no problem bringing the food along and feeding him at the table. Just make sure to include him in the reservation for the correct size table. As long as you explain he is on a special diet, usually either the server or manager will waive the charge at a buffet, or, at worst, charge a $5.00 "entertainment fee".

 

[SueM in MN]

Normally there should be no problem bringing the food along and feeding him at the table. Just make sure to include him in the reservation for the correct size table. As long as you explain he is on a special diet, usually either the server or manager will waive the charge at a buffet, or, at worst, charge a $5.00 "entertainment fee".

agree with CF
We have occasionally had servers notice that my youngest DD is only eating from the children's part of the menu and charge us the child price.
I would probably not mention that he won't be eating until you are actually seated and you can talk to your server.
If you need to refrigerate his food until mealtime, I think you should be able to store it at First Aid. They do store medications that need refrigerated. I don't know what the rules are at WDW related to storing medications with food. At the hospital where I work, we have separate food and medications refrigerators. They may have more than one at First Aid too or may have another way to handle it (like separate shelves).

 

[OneLittleSpark]

Also, if you need somewhere to prepare or heat his food, the baby care centres have little kitchen in them. There are some pictures on this page of the baby care centres, so you can see the facilities available:

http://www.mouseplanet.com/dtp/wdwguide/7_Children/general/baby_care.htm

A little OT I know, but I thought it might help.

Have a great trip!

 

[heatherj]

Thanks for the replies!

Good point on the babycare centers. Never used them in the past - is this a place I could change a 6 year olds diapers if needed? Never thought about that yet . . . . if not are there any options other than going the whole way back to the resort?

 

[OneLittleSpark]

It depends on how big he is. If he's quite small, he would probably fit on the tables in the baby centres or in the restrooms (most of the ladies' restrooms have a changing table tucked away in a corner). There are pictures of the tables in the link I attached before, have a look and see what you think.

If he won't fit on them, you can use the First Aid centres. There's one in every park, marked on the maps. As Sue said, you can also use the first aid centres if you need to keep his food cold, but that might mean a bit of a trek to get it. Alternatively you could take a cool-bag in (they don't normally allow them, but I'm pretty sure they do for medical reasons).

Hope that helps!

 

[Mason7AK]

Hi Heather, We take our DD7 and DS5 to the First Aid Stations for changes and tube feeds. The main difference is the privacy for the child! In the baby care area there are lots of changing tables all in one area. In the First Aid Station you will be shown to a private room to take care of all your child's needs. We also had a cast member tell us that once they reach five years old they recommend taking them to the First Aid. First aid is usually very close to the baby care center anyway (if I remember correctly). The CM's are so nice in First Aid too - never rush you and are so helpful!
If you are making ADR's for a meal that needs to be paid for in advance, like CRT, you can go ahead and tell the CM that you have a child that is not eating when you make your reservations. In our experience, they usually make the ADR with the correct number of people, but list your non-eating child as an "infant" and that way you are not charged. As for buffets, I have only once had a server charge us an "entertainment fee" of $5. All other times, we have not been charged at all for our DD, who is 100% tube fed.
Hope this helps and have a great trip!
Angela

 

[SueM in MN]

Alternatively you could take a cool-bag in (they don't normally allow them, but I'm pretty sure they do for medical reasons).

Hope that helps!

They do allow coolers, just not the large hard size coolers (especially the type on wheels).

The bathrooms (ladies and many men's rooms too) have changing tables. They are mostly the built in kind that is like a shelf. They are generally 36-40 inches long and counter height (about 34 inches high). If that is too high for you to lift him, you could go to First Aid where they have lower cots in cubicles with privacy curtains.
I don't know if this would be helpful/possible for you, but some people have taught their child to stand for changing. If it would work, it would make things a lot easier.