DDP with baby?

[Princess_Belle]

Hi everyone. I have a question. I am beginning to think about taking a trip. This will be my first trip with a baby. He will be between 11 and 14 mths. My husband and I love to eat at the restaurants, but we don't want to get the DDP and end up canceling a bunch of our ADRs bc we have a cranky baby. Right now he doesn't like going out to eat, but it will be a few months until we go.

So should I get the free DDP or book a room only and pay for meals OOP?

Also, What restaurants would be best for a baby this age, and which ones should we avoid?

 

[Pookasaurus]

We just returned from a trip with our 8 month old and 3 year old and it went fine. My youngest hadn't ate in restaurants a whole lot so I was interested to see what happened but he did great! We brought a tiny diner mat for him to eat off of and always made sure to bring his sippy cup and snacks/food. We were able to grab him some food from the buffet (I'd cut up grapes for him) or we'd be offered something for him, including drinks though I brought his own juice, at other dinners. We didn't have to cancel any ADRs (due to him at least) and he also slept through a few of our meals which was nice . Everywhere we went was very accommodating to our kids, had high chairs waiting at our table for us, etc.

 

[catne]

I would avoid booking any of the signature restaurants...those meals take a long time (minimum hour & a half...can run well over 2 hours) Way too long for most little ones to sit through.

Buffets are generally a very good bet with little ones...they're full of families, and commotion. And no wait for food...baby can eat off your plate, too. Lots of choices, and no delay if you don't like the first plate you get, go back & choose different items.

 

[2binak]

I'll start by saying that we've never used the DDP because we either come out even or ahead paying OOP.

On our first trip with DD when she was 8 months old, we had a lunch ADR everyday and she did great! We made sure to schedule it when she normally ate lunch so that she was not off schedule. Last year, DD was 21 months old and we did the same thing, ADR's for lunch and scheduled at her normal lunch time. Our DD is very into her routine so for us, it was best to keep to her eating schedule. She has always loved eating in restuarants though. She's even to the point now where she orders her own drink & sometimes her own meal. If you're unsure of how your son will do, I would book room only (hopefully with a discount code) and pay OOP for meals.

 

[Colleen27]

It will really depend on the baby's personality. On our last trip we had the deluxing dining plan, 14 ADRs, 4 or them signatures, and only ended up cancelling one (because of a sleeping-in preteen, not a cranky baby). Our DD was 15mo on the trip and did fine in every restaurant except one lunch at Yak & Yeti, which was just too loud for her right-before-naptime meal and got her kind of out-of-sorts. But she's a mellow baby by nature and has always been good with dining out. A more high-strung baby might not do as well - my nephew was 3 before we could count on him to be good even through dinner at the local diner, never mind taking him out for a nice meal.

As far as which ones are good, DD loved the character meals. The characters made her nervous when we met them in the parks, but something about them coming over to visit with her in her high chair made them somehow "safer" in her mind. She absolutely adored Piglet and Tigger most of all, even though she doesn't really watch Pooh, and I was so glad I hadn't cancelled the Crystal Palace ADR I'd waffled over while planning! She also really liked California Grill; she's a good eater, and she loved that they bring goldfish crackers with the bread course and have a fabulous kids' fresh fruit appetizer that was almost all berries.