Dining with baby

[snowwhite84]

Hi all! My husband and I are traveling to Disney in Sept with our baby, and I was hoping for some advice. We have a 12 week old little girl and we are first time parents, so my problem isn't just that I have never been to Disney with a baby, but also that I haven't done many things with a baby. One of our biggest confusions in planning is dining, as we have not been out with baby to a restaurant before. She will be nine months old at the time of our trip. Some of our questions are: what times work best for that age for breakfast reservations? For dinner reservations? What WDW restaurants are best for babies? Are some of the restaurants too loud?

We are staying at the Polynesian and plan to use babysitting one night for California Grill. Considering a character breakfast at Ohanas or Chef Mickeys, but we don't plan to make a ton of reservations. DH and I go to Disney several times a year so we consider ourselves veterans, but this is a whole new ball game for us. Any other baby dining tips for WDW would be greatly appreciated!

 

[DaniMoon]

You might want to try Coral Reef, you have a view of the aquarium while you eat, she might like that. It is one of our favorite restaurants, good food and great view.

As for timing, we always like to do early dinners. Works better for us and usually have an easy enough time getting reservations.

Some restaurants are definitely louder. T-Rex in Disney Springs is very loud. I'm sure others will have more advice.

 

[KrazeeK120]

As far as times are concerned, I'd try to keep meal times as close to possible as to when she eats at home. We did a vacation (not to Disney) last year when my son was 8 months old. We ate on vacation the same time he ate at home and he did just fine.

You may want to start taking your daughter to restaurants soon so that she will be accustomed to going out to eat. I think we started taking our son out to eat around 4 months, although I know many who take their kids much younger. My son has a late October birthday and we just didn't do a lot of eating out during the winter when he was so little. We've actually found that he likes "loud" restaurants where there are a lot of TVs or decorations to look at. Keeps him entertained.

My son will be 18 months when we go to Disney and I've got Garden Grille and BOG booked. I didn't want to tie us to too many reservations on his first trip. They're both lunch reservations too. He is the easiest, most mellow kid ever and has travelled well so far. I don't anticipate problems, but if he starts getting over-tired, it'll probably be worse later in the day. I figure lunch is a safer bet. But that's just my opinion!

 

[mjkacmom]

At that age, my kids would wake at 7, nap 9 - 11, and then 2 - 4:30, bed at 8 pm, so I wouldn't do a sit down breakfast, unless it was a very late one.

 

[Imagineer5]

By then, she will be eating finger foods and sitting in a high chair - which is GREAT for restaurant dining! They can be kept busy and happy with snacks and toys. My 9m old napped three times a day, so we usually did an early breakfast (8am), a lunch on the go, and a 5PM dinner (but I love TS places while at Disney). I have a number of trip reports with kids & babies if that might help you out. My most recent experience with that age was when we did Disneyland in August, DD2 was 9months. I did bring a lot of squeeze packets and snacks and that kept her busy - and thankfully she hadn't hit the age of being afraid of characters so the character dining was a blast for her too!

 

[mom25kiddos]

I have five kids, and think this is a good age for restaurants-they are not old enough to want to walk, but old enough to take some amusement in the world around them and feed themselves a bit of finger food, etc. As others have said, I would roll with their usual schedule, and bring their usual foods. Let baby be your guide and if you take a laid back approach you will have a great time. As for characters, can be really hit and miss with really little ones, some are terrified and some think it is ok. Have a lovely trip

 

[HopperFan]

I would suggest ...

- At her age, these character meals are more for you than they are her so don't get bogged down in it.
- Avoid buffets, it's your vacation too so get waited on, buffets with littles can be lots of work.
- Read reviews and avoid the loud chaotic meals aka Chef Mickey.
- STICK TO YOUR NORMAL SCHEDULE as close as possible.
- Keep your normal meal times.
- If she needs a nap IN the room, then schedule that break.
- If she can nap in a stroller, bring a cover and small fan.
- If she goes to bed a certain time to stay happy the next day, try to stick to that as much as possible.
- Make sure she stays hydrated, Sept is still very hot & humid.

 

[snowwhite84]

Thanks for all the tips, there's some great info in here I hadn't thought of! We are staying at the Poly specifically for the monorail, as we assume we'll spend most of our time at MK and want to be able to get to the room easily for breaks and naps. Since she's only 12 weeks and our first child, we just aren't sure yet what her schedule will be like at 9 months, and our ADR window opens next week. I think I will just make what I think is a reasonable plan now, and let myself make cancellations down the road if necessary.

 

[unrequited23]

I think I will just make what I think is a reasonable plan now, and let myself make cancellations down the road if necessary.

This. Allowing yourself to be flexible is the key to planning with a little one. Also, don't forget to include the baby on your ADR count. You will need a table for 3, not 2, even if your LO only sits in your lap. Also toys that suction cup to the table or the links that you can attach toys to the high chair with are awesome when they get into the throw the toy on the floor and make mom pick it up phase.

 

[snowwhite84]

This. Allowing yourself to be flexible is the key to planning with a little one. Also, don't forget to include the baby on your ADR count. You will need a table for 3, not 2, even if your LO only sits in your lap. Also toys that suction cup to the table or the links that you can attach toys to the high chair with are awesome when they get into the throw the toy on the floor and make mom pick it up phase.

Thanks! Do all of the restaurants have high chairs?

 

[Nancyg56]

I think there is a lot to be said for taking her out before the trip. Watch how she reacts, see if she gets overwhelmed. Also see how she is in the stroller for extended periods of time. Will she nap? Does she feel "safe" so the stroller is an escape?

Practice ahead is not foolproof, they change so much that first year. But is is helpful for you and for her.

All I can say is to remember she is a baby, so don't push her. I doubt you will because you already are looking to accommodate her, but I still remember a baby perched on a table in the yachtsman around 9 pm. Poor little thing was screaming, and mom was ordering dinner. My heart broke. My dgd was about 5, and a night owl and we were leaving after the meal so she was not overtired.

 

[T00dles]

Remember when making reservations it can take time to get seated, order, have food come out. We eat fairly early at home so we were 11am lunch and 5pm dinner rez people. It works because you're seated before they're hungry

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Thanks! Do all of the restaurants have high chairs?

they have highchairs that you will need with a 9 month old but very few have what is called an infant/sling type highchair. your baby should be out of the sling by 9 months and as someone said earlier remember you area party of 3 not 2 even if baby does not eat but by that age might be eating bites of food from table food

 

[LJMC]

We are going to be traveling to Disney with our 9mos old in a few weeks, as well as our toddler. The best thing about 9 month olds is they can sit in a high chair and eat real food, also they are still little enough to potentially nap in the stroller through a restaurant meal depending on the time. Also, she will be so interested in all the people and things going on around her! But, bring snacks, toys and iPad/phone, just in case! Maybe also do a practice run at a local restaurant before attacking Disney. As far as noise goes, TRex at Disney Springs is very loud. As far as timing, every baby is different. Right now, my 9mos old eats breakfast around 9/9:30 and dinner around 4:30/5. But, we made our reservations based on what was available, and will roll with it once we are there! The best advice I can give is to pack snacks/food and just go with the flow of how she is feeling! Hope that helps!

 

[westie55]

My son was great with characters at 9 months, but was scared at 16 months. Be ready for anything character wise, although at 9 months I suspect she may be little enough not to care. Still, I wouldn't book too many character meals because they are pricey and are not a good value if your LO ends up being afraid. I've been taking my DS to restaurants since he was about a couple months old. He's now 19 months and handles them well. As others have said, try going out at home to get a feel for how long he can make it etc. All restaurants at Disney besides V&A are family friendly. It will really be more of a question of if you feel you get the most out of your money dining with an infant who may have you up walking her around, separated from each other as you try to entertain her, etc.

 

[kohlby]

Thanks! Do all of the restaurants have high chairs?

It's been a while since we've been with babies- but we went a few times with babies. We found that it could be hard to find a high chair at some of the quick service locations. I used a sling for the baby carrier and found this worked perfectly with a regular chair. I could loop it around and use it as a seatbelt on pretty much any chair. It didn't mean baby was lined up perfectly at the table but none of mine were eating all that much anyway. (Two weren't eating solids at all and one was a very light snacker. They all nursed quite a bit still, which is really easy at Disney).

Also, be prepared for the nap schedule to go completely out the window. Both our trips with an 8 month old and an 11 month old had them way off their normal schedule. If we went back to the room, they refused to sleep. If we stayed in the parks, they still refused to sleep! They would eventually fall fast asleep but it took quite a while - as in a 1pm nap wouldn't happen until 6pm. Or they would sleep for just a few minutes here and there as the trip went on. Planning is nice and all but planning for plans to not work out was always needed for us too.

 

[snowwhite84]

Thanks all for the great advice! We do intend to start taking her out to restaurants, it's just been a bit cold out lately and we've kept outings to a minimum. Also, thanks to the posters who mentioned making the reservations for three, I would have absolutely made them for two. First time mom!

 

[ElyseInWonderland]

Echoing what someone else said above about Coral Reef... baby might love looking at the fish! It's a bit loud, but not overwhelming IMO. If she's not a fan of loud noises, maybe plan to head out before the fireworks start at night. My baby sister was SO chill all day until the fireworks pushed her over the edge!

My other tip would be to try and relax and have fun as much as possible. Your daughter will have a wonderful time, especially if she's well napped and it looks like you've got that covered since you'll be staying at the Poly and on the monorail. If she starts to have a meltdown in a restaurant or on a ride or in a line-- don't sweat it. It's Disney. There are crying & melting down kids (and adults!) everywhere you look. If someone gets their Mickey boxers in a twist because of an upset baby, that's entirely their issue and not yours.

Have a great time on your trip!

 

[DISfam2401]

We went in January with our then 10-month-old daughter. I had a lot of 6pm dinner reservations and that wound up being too late. She was used to going to bed at 7, but with all the added excitement and not napping like she does at home, she was ready to collapse by 6. Which meant one of the adults had to walk around the restaurant carrying her while the other ate and then switch. Not exactly enjoyable. I wish I'd make dinner reservations at 4:30 or 5 so that we could escape the parks after dinner if she wound up having a meltdown. Like others have said, make dinner reservations for 3 people, but you don't get charged at all for her. She doesn't need a ticket and you can just bring her on any fastpass rides with you as long as the adults have them. Look into rider swap if you want to do any adult rides. Our daughter's favorites at Magic Kingdom were the Tiki Room and Haunted Mansion (go figure) and at that age, our son loved It's a Small World.

Go at her pace and take breaks. We wish we had more afternoon breaks for naps in the room since getting her to fall asleep and stay asleep in the stroller was a challenge. The good thing is that since you're on the monorail, you don't need to take her out of the stroller if she falls asleep like you do on the buses.

The other thing we found out is that our daughter wasn't happy being in the stroller all day. At Disney, they tend to either be in the stroller or carried (since she most likely won't be walking yet and you can't exactly let her crawl around in the middle of Main St.) Find some little nooks to let her get down and explore - there's a small play area under Splash mountain for instance. Also, the baby care centers are amazing! They have nice changing tables, rockers and private areas to nurse or just hang out in the air conditioning and let her crawl around. We happened to forget to pack diaper cream one day and were able to buy some at a baby care center, making for a much happier baby.

Take lots of photos, especially of the 3 of you. First Disney trip is a big deal!

 

[katie111]

Not sure if this has changed but I believe that the Disney TS restaurants do not allow strollers in them. This can be a real challenge when you already have a sleeping baby. I agree with the previous posters that my kid's sleeping schedules always went out the window at Disney. My third one was a great stroller napper because he was always being dragged around with the older ones but the first two were tough because at home they were always in their cribs to nap. I would recommend taking your daughter out a lot over the summer in the stroller during her nap times so she can get used to napping somewhere other than her crib. Also practicing sleeping in a pack & play can also be very helpful.