do you put your 2.5 year old in high chairs at restaurants?

[emmababy]

Our dd is 2.5 and at home when we eat out, we usually try for a booth and put her in the inside. At WDW, I know most restaurants don't have booths. What are your seating arrangements at restaurants? I am afraid if we don't put her in a highchair she wont stay seated but I am afraid if do use one, she will throw a fit. What to do???

 

[jlr9882]

My 2.5 yr old son is a tiny guy and has a hard time reaching the table if we are in a booth, even if he is in a booster chair. I always just get him a highchair when we are out to eat.

 

[maddiesmom0116]

I would still set her to the inside with a booster. I always thought high chairs were a hassle, so I got DD out of them as soon as I could.

 

[daleswife]

My DS is 2 now and when we eat out he HATES setting in a high chair. But at Disney hes gonna have to set in one. He definately will not stay seated if he's not in one.

 

[jenn10a]

we are going to have the same issue. We are working at home now with making her sit at the table in her chair until everyone is finished eating. So, I think we will be skipping the high chairs. They kinda give me the heebie geebies any way.

 

[AmyMama2AvaNtheo]

I am hoping they have boosters. At home we have one on the chair and my son is fine with it, if we go out to eat he hates the highchair but will sit willingly in a booster ... we shall see!

 

[mhm]

My 2 1/4 yr old hasn't been in a high chair at a restaurant since about 18 months. At home she only uses the high chair as a tall chair (not buckled in, & she gets in & out by herself) when we have guests & otherwise don't have enough chairs. At nicer restaurants she uses a booster, but most of the time she kneels on her knees.

 

[snoopy5386]

My DD refused the high chair somewhere between 18 months and 2 years. She sits on a regular chair or in a booth. She sits up on her knees to reach the table.

 

[mumto3girls]

My 2 1/2 year old will do either, but she has to at home when we are all here because our table for 4 does not accommodate our family of 5. She does use a booster when we are not all here. Some of the restaurants do have booths--Garden Grille, Cape May, Chef Mickey's (I think) probably not most of the CS places though. We were just there in Nov and I am having trouble remembering.

 

[disneybridetobe]

My DD started unbuckling herself and climbing out of the highchair at about 17-18 months, so we put the kibash to that. We too usually try to get a booth, but when that fails, she sits on my lap or on her knees at the table.

Trying to put her into and keep her in a highchair is an exercise in futility.

 

[michael's mom]

DS can't use a booster on a booth (we've tried many times) because he leans forward and it appears he's going to slide right out and smack his chin on the table, so we still use the high chairs (and we eat in a restaurant once a week at least). He usually does fine even though he sits in a booster or on his knees at home

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Before my dd was a year old she was Houdini in a high chair. She could twist out of it and be standing in less than a second. So we put the high chair away very quickly after that. At home she sits in a chair. When we are out we use a booster or she sits on her knees or my lap. Once in a while we will try a high chair and she humors me for about 3 minutes. She even smiles oh so sweetly when I put her in it. Then when the novelty has worn off she tries to take off like Flo Jo. I have no idea how she gets herself out so fast! She does it right in front of me. It is amazing to watch. So try the booster and then try whatever works. Sometimes nothing works and you have to take the child out of the restaurant. Many times DH and I took turns eating because whoever was the youngest child at the time simply could not sit for a whole long meal. You do what you can. Good luck!

 

[aanderson5]

DS stopped sitting in a high chair at restaurants at around a year, and he is on the small side. We go out to eat several times a week and usually go to restaurants with booths. He used a booster till he was about 2- 2.5 but only when the food acctually came and if the table was too high. If we went somewhere without booths he would sit in the chair or on our lap till the food came and then would sit in a booster to eat.

I have to add that he has been going to restaurants since he was a newborn and 98% of the time is very well behaved (he is used to it). And we never owed a highchair at home. When he was really little he sat in his Bumbo while I fed him. And then he graduated to a booster that attached to our chair and he sat at the table.

 

[PEANUT1]

My 2 1/2 year old will not sit still in a chair....booths are no problem. We use highchairs when we need to if there are no booths available. I usually have some special things to entice her to sit in the high chair like crayons or raisins or something like that. I have never seen a booster seat that fits on the regular chairs at disney, only for use in the booths. It will be fine either way. If she throws a fit, she won't be the only one there doing it

 

[emmababy]

I am afraid if we sit her on a chair, that she won't stay seated. I guess we will try it out at a CS first and if she wants to run around, we will put her in a high chair the rest of the week.

 

[nessz79]

I am afraid if we sit her on a chair, that she won't stay seated. I guess we will try it out at a CS first and if she wants to run around, we will put her in a high chair the rest of the week.

I think that's a good idea. 2.5 is kind of that in-between stage with high chairs and restaurants. I think it was around 3 that we started going without high chairs. But to be honest, I think we avoided restaurants altogether for a while around this age . I think it was around 3.5 - 4 that we felt like our youngest was tolerable at a kid-friendly restaurant.

 

[fussymonkey]

DD used the high chair until just after she turned 3. While she could have reached the table if she were to sit in a chair, she would not have stayed in the chair. One thing I can't abide is children allowed to run around at restaurants. At about 3 she was able to start sitting well through a meal and we stopped with the high chairs. DS will be 28 mo when we go to Disney and I'm very sure he will be in a high chair... I'm all about doing whatever will provide the most peaceful meal for the rest of the family.

 

[jessica52877]

My son always sat in a highchair up until atleast 4, probably even later. I didn't give him a choice ever so that was what he knew. It was wonderful and still is to this day to have a child that will sit and just eat when we go out to dinner.

I never liked boosters in a booth. I just felt he couldn't get close enough to reach properly and it make the booster start tipping. At 6 he gladly sits in a booster at home still and loves it. It is an old little tikes and kind if similar to restaurant ones so I think that helps. He has never been strapped into one so he never thought of it as some kids do. I know alot of kids don't like the strapped in part of it.