Eating with an 18 month old

[la79al]

When DSis and I make our trip, DD will be about 18 months old. I don't have a lot of experience in this department but I am guessing it would probably be better for us to skip the DP this trip and just stick with QS on the go type meals, right?

 

[BrooklynnsMommy]

I've done both with my daughter. Using the dining plan you can do character meals as your table service credits. They have some great ones - Chef Mickey's, Donald's breakfast at Tusker House, Play and Dine at Hollywood and Vine. I have done all of these with my daughter and highly recommend them. They allow your child to see the characters without having to wait in long lines. There is also a dining plan that is just quick service meals.

 

[Colleen27]

It really depends on the kid. We've never stuck to QS when our kids were little, but we've had very mellow kids. Personally, I think the whole CS experience is a hassle with kids, what with finding a table, waiting in line for food, getting our own condiments, not necessarily having indoor/air conditioned seating, etc. and I'm glad my kids have all handled restaurant meals well from a young age.

 

[kpm76]

We traveled with DD in Nov when she was 18 months and we did a combo of CS and TS. The key to TS is making sure you eat at times you know are typically "good" times for your child (i.e. right after a nap). We tried to push DD's nap back a little bit so we could eat at Le Cellier and I ended up not even keeping the reservations bec DD had a meltdown right as we were going to be seated. It just wasn't worth it, was not fair to her and certainly was not fair to other patrons at the restaurant. Of course you can never predict how a child is going to behave but we have a pretty good sense of when we can dine out with DD and when we cannot. First thing in the morning would also work well for us. I'm not trying to start a debate, but it always kills me when parents push kids beyond their limits because they want to eat at a certain time in a certain place. It's just not fair overall to anyone involved. Other people are trying to enjoy meals and don't want to listen to an overtired 2 yr old at 9pm. Certainly not suggesting that you would fall into that category but that is a big reason we pick TS places at times that work for the children, not necessary at ideal times for us.....

 

[stacy6552]

Go and find yourself something like these...

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2668340

They were priceless when our son was little. You can have finger foods anywhere with these!