help! restaurants with a baby??

[dumbo_buddy]

hi all!

dh and i are planning the 4/3 deal in january and bringing our son who will be 7 months old then. i am thinking that by then he'll be more able to check out the sites and be alot more interactive.

we haven't taken him to any restaurants yet. but i think that bringing him to restaurants at disney would be ok - afterall disney is the epitomy of kid-friendly.

my question is, do you think we should do the ddp? will we realistically be able to sit down for a meal with a 7 month old?

which restaurants do you think would be the best to go to?

thank you!

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Much depends upon your child, and the way you wish to have your meals. There are any number of babies at WDW at full service restaurants.

Buffets might be a bit challenging, unless you both don't mind sitting with the child while the other gets the food.

I'd say the only place you'd not be dining will be Victoria and Albert's as they don't allow children under 10 (I believe).

Truly, go where you please, as you and your child can tolerate and have a wonderful time!

 

[DisneyGrampa]

Well, we just got back a few weeks ago after a week, including our 13 month old grandson. Things went well.
Problems for you that I see:
Disney high chairs aren't built for kids that can't sit-up. Many of the restaurants don't let you bring-in a stroller. Some do, but it's somewhat dependant on how busy they are.
ADRs are critical. Will you be able to set an ADR schedule when your son is 4 months old and have it work at 7 months?
We've brought our kids to restaurants at under 2 months old. But let's face it, the baby will set your schedule. The DDP may not make sense for you.

I wouldn't ask the following question, if I weren't concerned about the consequences-have you discussed with your pediatrician, going to Disney at the height of the flu season? Babies your son's age have been identified as particularly at risk for infection by this year's swine flu.

 

[dumbo_buddy]

thanks! you're right! we'll just go by how he is. i guess i'll really have to wait a while before making my ADRs since i won't know exactly how he'll be. he's 3 months now and it's still too young to really know how he'll be at 7 months. right now he's pretty high maintenance but he is still just a little munchkin.

 

[dumbo_buddy]

I wouldn't ask the following question, if I weren't concerned about the consequences-have you discussed with your pediatrician, going to Disney at the height of the flu season? Babies your son's age have been identified as particularly at risk for infection by this year's swine flu.

i appreciate your concern. that is a very good and valid point. i will certainly talk to my pediatrician about that and see what she thinks about traveling. thank you.

 

[DisneyGrampa]

thanks! you're right! we'll just go by how he is. i guess i'll really have to wait a while before making my ADRs since i won't know exactly how he'll be. he's 3 months now and it's still too young to really know how he'll be at 7 months. right now he's pretty high maintenance but he is still just a little munchkin.

There's no reason you can't make ADRs. Take your best guess. You can always cancel later. If you want any of the popular places, you've got to get your ADRs at the 90 day point. You can add the DDP just before your arrival date-I think it's at 48 hours befoer-but check that, I may be off a little.

 

[Colleen27]

All 3 of mine were okay in restaurants by 7mo. At that age, they're starting to eat solids and can be fairly easily entertained at the table. I'd suggest a high chair pad to help him sit comfortably and to keep him more secure, because the straps on those wooden high chairs are really meant to contain toddlers, and a strap or those little plastic links to attach a toy or two to the chair so you don't spend your meal retrieving and cleaning dropped toys.

As a previous poster suggested, I'd make the ADRs at 90 days but wait to add the DDP until closer to your trip. And consider making your ADRs for a variety of times/meals, so that at least some are likely to work out with your little one's personal clock. My oldest was great for breakfasts/lunches out as an infant, but forget dinners - by then he was often cranky and craved the familiarity of home and routine. My girls, on the other hand, have been fine any time we take them out, but they're both the type to fall asleep anytime, anywhere if they're tired enough.

 

[krazy4crusing]

We are taking our 7 month old to WDW on the DDP next month.

Our ADRs are for:

Chef Mickeys
Ohana Breaky
Crystal Palace
Hoop De Do

We just added another day so we will need to make ADRs for another TS meal.

Buffets are nice because you can feel free to get up and walk around with the baby if he/she is fussy. The down side is that you have to take turns going up to get your food.

A table dinner is nice because you are seated and can just pass the baby back and forth or even better the baby may sleep through the meal and both of you can enjoy your adult time together.


Take your little one anywhere your heart desires! Just be ready with snacks, toys etc... to distract him/her and to swap and cuddle while your partner eats if the baby is fussy.

We are sticking with family friendly restaurants that will have lots of kids at them ie Character Dining. This way we won't be the only one who may have an ornary child

Enjoy!!

 

[Where's Pluto?]

We are going in a few weeks with a 9 month old. I am bringing a travel high chair (one that clips to the table, cause when we went for the day with ds, the high chairs don't have a high enough back). We have made ADR's for two breakfasts and for dinner. I think we will be ok. I am expecting that sometimes he may be a little difficult at the restaurant, so dh and I will take turns.

 

[waltskids]

hi all!

dh and i are planning the 4/3 deal in january and bringing our son who will be 7 months old then. i am thinking that by then he'll be more able to check out the sites and be alot more interactive.

we haven't taken him to any restaurants yet. but i think that bringing him to restaurants at disney would be ok - afterall disney is the epitomy of kid-friendly.

my question is, do you think we should do the ddp? will we realistically be able to sit down for a meal with a 7 month old?

which restaurants do you think would be the best to go to?

thank you!

Oh my goodness, no restaurants yet!! We wouldn't survive lol We have taken our DS to WDW since he was 3 months old and just recently traveled with DD at 9 weeks old (going again tomorrow!) We have taken our children to many of the table service restaurants at Disney. We really love the character meals since even babies love to interact with the characters. Our favorites are Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace. We also love Kona Cafe. At Christmas we are dining at Chef Mickey's, Cape May Cafe, Rose and Crown, LeCellier, Trails End, Tutto Italia, and LeCellier. I wouldn't hesitate bringing children into those restaurants. Only you know your child, but there are tons of kids in most of the restaurants in WDW so I would say give it a try. Any restaurant on the Dining Plan, in our opinion, is good for kids, even the 2 table credit restaurants (which is why when DH and I go out for a romantic couples only night, we avoid those on the DDP). If you stay away from Victoria and Albert's, Bistro de Paris and a few at the Swan/Dolphin, such as Shula's and Bluezoo you should be ok (all not on DDP). I can't give advice on the DDP since we never get it, but many say it's a great deal. As far as the flu, DD will be 6 months when we go in December and our ped. told us to have a great time!

 

[dumbo_buddy]

great ideas, thank you.

where's pluto? - where can you get a travel high chair? does it fold down? will you take it around the parks with you?

i think character meals are a great idea - there are always some kids there not having a good time so i won't feel so bad if my guy acts up. haha

i just am still undecided about the ddp or not. when it was the two of us it made sense moneywise. but with the little one i'm not sure. it's hard to know how he'll be in 4 months.

 

[dumbo_buddy]

Oh my goodness, no restaurants yet!! We wouldn't survive lol We have taken our DS to WDW since he was 3 months old and just recently traveled with DD at 9 weeks old (going again tomorrow!) We have taken our children to many of the table service restaurants at Disney. We really love the character meals since even babies love to interact with the characters. Our favorites are Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace. We also love Kona Cafe. At Christmas we are dining at Chef Mickey's, Cape May Cafe, Rose and Crown, LeCellier, Trails End, Tutto Italia, and LeCellier. I wouldn't hesitate bringing children into those restaurants. Only you know your child, but there are tons of kids in most of the restaurants in WDW so I would say give it a try. Any restaurant on the Dining Plan, in our opinion, is good for kids, even the 2 table credit restaurants (which is why when DH and I go out for a romantic couples only night, we avoid those on the DDP). If you stay away from Victoria and Albert's, Bistro de Paris and a few at the Swan/Dolphin, such as Shula's and Bluezoo you should be ok (all not on DDP). I can't give advice on the DDP since we never get it, but many say it's a great deal. As far as the flu, DD will be 6 months when we go in December and our ped. told us to have a great time!

waltskids - thanks! i think you pumped me up more to go. did you just hold the kiddies since you can't bring in a stroller? sounds like i will need to bring along something to help him sit.