How do I eat with a baby?

[smkiya]

I know strollers aren't allowed in the restaurants, so I was wondering how to manage my meal with a 4.5 month old. I don't think he'll be able to sit in a high chair at that age, so what do I do with him?

How old was your child when he/she first sat in a high chair? I can't remember with dd4 (bad mommy). I can't even remember when we first started feeding her rice cereal, I know it was between 4-6 months. Thanks to cameras with the video features, I am able to post a video journal of ds milestones (so far smile, laugh, roll) he's 2 months now.

 

[Bren's Mom]

Do you have an infant carrier car seat? If you do then you can use that to hold the baby during meals. We used to just put ours in the booth next to us or in an upside down high chair. Some places even have special carrier 'slings' just for this purpose.

 

[clc053103]

I think my large son did sit in a restaurant high chair by 4 months, had been at one at home since practically birth but it had a nice recline feature.

I used a high chair/shopping cart cover, which was heavily padded and came with a pillow, a pocket, and a little ring to attach to toys. It helped him fit better in the big seat and the pillow helped prop him up better. They have some in stores, but I bought mine from an ebay store and I highly recommend. USed for 3 years, through the wash many times etc then passed on to a friend for years of use.

http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Angelyn-Rose-Shopping-Cart-Covers__W0QQ_armrsZ1

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

DD was around 4.5 months when she started sitting in a high chair, but we would prop her up with sweatshirts or something else to really hold her in.

Have you considered keeping her in a sling while you eat??

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

At 4.5 months, you might be able to use the restaurant highchairs if you bring one of those cover things clc053103 suggested.

In 2006, when we went with our 4-month old who could not sit up, we did just roll the stroller up to the table. I didn't realize at the time it was not allowed. At only one place did they try to stop me and I just said, "he can't sit up in a high chair yet," and they said "Oh, OK." Lucky for us, baby slept through all our table service meals.

Like I said, I didn't realize it was an issue until after we got home from our trip. I didn't go into it trying to break the rules.

 

[mickeymaker2003]

I would take a stroller that works with an infant carrier and keep the baby in the carrier while you eat. You may want to go test-drive the highchair idea at a local restaurant before trying to do it at Disney. The high chairs are the standard wooden ones most places seem to use.

 

[alyssa810]

When our DS was still small and not sitting up in a high chair yet, we were able to bring him in the stroller in the restaurants (it was even easier when he was asleep). Many of the TS places have infant high chairs too (if they give you a hard time with the stroller).

 

[princesssfws]

When we had a sleeping child they always told us to bring the stroller into the TS restaurant. I'm not sure if it's a rule for no strollers but the restaurants seem very accomodating to the guests needs. If your child can't sit in a high chair I'm sure they will allow the stroller if there is room.

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

When our DS was still small and not sitting up in a high chair yet, we were able to bring him in the stroller in the restaurants (it was even easier when he was asleep). Many of the TS places have infant high chairs too (if they give you a hard time with the stroller).

I had the exact same experience. I think the idea that Disney will not allow strollers into their restaurants under any circumstance is one of those DISboards urban legends that this place is famous for.

 

[barrett7890]

if the baby is not able to sit in a highchair they will let you take the buggy in. Also, we took my daughter at 9 months and at just over 2, and both times if we went to a restaurant and she was sleeping we were allowed to take the buggy to the table with us rather than wake her up.

cami
x

 

[stella27]

I have eaten a LOT of meals while holding a baby. And passing her around to daddy so that everybody gets a chance to eat!

 

[smkiya]

I have eaten a LOT of meals while holding a baby. And passing her around to daddy so that everybody gets a chance to eat!

Unfortunately dh cannot multitask. When I'm at work on the weekends and he's home with them, the house looks like a bomb went off when I get home! His response, "I was tending to the baby and entertaining dd, I could'nt even take a shower... now take him so I can relax."

Needless to say, him holding ds during a meal !

 

[maxie]

For the record WDW restaurants have infant seats. You need to ask for one when you make your ADR>

Here's a picture of my then 3 month old at Garden Grill in 2007. Surprised not more people know about them.

 

[stacy6552]

Bring a stroller with the seat attachment. You can detatch the seat and bring it into the resturaunts with you. They seat will most likely fit on the highchairs they use, eith by sitting right on top or by turning the chair over and fitting it into the base.

 

[mickeymaker2003]

Warning!!!!

Only SOME of the wooden high chairs can be turned over to hold an infant seat. Many of them have huge warning stickers on them saying not to use them this way. Some have a raised back, so when you tip it upside down, it isn't sitting level. It ends up resting on just the front and back without the sides touching since it is sitting at an angle.

I've talked to more than one restaurant manager whose servers wanted to flip over the high chair to act as a carrier holder when the high chair specifically warned NOT to use it that way.

 

[wdwfan16]

Infant carrier

 

[rt2dz]

Warning!!!!

Only SOME of the wooden high chairs can be turned over to hold an infant seat. Many of them have huge warning stickers on them saying not to use them this way. Some have a raised back, so when you tip it upside down, it isn't sitting level. It ends up resting on just the front and back without the sides touching since it is sitting at an angle.

I've talked to more than one restaurant manager whose servers wanted to flip over the high chair to act as a carrier holder when the high chair specifically warned NOT to use it that way.

None of the wooden high chairs are meant to be turned over, even the ones that will sit flat. It's a very big no, no but some restaurants allow it anyhow. (DH used to sell restaurant supplies & equipment) The ones that are meant to hold an infant carrier have the top flip over.

On another note, *some* restaurants in WDW have the infant seats. They don't have many, and they don't all have them (at least not when we last had an infant at WDW). HOWEVER, since this has been a concern for us more than once, I was assured that if I had an infant that could not sit up and there was no infant highchair available, we would be allowed to bring in the stroller. And they were good to their word. There was no way I was hauling an infant carrier throughout the parks; it's not good to keep baby strapped like that all day for several days. They need room & time to move.

 

[irene_dsc]

I have eaten a LOT of meals while holding a baby. And passing her around to daddy so that everybody gets a chance to eat!

I was starting to think I was the only one! My ds would never sit in a stroller or car seat long enough for me to eat a meal - he wanted to be held! I broke my left wrist while in college, and I always say it was great training for having a baby, because I figured out how to do so many things one-handed. So, yeah, ds usually sat on my lap, with or without a sling, and I ate with one hand. Sometimes I made dh cut things up for me.

 

[tartemis]

I have eaten a LOT of meals while holding a baby. And passing her around to daddy so that everybody gets a chance to eat!

Ditto.

 

[gladstoneganderfan]

You can use a roll of papertowels to prop the baby up(put it behind them). It's soft, and it holds them up straight. That's what we did in the restaurant I worked at if the baby was too young to sit up on their own.