Share your best tip for entertaining a toddler at a TS!

[Skylarr29]

We will be in Disney with a just turned 1 and 2 year old. What are some of your best tips for keeping them entertained during a table service meal? What are some easy things you carry with you? I read a tip about bringing a portable DVD player but I think that would be very distracting to other diners in most places.

 

[Nennie]

Snacks, snacks, and more snacks! LOL!!! Usually keeps my toddler occupied and happy!

When he's having a particularly rough day, I've been known to use my phone to pull up a YouTube episode of Barney for him! ha ha! I mute the volume, and he doesn't even care b/c he's just happy to see that dumb purple dinosaur!

 

[peanut520]

High tech: iPad or iPod touch are life savers for dinners. I just have the volume low, but I'm buying toddler headphone for the plane so I might start bringing them along.
Low tech: crayons and paper. I started carrying them in my diaper bag when dd turned 1.

 

[SweetPeach]

We bring our DVD player and new dollar store type toys (cheap etch-a-sketch) that keep them occupied. I've even seen people whip out playdoh. It can be messy but keeps kids very busy.

 

[princessmommy512]

I buy neon dot stickers at Target. I think they cost $1.99 for 300. Give my 18 month old daughter some paper and she is entertained for at least 15 minutes! My 5 year old uses them too for her pictures. Fun, cheap, & easy!

 

[newserenity]

I have bought a few of the Disney Store figure sets- Pooh & Friends, Mickey & Friends, and Princesses.

I also got some of the mini color wonder sets and some sticker books.

 

[cseca]

Crayon and paper work great. Also some new interesting items you can think of. Erasers, stickers...

 

[disneybell]

We bring washable markers, crayons, plain paper, tiny note books, stickers and Disney coloring books. I’d bring different combinations with us each day – I didn’t want to carry all of that every day! That seemed to entertain my toddler the last two times we’ve been (he was 15 months, then the next year he was 2). Usually, between coloring and eating, he was pretty happy! When all else failed and DS was 2 there were times when we would let him hold my husband’s phone and he’d watch a cartoon!

 

[TaurusNYY]

these are all great ideas...I think the portable dvd may bee too much to carry at least imo. Get extra maps and brochures and have them look through that and maybe look for places you have been or where do they want to go.

 

[Ava]

My DD (almost 2) likes to look at her own menu - we'll either ask for an extra from the host/ess or just give her the dessert/drink menu that's on the table to look at. That usually keeps her entertained while we choose our meals.

Crayons & paper are usually enough for the rest of the time. If she's eating she's happy, so once the bread comes we're usually good. We try not to give her too many snacks before the meal, because then she won't eat her food. If she's getting really antsy, we'll let her play with one of our phones.

My best advice is to not wait until they are extremely hungry and/or tired to sit down to a meal. I know with ADRs you can't control this as much, but we made ours for her regular meal times so hopefully it works out.

 

[Skylarr29]

All great ideas! I saw this commercial for these things called bend a roo's or something and I think I might get those. My 18 month old son just started to like crayons, he wanted to eat them prior.

 

[laughinplace199]

Wiki Sticks or Bendaroos, Snacks, travel size magnadoodle, stickers, travel size magnet game.

Most (if not all) TS places will have crayons and paper menus for the kids to color on.