stroller in restaurant?

[Jenny]

our trip is less than 3 weeks away & one of DDs just turned 6 months - i don't know if she'll be sitting independently & well enough to sit in a restaurant-style high chair. right now, she uses a high chair at home w/ a harness & tilted back one position. can i feed her in our graco duo-glider (front/back) in the restaurants? i was thinking also that i may want to bring it in if she's sleeping. we have PSs for lunch & dinner at sit-downs: Crystal Palace, Chef Mickey's, O'Hana's, Coral Reef, H&V, & Biergarten. Will these places allow this? If not, will i have to hold her in my lap? we won't have a car seat w/ us. W/ a stroller, will this effect where they seat us? thanks.

 

[Stimpy]

We were able to keep DD in her stroller in most of the places we ate, including Biergarten, but it was a single stroller. At Biergarten, we just took out one of the chairs and pulled the stroller up to the table as if it was a regular chair. I don't think you would be able to fit a double stroller that way. But I'm sure they can find another way to fit you in. For obviously reasons, Disney is extremely child-friendly! The first few days we always asked if we could bring the stroller in and every where we went we were told "Of course!"

 

[stacy6552]

We were always asked to leave the stroller outside the resturaunts. Disney uses the standard wooden high chairs yu see all over the place. Try one just before you go.

Why wont you have your carseat? If shes that unsteady, I would bring the baby carrier style carseat. Buy one of those generic frames for your trip and use that. It will be very easy to bring the seat into a resturaunt and leave the frame outside.

 

[skiwee1]

We were never able to bring a stroller into any restaurant or character meal. We go twice a year and have only seen one family try to bring a stroller in and that was at the Liberty Tree Tavern. Chip almost tripped over it! He waved his finger at the table with the stroller then pointed to the stroller and to the door! The mom quickly yanked the kid out and Dad took the stroller outside. I highly doubt that a double stroller will fit anywhere. They pack those tables in pretty good at all the places.

 

[NotUrsula]

We found that we were much more likely to be allowed to bring it in if we ate at a really "off" time, when the restaurant was not crowded; like lunch at 2 pm. If you intend to bring it in, it is best to ask for a table against a wall and be prepared to wait for it.

I don't think they allow them into character meals as a general rule, too many people walking between tables.

 

[all4fun]

ITA with NotUrsula. We had to leave the (single) stroller outside at the table service restaurants we ate at on our last trip, however we were able to take it into almost all the counter-service restaurants. Like NotUrsula said, if you eat at off-peak times, then you may have better luck with that.

 

[LauraAnn630]

We were never allowed to bring a stroller in.

 

[Stimpy]

Wow, I'm really surprised no one else was allowed to bring them in! We just went in early December. We ate at Cape May for character breakfast and for dinner and bought the stroller in. Ate at Biergarten at 6pm and, like I said, they took a chair out and we put the stroller there. The only place they asked us to take her out was at the Sci-fi, which we expected anyway. We also didn't even ask at The Land, Garden Grill, and Beaches and Cream, we knew we couldn't bring her in there. We noticed several other parties doing the same thing. Maybe it depends on the baby's age? DD was 7 months at the time.

 

[Jenny]

i can see having to take an infant out of a stroller if she can sit up in the high chairs but will they really insist on it if she can't sit up? maybe i should rethink the carseat. we didn't buy a seat for her on the plane & our transportation from the airport will have a carseat plus she'll be more comfortable in our stroller w/out her seat due to her size & if she wants to sleep. although, if i really need one for the restaurants then maybe i'll have to check it as baggage? so all young infants go into restaurants in carseats? hopefully, all of this will be resolved if she can sit in a high chair - i'll try it the week of our trip. let's hope.

 

[Jenny]

now, w/ all of the above in mind...i'm back to a question that i posted months ago...double or single stroller? sounds like i'll have to bring a single w/ infant style carseat for the 6 1/2 month old & i'll bring an umbrella for the toddler - this way my concerns re: the restaurants are resolved, right? help...

 

[Jenny]

i'm stressing to the point i'm not thinking...i'll bring my double stroller (convenient b/c 1 adult can stay w/ the 2 kids & less to bring on disney busses) & put the infant car seat in the front so we'll have it for the restaurants.

 

[riggins]

Jenny- We had the exact same issue last year when our youngest was 6 months. I found one of these: highchair helper at a consignment sale and it was a lifesaver. Its hard to tell from this picture how it works, but its just a soft foam insert that sits inside a regular wooden restaurant highchair. It keeps smaller babies from slumping and falling over. We'd generally hold her until our food arrived and then use this insert to sit her in the highchair while we ate. Its a little bulky, but not too bad to carry around the parks. It fit easily in the basket of the stroller. I can't tell you how many parents and CMs commented on what a great invention it was. We even used after our trip in restaurants until she was really good at sitting up. Hope that helps!

Enjoy your trip!
Leslie

 

[Jenny]

i'm going to look into that highchair helper & probably get it w/ the idea that we can use it here too for local restaurants. the only thing i'm thinking about now is that she may be sleeping at one of our PS times & that maybe if I had her in the infant car seat that I can leave her sleeping during our meal even if she is able to sit in the highchair by then (1/28). we'll see.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

We were told to leave our single stroller outside at all of the Disney restaraunts we ate at, but after we were seated at 50's Prime Time Cafe ds (9 months, 21 lbs!) was sound asleep in my lap and someone told us that there was plenty of room around our table if we wanted to bring in our single stroller for him, but we declined because it would've been difficult to maneuver into the full restaraunt.

 

[stacy6552]

ok ok. Bring the baby seat. You should take it all the way to the plane because if there is an open seat they will let you use it on the plane and you really should if you can. Then I would bring the baby seat/frame I reccommended and a regular reclinging singel stroller for your other child. Then you can switch out with the older one walking and the baby in the other stroller.

How old is your older child?

 

[Jenny]

the older DD is 2 yrs. 10 months - the part i like about the double is leaving 1 adult if necessary w/ 2 kids strapped in the stroller instead of the 2 yr. old on the loose in crowds or 1 adults trying to push 2 strollers. re: bringing the carseat to the plane - i would love to think that i could put the carseat next to us on the plane if there's room but what if that's not a possibility - will they take it w/ the stroller at the gate? i'll have to see when i get there.

 

[tjmw2727]

My thoughts - make the ps with the total number of people including the infant. Then when you check in let them know that the infant can not sit unsupported (in a high chair) or that the infant is sleeping and you need to bring in the stroller. If it is a single you have much a better chance of them allowing you to bring it in. If possible make your table service ps times for late breakfast, late lunch or early dinner - any off time so that you have a better chance of using the stroller. You may have to fold the stroller, bring it in and then set up in a place that is safe in the restaurant. You won't have any problem at the counter serve places but the table serve places are different day to day.

My neice is a bit over a year and sits very well but fell asleep just before our ps at 50's pt in MGM and LeCellier at Epcot, both lunch. Both restaurants allowed my sil to bring the stroller with the sleeping baby into the restaurant and we had a great lunch. They even offered oyster crackers and a milk to go for the baby when she woke up (at 50's) what a wonderful touch. This was the week between Christmas and New Years 04-05 and we did 1:30 lunch ps each time.

I personally would not bring the carseat to the parks. I do advocate use on the aircraft as well as the car (of course) studies have shown that babies should not spend more than the duration of an average car ride in them, ie- no more than an hour or so at a time. I can't imagine using one at the parks all day is a good idea.

We liked a stroller with a full recline and large canopie, rain cover is very handy for showers or cold and a stroller fan is great for ventilation and white noise while sleeping.

TJ

 

[tjmw2727]

the older DD is 2 yrs. 10 months - the part i like about the double is leaving 1 adult if necessary w/ 2 kids strapped in the stroller instead of the 2 yr. old on the loose in crowds or 1 adults trying to push 2 strollers. re: bringing the carseat to the plane - i would love to think that i could put the carseat next to us on the plane if there's room but what if that's not a possibility - will they take it w/ the stroller at the gate? i'll have to see when i get there.

Sorry I didn't see this but YES. Bring the carseat and stroller, hopefully you can roll all or get a rolling carseat bag (at TRU).

If they don't have a seat for your infant they will gate check the carseat with the stroller right at the doorway to the aircraft. When you arrive the stroller and carseat will be waiting just ouside the door. This is wonderfull for strollers as you have use of them at both airports!!

TJ


TJ

 

[Stimpy]

I agree with TJ! Maybe that's why we were so lucky to be able to bring in the stroller. (It was a single stroller though) When I made our PS's and walked up to restaraunts, I always counted her as a person so they already had a seat and space at the table for her. I guess it's easier that way, then they can just pull the chair out and roll the stroller into that spot.

Also, I'm another one who highly recommends getting a seat for baby and using the car seat! Besides safety issues, it's a lot more convenient for you and the baby.

I don't know if I would use the infant carrier in the park. I know if our DD had to stay in it, she would be miserable. She was already getting a little cramped in hers and it had a lot of padding which could have made her hot.

 

[riggins]

FWIW, Crystal Palace and Chef Mickey's both have infant high chairs. They resemble the infant seats mounted on to some supermarket shopping carts. They were great. Its too bad that the other restaurants don't have them.