What is your strategy for dinners with kids under 3?

[amy-momofthree]

We will be going in OCtober with ds8, dd6 and dd who will be 17 months when we go.

Right now, she is not a picky eater so I plan to let her eat off my plate some but I am wondering......Do you book mostly buffets for TS meals so under 3 can eat and have a variety of choices? Do you bring your own food in? Do you order a childs meal for them?

We will be on the dining plan. I thought about letting her eat one of the bigger kids appetizers. The older two both have small appetites. Is that allowed?

Any tips? Advice? Restaurant recommendations?

Thank you ! 3 more weeks til I book my ADRS

 

[CapnJacksGirl]

My youngest will be going on his 4th trip to WDW this May and this will be his first trip since he turned three. We have always found that we had plenty of food for him to eat off of our plates. We usually do three character buffet meals, so obviously there's no problem there. You can just get your little one his own plate. At other TS meals, we found that we could just give him a little off of each of the adult plates and maybe split things from his older brother's child's meal. The only time we have ever had to get him his own meal was at CS places where our DS5 would want a hot dog or something that just wasn't going to be enough for both of them if they split it. We usually carry some snacks with us for the kids during the day but not really any food for meals. I'm sure you could do that if you wanted, we just didn't want to bother with it. I think you'll find that most restaurants will be more than enough to share with your little one.

As for recommendations, the character meals are amazing, at least for us. We do Donald's Safari Breakfast at AK and CP breakfast every trip. They're our favorite meals at the parks. The food is really good, with lots of variety, and you just can't beat the characters coming to your table. We have usually done Ohana breakfast too, though this time we're switching to Cape May breakfast instead. As for other TS places, the kids love Teppan Edo for the show (though last time wasn't much of a show), Biergarten (likewise for the show), really enjoyed Le Cellier (more than I thought they would), WCC is a big hit with the kids, and Sci-Fi is one of their favorites. I must say too that the servers at Sci-Fi have been beyond accommodating with the kids when we've eaten there. When we have had the kids split a meal there, each time we've been given two of everything, salad, dessert, and divided meals on plates, all without asking for it. They really went above and beyond to make the kids comfortable.

You'll find that it's much easier to manage at WDW with a little one than you might think. It's a breeze and so much fun to see the magic through their eyes!

Enjoy your trip!!

 

[Ferrante8]

We will be going in OCtober with ds8, dd6 and dd who will be 17 months when we go.

Right now, she is not a picky eater so I plan to let her eat off my plate some but I am wondering......Do you book mostly buffets for TS meals so under 3 can eat and have a variety of choices? Do you bring your own food in? Do you order a childs meal for them?

We will be on the dining plan. I thought about letting her eat one of the bigger kids appetizers. The older two both have small appetites. Is that allowed?

Any tips? Advice? Restaurant recommendations?

Thank you ! 3 more weeks til I book my ADRS

We have been to WDW 2 times with a 3rd visit right around the corner, my youngest is now 3. I never ordered her a meal, I asked the server for an empty plate and we would fill it up from everyone elses dish. (Depending on what kids were willing to share at the moment ) LOL even at buffets ! As for the dining plan I;m not sure , we haven't used it.

 

[momtoejanda]

For the buffets obviously you can get her whatever she wants. You can definitely give her an appetizer from someone elses meal. I did find in a few restaurants they actually brought my kids a kids meal anyway.

At the time I had two 2 year old and I never had to pay for a meal, there was more than enough. In every restaurant they brought them a drink and in about half of the non-buffet TS they brought them a kids meal.

 

[Mouse's Shadow]

When my kids were younger, we liked to schedule our TS meals in the afternoon. It gave us all a nice break in the afternoon. This allowed everyone to regenerate and we were able to spend a couple more hours in the park before we headed back to the hotel for a late afternoon break.

 

[JimmyV]

Frankly, at that age, we did not make any special arrangements for our DD (other than avoiding late ADRs, or, PSs as they were called when she was that age). It is Disney, after all. Every place will accomodate young palates. Even California Grill gave us fish crackers without asking. And we always had "stand-by" favorites on hand just in case. A bit off of our plates followed by a Teddy Graham and we were good to go. I think it is a mistake to let a 17 month old dictate your dining choices. You will find something to feed her no matter where you go. Just have a stash of known favorites just in case. Go where you want to go and have fun.

 

[wdw4rfam]

We have booked many trips for under 3 kids, and yes, we book all buffets. We did do coral reef in Sept- and had to pay for her food. But it's just easier. We are sneeking in one last trip a month before she turns 3. I know I will get the "yeah-right" looks- because she's big and looks 4!!!

 

[Pink Mouse Ears]

We have a picky eater too...we booked whatever meals we wanted. If it was buffet, he had the nuggets, mac n cheese, etc. If it was TS, he might have a few things off our plates. I also carried the Gerber lil entrees or ravioli sometimes. Once or twice, we ordered him a kids meal (if they had grilled chicken, or a healthy option he might like, to change it up) or went to get him one from a CS place.

 

[vinotinto]

When my DD was 2, we booked buffets for half of our dinners, since it just seemed easier. The other times, we either all shared with her or ordered a side dish.

We went last year and she was already 3 and on the dining plan. We ordered kids' meals for her, and honestly, she did not eat even half of what she was served. She's super petite and not a big eater. We had enough credits on the DxDP, but if we didn't it would have been easy to share with her. I guess what I'm saying is it depends on your kid. Are they big eaters? Do they normally share the food you eat? That should help you determine whether to share or buy a kid's meal or a side dish.

 

[AirGoofy]

If you are on DxDP, then you get an appetizer. I didn't think you had one on DP only.

 

[gigi1313]

we've traveled w/our soon-to-be 3yo at least 5 times to wdw and we found that all-you-care-to-eat/family style meals suited us best! buffets were a hassle 'cause dh and i had to take turns getting food, sitting down, etc and it always felt so "ragged"... at regular TS we typically did not order ds anything 'til this past trip (he was just a few mos shy of three) where we ordered him a kids' meal at almost every meal...

 

[Belleandtinker]

When our DS was 2 and 3, we bought uncrustables at the grocery store along with other items we knew he would like (cheese/crackers, pb/crackers, etc.). It was a good back up, if he didn't like what we ordered or on the buffet. I always had something ready.

At breakfast, I would split a children's meal with him (the two waffle, milk and apple sauce). My HD would sometimes get that meal too and we would keep the apple sauce for later or bought an extra one.

Recently, we made a PBJ sandwich during breakfast and took it with us to the park so he could have it later.

Good luck!

 

[amy-momofthree]

Thanks everyone

None of us are especially big eaters so it seems like there will be lots to share.

She is normally a good eater and eats mostly table food now at 10 months. I guess I just forget how much a 17 month old eats

 

[MickeyNicki]

When I took my nieces they were super picky about foods and I have found that breakfast buffets worked great because they love all breakfast foods, they ate a ton of it and we could see all the characters.

Dinner TS were a bust as they didnt eat anything at all...if spaghetti was on the menu I was golden but anything else they would not touch, especially the nasty pizza and the neon orange mac and cheese.

They did fine with Uncrustables, fruit, popcorn, pretzels, chicken nuggets and pizza from WPE. They had no problem eating this and then sitting down with DH and I while we had a nice TS meal.