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!

[sassy2000]

Whether or not you can do a sit-down meal with a 7-month old really depends on your son. We took our DD when she was 9 months old and only had to get up 1 time from our dinner to leave. I would start taking her out to dinner occasionally in the next couple months to get her used to it and see how she does.
Also, look for restaurants that have a lively atmosphere so if he does fuss some it won't be as noticable. Whispering Canyon Cafe, Ohana, Biergarten, 50's Prime Time Cafe, and any character meals would probably be good choices.
My DS 5 and DD 2 have had plenty of meltdowns at disney. The good thing about Disney is you will always see another child behaving worse then your own... lol :silly:

[Strmchsr]

That really depends on your child. If he's really easy going and adaptable then you might do fine at restaurants. If he really needs a fixed schedule, though, doing the DDP and TS places might not be the best idea for this trip. Personally, with a 7 month old, I'd go all CS for this trip, which would be less stressful and allow more flexibility for his schedule, and look forward to the TS experience in the future when he's a little older.

[lockedoutlogic]

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!

whole lotta stuff here...

first, you're 7 month old...realistically...won't be interactive with much of anything....

dress him up cute and take his picture with mickey and pooh (trust me....our son was there at at 3 months, ten months, 13 months, and 16 months.....now he has to wait all the way until he is 2 change...but with a 5 month old sister)

second, as far as babies 'in restaurants....there's no problem... It's not like there is any issue other than the "signature" dining locations and maybe a few in epcot where it doesnt' quite fit....

But it depends on your child....if it's just the two of you and he's ok sleeping during dinner in his carseat....then no problem...

if he won't and is a screamer...then it's not gonna go too well. Again, we had a bad experience at 3 months at the brown derby....but about 15 other great experiences as well.

One thing though: some restaurants don't really let you take a stroller in...that can be inconvenient.
in some cases, it's because of space or environment....in other cases, the manager on duty just might not be accepting of it due to their "background"...be it educational or cultural....

my advice: relax and enjoy your time....but don't really plan on too much sit down eating or rides....because the odds are you arent' going to get them....then if you set your expectations low, you might be pleasantly surprised

i would not do the dining plan....because you arent' likely to be able to "lock in" to reservations or a certain amount of dedicated meal times...

[Ms. Mode]

Well, I think everything has been covered here. However, if your son is on a schedule you could plan your table meals for when he's sleeping, that way you can relax over a meal and he'll be happy to. :mickey:

[TheRustyScupper]

and is a screamer...then it's not gonna go too well.

1) Yup.
2) Screamers, whiners, and yellers are no-no's.
3) If they start, one should quiet them in 2-New-York-minutes.
4) If not, remove them to a rest room, coat room, or out the front door.
5) That is the polite thing to do.
6) You have a right to bring in the kiddies.
7) But, others have a right for a comfortable meal time.

[dumbo_buddy]

thanks everyone!!

i think i'm going to book without the ddp. i will make a few ADRs now that i can always cancel. denise at MJ reminded me that we can always add ddp up to 7 days before we leave. by then i will have a better idea of how he'll be.

oh and i guess by "interactive" i really just meant he'd be more alert!

[dragon73]

1) Yup.
2) Screamers, whiners, and yellers are no-no's.
3) If they start, one should quiet them in 2-New-York-minutes.
4) If not, remove them to a rest room, coat room, or out the front door.
5) That is the polite thing to do.
6) You have a right to bring in the kiddies.
7) But, others have a right for a comfortable meal time.

I could NOT agree more!! And yes, Disney is child-friendly and children of all ages have a right to be there. However, disruptive children (and adults!) should be dealt with instead of just pressing the 'ignore button' as I've been witness to many parents doing.

Although it's completely understandable that I'm going to be flamed for bringing this up: It is my hope and dream that one day all of the tables that used to be separated into smoking and non-smoking in restaurants become children and no-children sections... We have as much of a right to a peaceful, relaxing meal, as your children have to be in attendance.

[Seasonscraps]

thanks everyone!!

i think i'm going to book without the ddp. i will make a few ADRs now that i can always cancel. denise at MJ reminded me that we can always add ddp up to 7 days before we leave. by then i will have a better idea of how he'll be.

oh and i guess by "interactive" i really just meant he'd be more alert!

That sounds like the best plan!

My nephew is just a few days shy of 6 months and he just loves looking around at everyone and everything. It's fun just to watch his expression as he sees new things all the time. I imagine it will only get better when he's a month older. :)

[wire0monkey]

I took a 1 year old and a 17 month old to WDW.

Don't worry about the restaurants, they're used to dealing with little kids and are VERY helpful. Love them!

We do a lot of breakfast buffets, because they allow us to get food into the kids fast and they're busy. Character meals are wonderful. I highly recommend Cape May Cafe.

We've done signature dining with little kids. California Grill is great, because you can order and then take the kids out on the balcony. They also gave us goldfish crackers before the food came. Awesome!

Biergarten is a great choice in Epcot because the oompah band is very entertaining to little kids.

If you're looking for a great steak place, Grand Floridian Cafe worked better for us than Le Cellier. We had a table that had a beautiful view of the lake, and the service was very quick. The kids liked it much more than Le Cellier. The meal was excellent!

We love Rose & Crown and Teppan Edo and Le Cellier and Ohana, but on past trips, they didn't have enough of a view or an activity level to hold the kids' interest and the service was too slow.

[dani226]

Also, just to add a little more advice...you may want to start taking him to a couple of family-friendly restaurants now. That way you can gauge how he'll be and he gets used to the restaurant atmosphere. My son wasn't too bad to dine out with at that age...now that he's 2.5 forget it!

[LittleRoosMommy]

I agree with the previous posters. Disney restaurants are definitely kid friendly and the servers are more than helpful.

That being said, I would definitely start taking your son out to restaurants now. The more he is exposed to them, the more comfortable he will be and will begin to understand what you expect from him when you are out. We took our DDs 5 & 3 out to restaurants very early on and they are usually well behaved. BUT there will always be a time when they are not, that's just life with kids!

I hope you have a great time!!

[Disney4us2]

You could always have the quick service dining plan, and then book a few table service experiences as well.

I had my daughter in restaurants since she was 1 month old. She got used to it quickly. I always brought small teething type toys for her, or the teething biscuits (when she was at that stage). That kept her busy as well as looking around at the different environment. I also started her at Disney (Disneyland) when she was 3 months old. That was a long time ago:D she will be 10 in Dec:mickey:

Have a fun time

[diz_girl]

You should have few problems with a 7-month-old in a TS restaurant. Babies are easy, it's the toddlers that are more difficult in restaurant situations. At this age, they aren't very mobile and they don't have a will of their own yet. As long as they're fed and dry, you're pretty much good to go.

Enjoy this time at WDW. I wish I could have taken DS2 to WDW when he was 7 months. He's actually really good in most restaurants, even now.

[disneykid@hrt]

Seven months is a dream... It's once they discover they have legs that you get in trouble! Like everyone said just practice. Oh and here's a tip that I learned the hard way: When you are out to eat, try to avoid holding him as much as possible. Atleast in our case, as she got older it was harder to keep her in her seat. And if I have to strap her down she gets upset.

In any case the shorter the meal, the better. Skipping appetizers and dessert may be necessary and always be prepared to take a few minutes to go outside and walk around with him to regroup.

We'll be there in January too! I'll be the one chasing the 2 year old.:mickey: