We are curious as to how Disney handles seating for 4-5 month olds? If we don't have a car seat or something to prop him up in- Does Disney have anything?

We're going October 19-24th so any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!!!

I think we need just a little more information before we can be very helpful. Which Resort are you going to? Florida or Anaheim? Are you planning on just going to 'sit down' meals where you might expect a high chair to be available? Are you taking a stroller or renting one?

There is a wealth of experienced parents here once we know what you are interested in.

We'll be at Disneyworld staying at the Wilderness Lodge Villas (we are DVC Members)
We'll be bringing our own umbrella stroller which we bought especially for this trip (one of the extra lightweight ones that you can strap around your back when folded)
We love sit down meals. We'd love to plan some dinners at Narcoosies, Artist Point etc. but don't know how baby-friendly the restaurants are as it is our first trip with a child.

Thanks again!

I've added WDW to your title so that the moms/dads who have experience there can speak up and hopefully share their information :)

We took our son Gabriel back in Feb when he had just turned 5 months old. In most of Disney's restaurant they have just the standard child highchairs, but in a select few they have infant seats. The infant seats are similar to a car seat bolted to a high chair. The only restaurants that I remember having these seats are Crystal Palace and Coral Reef but this was 7 months ago and may have changed. If your baby can not sit upright then you will have to hold him/her through the meal which can be a real pain. Since you want to do lots of sit down dinners then I suggest bringing an infant carseat since most of the restaurants will not let you bring a stroller in unless the baby is asleep.

Personally I would highly recommend that you get a rental car and make sure the stroller you bring can recline flat since most babies will not be very comfortable sleeping in a regular umbrella stroller. Disney rental strollers are also not appropriate for babies. Also our son Gabriel does not particuarly like to sleep in pank-n-play cribs which is all they have at the villa's. So we ended up walking around the trails at the lodge until he fell alseep and letting him sleep in the stoller all night long, it was actually the first time he had ever slept through the entire night. Some of the transportation options are also not stellar for an infant, we loved the transportation to MK, but the bus to Animal Kindrom was just too long for him to handle at 9:00 at night so when we were not going to the MK we drove. Having a car made us able to make a quick exit from a park or downtown disney without waiting for a bus. With having a car we found it was also much easier to just bring enough diapers for the flight and then go out and get a new package for the week. Also we had a bit of a diaper wipe crisis during our trip and it was nice to have car access.

As far as the baby friendlyiness of the restaurants you mentioned. I would not have brought my son to Artist Pointe awake. For any really involved meals, we make later priority seatings and walked until Gabriel fell asleep in the stroller and then ate with him asleep next to us. He even slept through Illuminations while we ate at the Rose and Crown. The issue is the restaurants you mentioned are more "adult" - I mean I've seen couples propose at Artist Pointe. More kid friendly, but still good food might be Coral Reef - kids love the tank, anything in Magic Kingdom (except Royal Table - because you have to go upstairs and its very crowded for high chairs), and some of the mid-priced Downtown Disney restaurants.

I also highly recommend making use of the baby areas in each park. Gabriel is breastfed and it was really nice to have a private place to nurse him. They also have spare diapers, clothes, and baby food/formula if you need it.

My wife and I are both former castmembers and traveling with a baby is totally different then being two adults enjoying the parks. I even had a little mini-breakdown because I worried we were not doing enough, and this is with bringing our own babysitter. Gabriel had a great time, so much fun that we are breaking our own rule and bringing a toddler back. But, so much depends on what type of baby you have. Gabriel was never one to have a real schedule with naps and such which made travel very easy. However, I have friends who have had a really bad time because their little ones got off their schedules and it sent them over the edge.

We'll be there October 19th through 27th staying at AKL this time though for a change.

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Alex

Originally posted by alexander Also our son Gabriel does not particuarly like to sleep in pank-n-play cribs which is all they have at the villa's. So we ended up walking around the trails at the lodge until he fell alseep and letting him sleep in the stoller all night long, it was actually the first time he had ever slept through the entire night.

<snip>

We'll be there October 19th through 27th staying at AKL this time though for a change.

--
Alex

Alex, if Gabriel is still sleeping in a crib, ask for a full-size crib at the AKL. We had Joshua at OKW at 1 year, and 1.5 years, and he can't sleep in a pack-n-play either. We asked for a full-size crib, and we got it. It was actually a huge crib, very tall with high rails, so it was almost difficult to get him in and out, but he slept wonderfully in there. Of course, these days he sleeps on the fold-out couch in the living-room area. Not sure what they have in the non-DVC resorts, but I'm sure that they've got something for you other than a pack-n-play. Just make it clear that you want a regular crib and not a pack-n-play. Repeat the request at check-in, as they don't deliver the crib until after you're checked in. Enjoy your trip!