WDW Restaurant High Chairs?

[LSUmiss]

We will be taking our DS to WDW in Nov. He will be 6 1/2 months then. Right now he isn’t quite ready for restaurant high chairs & we take him in restaurants in his car seat. Can anyone tell me how the high chairs are at the table service restaurants at WDW? Are they the typical type that they have at most restaurants? What has been your experience with table service dining with a 6 1/2 mo old? Were they able to sit up in those high chairs by then or did you just hold them? Are there any other options?

 

[unrequited23]

From what I remember most of the highchairs are the simple wooden ones with a lower back, not the ones with a back that comes up to your child's head. Depending on the size of your son, you might want to have a blanket rolled to shove behind/around him to make it a bit smaller. Both of our boys would have been ok sitting in that type of high chair for at least some of the meal at 6.5 months, but may have ended up in a lap for part of it. If you are dining at a nap time, you might want to put your child in a carrier so you can have your hands free. Also, the toy links are great for attaching to the high chair so if/when toys are thrown you don't have to crawl under the table to get them off the floor.

It doesn't seem like it but the difference between what a 4.5 month old and a 6.5 month old can do is huge.

 

[LSUmiss]

From what I remember most of the highchairs are the simple wooden ones with a lower back, not the ones with a back that comes up to your child's head. Depending on the size of your son, you might want to have a blanket rolled to shove behind/around him to make it a bit smaller. Both of our boys would have been ok sitting in that type of high chair for at least some of the meal at 6.5 months, but may have ended up in a lap for part of it. If you are dining at a nap time, you might want to put your child in a carrier so you can have your hands free. Also, the toy links are great for attaching to the high chair so if/when toys are thrown you don't have to crawl under the table to get them off the floor.

It doesn't seem like it but the difference between what a 4.5 month old and a 6.5 month old can do is huge.

Thank you! That helps! That’s what I figured about the difference in his age by then. That’s why I asked b/c I know that’s a long time in “baby time” as far as what he will be able to do. He’s a big boy now so he may be ok then without the blanket even.

 

[KrazeeK120]

From what I remember most of the highchairs are the simple wooden ones with a lower back, not the ones with a back that comes up to your child's head. Depending on the size of your son, you might want to have a blanket rolled to shove behind/around him to make it a bit smaller. Both of our boys would have been ok sitting in that type of high chair for at least some of the meal at 6.5 months, but may have ended up in a lap for part of it. If you are dining at a nap time, you might want to put your child in a carrier so you can have your hands free. Also, the toy links are great for attaching to the high chair so if/when toys are thrown you don't have to crawl under the table to get them off the floor.

It doesn't seem like it but the difference between what a 4.5 month old and a 6.5 month old can do is huge.

Agree with all of this.

I believe we did come across a few places that had plastic-coated high chairs with higher backs. I didn’t pay a whole lot of attention...my son was 18 months and obviously could sit up in anything.

And yes, the difference between 4.5 months and 6.5 months can be massive. My son started sitting unassisted right at 6 months...made restaurant outings way easier!

He’ll be 3 next month and sometimes I wonder how I have a walking, talking, eating, almost potty trained kid. It’s crazy how fast they change.

 

[HulaHoopy]

I took my youngest at 6 months old and he could sit in the high chairs just fine, although he chose not to most of the time. So for the sake of the other guests, I held him at the majority of our meals. If he is sleeping in the stroller, many restaurants will let you take it in.

 

[Childs1stTime2Disney]

My child would have been too small at 6.5 months for those high chairs. There is no padding, not much back support, etc. I would plan on holding him or having him stay in his stroller (some restaurants may allow this), or infant car seat if you bring that.

 

[KrazeeK120]

My child would have been too small at 6.5 months for those high chairs. There is no padding, not much back support, etc. I would plan on holding him or having him stay in his stroller (some restaurants may allow this), or infant car seat if you bring that.

Every kid is different, though. OP didn’t mention the size of her child. I think it really has more to do with their ability to sit up unassisted than their size. My son did totally fine in restaurant high chairs at that age.

I haven’t been able to eat holding my son since he was about 6 months old. He was way too grabby. At almost 3 now, he regularly swipes food off of other people’s plates when they aren’t looking.

It’s really up to each family to decide what works best for them.

 

[MrsDuck]

My little guy is almost 10 months and he's been visiting WDW since he was 3 months. Every high chair we've used has been the old/wooden type. We bring a high chair cover. He was able to use them around 6 months but didn't always want to STAY in the high chair so be prepared to hold your kiddo if they aren't pleased with being confined like my wild man.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

My kids are wayyyy past high chairs but at that age we always used the fabric high chair cover. The extra padding allowed them to use the regular wooden high chairs as soon as they were able to sit up. And, it saved on germs.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

I think it really has more to do with their ability to sit up unassisted than their size.

Definitely. My son at 6 months was in the 1st percentile for weight (had some thankfully now resolved health issues) but could sit fine unsupported. Using a rolled up blanket around him did still give piece of mind as he looked so tiny in the high chair, but it was really more so for peace of mind.