Toddlers in the mdr

[molsonschooner]

Planning on cruise in in 2016 Baby will be just over 2 years by then. Do you have any stories, pro or con about young children eating in the dining room

[Spurschick]

Dd has eaten in MDR since 7 months old.

 

You can request them to expedite your meal to keep courses speedy if desired. We have had great waiters that used to bring sliced fruit for dd to keep her occupied whilst waiting for food.

 

A quiet activity that entertains them as well is perfectly fine.

 

We always made sure we sorted out a table for the three of us so we were not inconveniencing other guests by trying to rush through meals if needed. We also checked out location of table in case dd was tired and wanted to nap in push chair so we had easy access without blocking others.

 

Hope that helps

[matj2000]

Bring the kid along with you.

We always brought ours when they were little and had a good time.

 

Dinner does not really take that long.

Never had any issues.

But I am sure some on this site will object.......

[Elvis1209]

Bring the kid along with you.

We always brought ours when they were little and had a good time.

 

Dinner does not really take that long.

Never had any issues.

But I am sure some on this site will object.......

 

What's that? People will complain? On this site? Come on!!!! Why I love children!!! Wait a minute! They don't smoke on their balcony, do they?

 

Elvis

[Justmekaren918]

Just curious; I am switching to MTD on next two cruises do they carve out a section of non-kids? There are adults who are kid free and tend to not want to listen to them at dinner. From 6:30pm to finish. I think even in my late seating there were toddlers, and yes they were fussy and crying.

 

I wonder if RCI gives out little activity projects to keep kids busy. I know with my brother's kids they are bribed with DS stations to keep them quiet an entertained.

[summersigh]

Bring the kid along with you.

We always brought ours when they were little and had a good time.

 

Dinner does not really take that long.

Never had any issues.

But I am sure some on this site will object.......

 

Toddlers in the MDR are not a problem unless they begin screaming or crying and the parents choose to ignore them, going on with their dinner, instead of removing the child until the crying is over.

I'm sure there are those who will think I'm a terrible person for that opinion but it's heavily influenced by my last cruise which had one that spoiled more than one meal for those around them.:rolleyes:

[cruisegirl06]

Our older daughter has been on two cruises, one at 16 months and one at 2-years. We treated the MDR much like dining out at home, we bring appropriate activities for her to do quietly at the table (I.e. Coloring, quiet toys, etc.) and remind her when behavior is not appropriate. If inappropriate behavior continues we tell her we will be taking her outside and if she doesn't knock it off we take her outside until she can cool off and behave. She likes to eat though, so as long as we ordered her an appetizer right away (or brought along some snacks) we were generally in good shape.

 

Lately she has been into a few toddler apps on my phone, so for a really long meal I might let her use one of these at the end. I'm not a fan of screen time at dinner, but if it's a 1.5-2 hour meal and she is only using it at the very end (and not disturbing anyone) I'm okay with it. The family we shared a table with on our last cruise let their daughter use the iPad while waiting for meals/after dinner, she would always chit chat a little, then either play with our daughter, color, or watch something on the iPad. The girls were quiet and the adults got to chat.

 

If your child is used to eating in sit-down restaurants it is probably a lot easier to get them to behave in the MDR. I would just be prepared to walk out in the hall with the child if needed (on our 7-night when DD was 16 months I think there were 2 nights that she wound up needing to go for a walk during dinner).

[Harooni]

i wouldnt mind toddlers in the MDR however im sorry to say todays parents lack discipline and some have them running around and such. control them and im sure no one will have any issues

[slotmomma3]

We just did a cruise with my 22 month old granddaughter. We brought stickers with us to dinner. That was a great way to keep her busy while we waited for food to come. She was really good for about 1 1/2 hours each night at dinner.

[Sunkissed Mommy]

I am cruising next week with my almost 15 month old. (May 16-19th on the Enchantment)

We're cruising with him again at 19 and 20 months.

 

I'd be glad to share my experience when I return. I always write up a cruise review after my trip and post it on CC.

 

I will warn you though. I do not believe in giving electronics (iPad, cell phone, video game) to young children to distract them. I know they work for some people, but at a cost. So my review will be including non-electronic means of toddler entertainment during dinner hour :)

 

**They do not carve out a non-kid section in the dining room.

[cb at sea]

There are generally fewer kids in the late (second) seating at dinner. But, kids are welcome....it is the main dining room, after all!

[HesterMofet]

Keep 'em quiet and seated, that's all I care about!

 

But seriously, I do not mind seeing little ones with activities at dinner to keep them busy and quiet. A two hour dinner is a long one for a toddler. Keeping them seated is paramount for their safety and the safety of others. I don't want to see anyone tripped!

 

On our last cruise there was a family with five children of various ages (under 12) and they were so well behaved we complimented them on it!

 

I say take the little ones to dinner because they will learn your expectations and it will make for a more pleasant cruising experience for you.

[sweetpea1714]

Kids pay too. There is no kid free section.

[Rufferto]

The waiters brought my children fruit cups almost right away to keep them distracted. There's also bread.

We brought along an iPad that they watched. It was used as a "last resort" item if their other toys did not work. I kept the volume on mute with the screen pointed away from other dinners.

We took our dessert as takeout and ate it in our room so we were not in the MDR for too long.

If they got out of hand, one of us parents would remove the child from the MDR immediately (only happened once* :o).

The waiter and assistant waiter, if they are good, can also be a great help to keep the children engaged.

*The funny part was when my wife had left with our child: the waiter was anxious, because he thought he had done something wrong and had p#ssed off my wife somehow.

[KGSB11]

My daughter will be 2 next week and we just returned from Liberty 2 weeks ago. Here are my thoughts:

 

- Bring quiet activities (coloring books, flash cards, small dolls/figurines -- I was especially proud of my find of a mini fan that lit up :p)

- My wife and I only bring out the electronics as a very possible last resort when any other alternative would disturb people around us. :rolleyes: Only needed this one night.

- The waitstaff was very kind and attentive and had fruit and milk waiting each night for her.

- Her meal ALWAYS came before our appetizers so she wouldn't get too cranky

- The Windjammer became our friend -- this was her first vacation and she was being VERY picky when eating, so we would visit the WJ before the MDR to feed her 1:1 so she wasn't hungry and cranky in the MDR.

Edited May 8, 2014 by KGSB11

[Nebr.cruiser]

If you are considerate of others and go prepared with small things to occupy your toddler, of course they should go to the MDR. The key, as others have stated, is to recognize when she is losing it and immediately remove her from the dining room. Many parents seem able to ignore very annoying behavior.

 

I'm not saying she has to sit there like a tiny adult; I don't mind and expect that a toddler will act like a toddler--within reason it's cute. Screaming, tantrums and running around the dining room is not. Also, you have to know your child; some kids are very placid and able to tolerate long quiet times--others, not so much.

 

I am not normally a fan or distracting kids with screen time--doctors are recommending zero screen time for two and under--but this might be an exception.

 

We once cruised with 7 grandkids and just us two grandparents. The kids were ges 5-11 and normally active kids. The waiters and head waiter were so awesome with them. On the last night one kind lady who had sat near us every night came over and complimented us on their behavior. That made our day! Were they perfect? No, but we worked hard to make sure they used (and in some instances learned) good manners and appropriate actions.

[spookwife]

Just curious; I am switching to MTD on next two cruises do they carve out a section of non-kids? There are adults who are kid free and tend to not want to listen to them at dinner. From 6:30pm to finish. I think even in my late seating there were toddlers, and yes they were fussy and crying.

 

I wonder if RCI gives out little activity projects to keep kids busy. I know with my brother's kids they are bribed with DS stations to keep them quiet an entertained.

 

no there is no kid free section any where in the MDR, reg seating or MTD. the kid's menu is a little activity sheet type thing but other than maybe a set of crayons the staff does not do anything special. it is the parent's responsibility to keep the kids quiet or remove them/do t he program that gets the kids fed and out the door back to the kid's clubs quickly.

 

the only way to get a real KF meal is to book one of the specialty dining options that do not allow them at all. or room service.

[Jen731]

I have been collecting little toys and quiet activities for my 3 year old and her 1 year old cousin to do at the table during meals. The best thing I've found are these Play Packs.

 

 

They are $1 or maybe $1.50. It is a small coloring book with 4 crayons and a sheet of stickers. They have them for just about every character. I have found them at the dollar store, the dollar spot in Target and in Michaels. The coloring page that comes in the MDR is the same every day, after the first day or two on our last cruise the kid were bored.

 

I also save happy meal toys and little things that I don't care whether they make it back home.

[Mommy oooo]

I can't speak for others, but my girls (9 and 5) have always gone to the MDR, either late seating or MyTime (or since we did NCL the last 4 cruises, freestyle). Even at home they love to go out to dinner and when we go out we are there for usually 2 hours to 2 1/2 hours and always remain seated, unless of course to use the restroom. They know mommy and daddy would get furious if they EVER got up even to ask a question. So personally when we go out and I see kids running around it gets me pissed. I agree there are some parents that just don't care. But honestly I see that far and few in between, although we tend to go out to dinner on the later side and typically families with children go out before then. What gets me even madder are the adults who are loud and obnoxious and that I see all the time.:mad:

[Mommy oooo]

just realized after my rant that I didnt' provide useful feedback:p. With my girls we always brough coloring books, crayons, DS for older DD and leappad for younger DD.

 

A few things I have used over the years which have been great. Brookstone sells this thing called a Boogie Board (although lately I have seen it sold other places as well) Also, when both girls were little, I had a doodle board, so it is this pen like thing thta you add water too and it writes wet and then dries off so you can always use it. Another thing that was great were those mini etch a sketch things. Now that my older DD is in 4th grade and can read and write, she is required to do some homework that she misses (we take her out of school a few days before vacation starts) and she is to write in a journal daily. Also, she brings a book along but usually doesn't have time to get to that.

[summersigh]

Reading the thread again ... it seems the problem folks have is not with children in the MDR and their amusments. It is with children who are crying or running around the dining room who should be removed from the restaurant until they calm down.

 

Yes, yes, I know .... they paid so should be able to do whatever they want on board. And they should ... within the boundries of not subjecting others to the children's tantrums.

 

IMHO when folks decide to have children they have to know that there are some places and things that sometimes need to be "edited" until the kids grow up some.... resturants being one :)

[cndljen]

We've been out to eat numerous times when there were screaming toddlers. Though our kids are adults now, I still have the ability to tune out someone else's screaming toddler. My kids knew better than to act up in public, I kept my promise of the consequences if they didn't behave. It didn't matter if we were eating out, shopping or at a park. My kids were to act and conduct themselves like they had sense about them. Kids/Toddlers will always be themselves to a degree and they need attention and thrive from it. What makes me angry are the parents that do not pay one single bit of attention to their kids and let them do whatever they want and simply ignore them when they act out or start crying and screaming. I don't blame the toddlers, I blame the parents and those are the ones I would like to take for a restroom trip! I know that sounds mean, but lazy parents make me angry. If you didn't want to be bothered with kids and take care of them then you should not have had them! I love toddlers and would be the first at a table full of strangers to start engaging an upset toddler. Sometimes simple distraction helps tremendously. The worst experience ever was at a local applebee's. Though it's not fine dining there are still expectations to be upheld. There was a family in there eating that the entire time (over an hour) their youngest carried on screaming the whole time. The parents sat there doing nothing at all to calm the child down, just kept on ignoring him. Towards the end the server brought out a scoop of ice cream (no charge) and they refused to let her give it to the toddler. I can see/understand a point of not wanting to give your child the ice cream. But ruining everyone else's dinner experience was selfish of them! When they finally got up to leave, the ENTIRE restaurant applauded during their departure. I doubt they cared that everyone was glad they were leaving though. Just some additional thoughts I'm sure you will do just fine with your plans to entertain your child.

[KGSB11]

I have been collecting little toys and quiet activities for my 3 year old and her 1 year old cousin to do at the table during meals. The best thing I've found are these Play Packs.

 

[ATTACH]312005[/ATTACH]

 

They are $1 or maybe $1.50. It is a small coloring book with 4 crayons and a sheet of stickers. They have them for just about every character. I have found them at the dollar store, the dollar spot in Target and in Michaels. The coloring page that comes in the MDR is the same every day, after the first day or two on our last cruise the kid were bored.

 

I also save happy meal toys and little things that I don't care whether they make it back home.

 

The Play Packs have saved me so many times I cannot begin to count! :D

[yj2cute]

I am cruising next week with my almost 15 month old. (May 16-19th on the Enchantment)

We're cruising with him again at 19 and 20 months.

 

I'd be glad to share my experience when I return. I always write up a cruise review after my trip and post it on CC.

 

I will warn you though. I do not believe in giving electronics (iPad, cell phone, video game) to young children to distract them. I know they work for some people, but at a cost. So my review will be including non-electronic means of toddler entertainment during dinner hour :)

 

**They do not carve out a non-kid section in the dining room.

 

Like! I love and totally agree with you regarding electronics at the dinner table. Good luck with your cruise.

[waterbug123]

it seems the problem folks have... is with children who are crying or running around the dining room who should be removed from the restaurant until they calm down.

 

 

If you have been reading these boards for any length of time you would know that no one here has ever had a child that had to be removed from the dining room or any restaurant due to misbehavior. Everyone here taught their children correctly and their kids have always behaved well from day 1.

I'm not exactly sure how all of these kids learned to behave if they never actually acted out and realized that consequences follow, but apparently they did. :D