Dear Rebecca,
Thanks for stopping by again here at the Disney Parks Moms Panel with your
Disney Dining Plan question!
At this time, if you are using a Disney Dining plan for your child ages 3-9, they must eat a child's entree for their dining credit at Quick-Service and Table-Service restaurants. At buffets and dinner shows, they will use one child credit and will of course receive the same access to the buffet or to the family-style meal that an adult would.
However, the Dining Plan credits ARE allotted per room, not per person, so if for example you wanted to use two credits for adult meals for one meal time and then use two credits for child meals at another meal time (they are not broken down that way but you could definitely do that if your circumstances allowed), that would work. For example, if you find that you and your child are much less hungry at lunch and want to use two child meal credits, but then at dinner you are much more hungry and want to use two adult meal credits, that would work out because the credits are allotted per room.
Hope that helps with your planning!
- Jan K.