Hey there, Deborah. Thanks for stopping by the Disney Parks Moms Panel. Your vacation is right around the corner. I bet the countdown is on!
Children under 3 can eat for free at
Walt Disney World no matter if the parents are on the
Disney Dining Plan or not. Here's how it works. When you are dining at all-you-care-to-enjoy restaurants, like
'Ohana at
Disney's Polynesian Village Resort or
Cape May Cafe at
Disney's Beach Club Resort, you are able to make your under 3 child as many personal plates as they would like. When dining at restaurants where you select one entree off of a menu, your child may plate share with anyone at your table at no extra charge. If, when dining at this style of restaurant, you wish to order your under 3 child his or her own meal, only then would you need to pay.
When my daughter was under 3, we did a lot of dining at all-you-care-to-enjoy restaurants for the ease of her being able to enjoy her own plate and to save a little bit of money on food for her as well. Plus, a lot of these style restaurants are character meals which are really fun for kids that age. If you are looking for a few suggestions, on top of the restaurants I mentioned above, I also really enjoy
Tusker House at
Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park. There Mickey and his pals are all dressed up for safari which is a really fun photo opportunity and the food is delicious.
I hope this helps! If you have any other questions, please feel free to come back and ask. Enjoy your vacation!