Hi Bethany!
Children under 3 years old are free when dining at buffet-style restaurants like
The Crystal Palace at
Magic Kingdom Park and
Hollywood & Vine at
Disney's Hollywood Studios. You can make them their own plate from the buffet line at no charge. Don't forget the ice cream at both of these restaurants! Sometimes The Crystal Palace has a special flavor that's worth checking out. Boy do I miss the days when my kids ate for free and didn't need park tickets!
Disney Gift Cards are widely accepted all over
Walt Disney World. There are very few locations that do not accept them, but restaurants aren't one of them. We often save up gift cards to pay for our Disney vacations and use them for things like dining, Disney Resort Hotel rooms, merchandise and Resort activities. The Crystal Palace and Hollywood & Vine will gladly accept your Disney Gift Cards for payment.
Are you familiar with the
Disney Gift Card website? If not, head on over and check it out. If you have multiple gift cards, you can combine them into one card, up to $1000 on any one card, so you're not carrying around a bunch of extra plastic with you on your vacation. It's also a great idea to register them online in case they are lost or stolen. They can be transferred to another card and you won't be out any lost vacation money.
Since you have a little one, check out the
Baby Care Centers while you're at the parks. There is one at each of the four parks and they provide quiet rooms for nursing, microwaves and bottle warmers for food, high chairs, changing tables and a nice relaxing place to chill out for a bit. These were wonderful for me when my kids were little.
Please stop back by and visit if you have any additional vacation planning questions.
Have a magical day!
Leslie