Including small children in a head count

theycallmelinz

I have several people on my guestlist with small children (2 and under). Should I include them in my head count of how many chairs needed/catering purposes? I feel like an 18 month old isn't going to be sitting alone in a chair, or eating a whole plate of food. What are your thoughts?

Edit: Just to clarify, we are serving a buffet-style dinner, not a plated meal.

Maggie0829

You need to include all people (no matter their age) into your headcount for fire safety purposes. Meaning if your venue can only hold 200 people then that means 200 people total (large and small), not 200 adults and unlimited number of kids. Also, every guest should have a chair. Parents tend to like having an extra seat to possibly put their diaper bags or carrier or what have you when it comes to their kid. As for the food, you need to talk to your venue/caterer. Some vendors won't charge you for kids under a certain age or they will charge you a kids meal pricing. Also inquire about your open bar. Since anyone under the age of 21 cannot legally drink then you should get a discount on the bar charge for those individuals.

Jen4948

Yes, everyone should be included in a head count for food and seats.  By the way, that will also include vendors in terms of venue space, and if their contracts call for meals, they must be included there too.

theycallmelinz

I didn't think about the safety regulations, so I'm glad you mentioned that! And I'll definitely check with the caterer and the people doing the bar about those things.

MollyandD

My venue told me that I only have to count seats. An infant, for example, would not be counted and would be expected to sit on someone else's lap or in a carrier brought by the parents. Any child small enough to be a "lap sitter" didn't have to be counted. I still counted everyone anyway, because I don't want to assume that parents eat with children on their laps.

icecreamS04

Molly&Domenic said:

My venue told me that I only have to count seats. An infant, for example, would not be counted and would be expected to sit on someone else's lap or in a carrier brought by the parents. Any child small enough to be a "lap sitter" didn't have to be counted. I still counted everyone anyway, because I don't want to assume that parents eat with children on their laps.

And were are people going to put the carrier had you listened to that advice? Really like that you were considered to your guests and gave the little ones a seat of their own.  

@OP:
You need a chair for the carriers, even if the little ones don't sit up on their own, I really don't know anybody who would enjoy their meal when someone is sitting on their lap. I'd say you don't have to order food for kids under 2, but they still do need a chair. 

emmyg65

I counted every child for chairs, and combined kids under about 10 for food (like two two-year-olds = one serving of food).

LondonLisa

Also, talk to your caterer/ venue. Often they will do an inexpensive child's menu. My venue is free for under 2s and 1/2 price Child's menu for under 12s (although, I'm asking children on the cusp, ie 10/11/12 year olds, if they would like an adult meal or a child's meal). Even if it is buffet, just ask the caterer what his policy is on children. 

Please also include them in the seating count! My godson is 2 and he is HUGE! I couldn't eat a meal with him on my lap, but he will happily sit in a chair and quietly play with small toys. Similarly, I would think a parent would prefer to have their baby in the carrier on a chair next to them than on the floor risking tripping/ spilling.

Maggie0829

Oh and also ask any parents who have small children if they would like a high chair instead of a regular chair for their kid.

wandajune6

I agree with the PPs.

You might also confirm the number of high chairs available. Mine only has 5 and while we think that will be enough, my sister (who has a kid) reminded me that they always put baby carriers on an upside down high chair. We're now renting a few extra to be safe. I think they're $3/per so it's a cheap touch but I think it will be appreciated.

mysticl

wandajune6 said:

I agree with the PPs. You might also confirm the number of high chairs available. Mine only has 5 and while we think that will be enough, my sister (who has a kid) reminded me that they always put baby carriers on an upside down high chair. We're now renting a few extra to be safe. I think they're $3/per so it's a cheap touch but I think it will be appreciated.

This is an incredibly unsafe practice and the high chair most likely has a warning on it saying don't do it.  I have seen one style of high chair that is designed for it but most are not and it is not stable.  The chair could easily be knocked over causing the baby to fall out and be injured.  

mysticl

lynze425 said:

I have several people on my guestlist with small children (2 and under). Should I include them in my head count of how many chairs needed/catering purposes? I feel like an 18 month old isn't going to be sitting alone in a chair, or eating a whole plate of food. What are your thoughts?

Edit: Just to clarify, we are serving a buffet-style dinner, not a plated meal.

They will sit in a high chair though. I would not have wanted to try to eat with my son on my lap when he was 18 months old.  My venue gave me precise guidelines for age.  Under a certain age (I forget what it was) they were not included in the food count and were expected to eat off of their parents' plates.  Then there was an age range for kid's meals and then the full price regular meal.  like others said you still need to count them for total capacity and for available seats.  

theycallmelinz

I'll definitely check into renting high chairs because I wouldn't want to eat with a child on my lap. I was mostly trying to cut costs on renting extra chairs and ordering more food (and my fiance won't budge on moving the reception to a non-dinner time), but luckily I had a "Come to Jesus" meeting with my parents and was able to cut my guestlist down by a third. Score for the bride! Thanks so so much for all of your input!

wandajune6

mysticl said:

wandajune6 said:

I agree with the PPs.

You might also confirm the number of high chairs available. Mine only has 5 and while we think that will be enough, my sister (who has a kid) reminded me that they always put baby carriers on an upside down high chair. We're now renting a few extra to be safe. I think they're $3/per so it's a cheap touch but I think it will be appreciated.

This is an incredibly unsafe practice and the high chair most likely has a warning on it saying don't do it.  I have seen one style of high chair that is designed for it but most are not and it is not stable.  The chair could easily be knocked over causing the baby to fall out and be injured.  

Thank you! I know nothing about babies and gave it no thought!

mysticl

wandajune6 said:

wandajune6 said:

I agree with the PPs. You might also confirm the number of high chairs available. Mine only has 5 and while we think that will be enough, my sister (who has a kid) reminded me that they always put baby carriers on an upside down high chair. We're now renting a few extra to be safe. I think they're $3/per so it's a cheap touch but I think it will be appreciated.

This is an incredibly unsafe practice and the high chair most likely has a warning on it saying don't do it.  I have seen one style of high chair that is designed for it but most are not and it is not stable.  The chair could easily be knocked over causing the baby to fall out and be injured.  

Thank you! I know nothing about babies and gave it no thought!

Stuck in the box:

You're welcome.  I've actually done it before someone told me about it.  And I was like "you're right".  It never felt right to me because the chair would wobble but you have waitstaff and other parents telling you that's how you're supposed to do it.  Some places do have slings that are designed to hold the baby carrier and I'm a little more comfortable with those.  

offensivekitten2

Easy formula to calculate seating space:

Does the person involved exist and therefore occupy physical space?

If yes = give them space to occupy.

Seriously, baby chairs don't go behind other chairs, and nobody enjoys holding a squirming kid and trying to eat at the same time. Even infants who don't require a chair could sit beside the parent in a buggy.

lyndausvi

This question often baffles me.    Often it's venue and caterer dependent.  So the only ones who can answer is the venue or caterer.

For example, I worked on a boat that held 49 people.  You can be an hour old or 100 years old.   Ever person had to be counted.  That said, those 3 and under were charged nothing.  3-12 were half-off.  13 and above full price.  

Each venue and/or caterer has their own rules.  You need to ask them and not assume anything.

kimberly0315

We will include all people (adults and children) in the count.  My daughter is 21 months and she was sitting in a chair and eating her own food at 16 months.  At home she might have been in a high chair but when we went out she often sat in a chair.  Don't count on them not sitting or not eating.

theartistformerlyknownas

lyndausvi said:

This question often baffles me.    Often it's venue and caterer dependent.  So the only ones who can answer is the venue or caterer.

For example, I worked on a boat that held 49 people.  You can be an hour old or 100 years old.   Ever person had to be counted.  That said, those 3 and under were charged nothing.  3-12 were half-off.  13 and above full price.  

Each venue and/or caterer has their own rules.  You need to ask them and not assume anything.

Yeah you'll likely end up needing a few different counts - one for the number of places at a table that will be occupied (whether by an adult in a chair, a child in a chair, or a child in a high chair - they all take up space), one for the open bar, and one for the adult vs child entree portions. 

Buffets often count on a child eating half of the adult portion, and prepare/charge accordingly. My venue offers a kids' meal, so they'll get chicken fingers, buttered noodles and a fruit cup for about 1/3 the price of the adult entree (bar is consumption). But this is dependent on your venue and their policies.

[Deleted User]

For head count for seating we counted all bodies, including my 4 month old great niece. Even though she wouldn't be eating, her parents would need a place to put her down while they ate (they brought in the baby carrier). It was nice for them to have a spot for her and not have to put her on the floor where the carrier might get kicked or have to find a chair. Once dinner was over, the baby was being passed around. Then I gave the venue a total head count of adults and then those that were under 13 (cut off age for kid rate).