Should we pay for toddlers to have a seat at reception?

By that age they are eating quite a bit. Probably not a full played meal but definitely will need their own food unless they are very pciky eaters. I would reach out to their parents and ask what they think.

On behalf of their parents, get the children a seat.

I would pay for them to have their own seat. By 2, my daughter wouldn’t have sat on my lap for more than a couple minutes and she would have been pretty upset if she didn’t have her own plate of food (we started baby led weaning on regular foods at 6 months with her).

No, they will be taken home early so what's the point

Yes they need to have a seat. If nothing else for the sake of their parents.

I would say by that age they need their own seat. Also, I would definitely not ruin the dinner experience for the parents or grandparents by requiring them to have a squirming child in their lap while they are trying to eat. I would suggest contacting your venue and seeing what options they provide in terms of seating and meals for small children. That’s nice they offer a discount for children under 11! I have seen many venues that charge full price no matter what the age of the guest.

It depends on the kids with how much they eat. I have 2 nieces and one hardly eats you have to force her to finish her meal and the other eats everything on her plate. I guess I'd just talk it over with the parents to see what they would suggest. You might have a parent say that you shouldn't have wasted your money on their child and you might have the other upset because you didn't waste the money.

Every butt needs a seat and a meal. It would be extremely rude to tell parents that they need to hold their children in their laps and they aren’t allowed to have their own meal.

I would pay for their own seat in this case

I Would Say Go Ahead And Pay Just To Be Safe.

But Since I Am A Mother Of 2 Sons, A 2 Year Old And 9 Month Old-If I Took Them With Me To A Wedding I Would Expect Them To Be Sitting In My Lap And Eating My Food. Parents Shouldn't EXPECT Anything Extra Just Because They're Bringing A Child, As it's Not Their Event It's Someone Elses. Also My 2 Year Old Eats When And Where He Wants So His Plate Of Food Would Go To Waste Lol.

Ask both parents what they think. 'Would you prefer that little Katie has a meal prepared for her or do you prefer to bring your own special meal? Would you be more comfortable with her in a chair or on your lap?' No need to mention costs or what not. Make it about their comfort.

Definitely ask the parents, but most likely you're actually paying for the kid's meal, not the seat. We have several guests with kids who are invited. My (pre-covid) plan was to have kids over 5 sit together. For babies and toddlers, I would leave enough space at their parents' tables for them to sit, so for a table that would normally seat 8 people, I might put 4 adults who have a total of 4 small children. I would ask the parents if they wanted chairs for their kids or if they wanted to bring strollers for them to sit in. No one wants a kid who's old enough to move on their own in their lap while they eat. I'd ask how many of the little kids needed food. Some might need their own meal, some might only eat Cheerios, and two very small siblings might realistically share a meal.

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Expecting a chair and a plate when you're invited to an event is not in any way expecting anything extra. It's expecting the bare minimum, really. If you don't want to provide that for the child, don't invite the child.

I have never worked for a Catering service Inn that did function that did a usual seat and meals charge under age 2 Usually yes they get a seat, so parents do not hold them 6 hours. Not only good for the parents. When within grabbing and kicking range of plates and the table, they grap and throw and pull on tablecloths. Properly restrained in a child seat while parents are too busy, eating, to control them, They can be to the side and a little back. Some call it a table fee ( extra tables needed if 10 adults and 2 little ones at a table) of $10 per kid. Some charge $5-10 to reheat any junior foods, on kiddie plate they bring, are fine with taking a little from parents if not meat or choking size. And also, heat bottles on request, and provide the right kind of booster or high chair seat. Others, more, are free. But weddings bring out the biggest charges. Under 2, be outraged they would consider anything but a nominal fee for the 1 year olds.

I can't imagine not having a designated seat for any guest (including children). I reached out to all the parents with kids personally, just to let them know what the kids meal was (so they could bring food in case of allergies or tell me if their kids would prefer an adult meal).