Rant: Kids Menu= Horrible Diet

These are mostly sit down dinners which my family cannot afford to attend. My kids sometimes do appetizers instead, or share with us. We tend towards those restaurants that have better selections like CHH or Flame Tree.

I don't understand this, these places are on the dining plan and it makes sense cost wise to get the dining plan, so I don't understand?:confused3
 
I do have a fairly picky eater, however she loves fresh fruits and healthy things like cottage cheese and yogurt. Our plan is to have a grocery delivery to the hotel with stuff like that or use snacks to get them and bring them with us to the parks. We are going to several table serve restaurants that will have other options for her that I know she will eat.
 
When I pay OOP at WDW I eat kids meals and I can't eat much fried at all, nor do I care for burgers much. I have had some great kids meals, especially in Epcot.
 
There is an entire menu to choose from, how can there be no variety? The kid's menu is on there not because of picky eaters, its there because thats the food that the majority of kids like to eat. If they happen to be one in the minority and not like that stuff there are plenty of things to order off of the adult menu. Restaurants don't need to put out a kids menu with the same fare as the adult menu because its already an option there to purchase. :confused3
 
Exactly! I couldn't agree more!

I just want to say, for those of you whose kids have special needs, I think we all understand. I think we can all get that kind of issue....

But I have "a friend" we'll call them, who only provides cheese sandwiches, nuggets, hot dogs, fries and potato chips. I have seen this friend during regular times and holiday times, and that's all he gets. Never once fruit or veggies, but there's always room for dessert. it makes me so sad. She's not doing him any favors, but rather a great dis-service.

As are the restaurants that these menus cater too. It's a great dis-service to our children. Some of those kid meals are thousands of calories! It's too much for an adult to eat, let alone a child. Yes, it takes a lot of time and money to introduce a new food over and over again. But it's really an important issue. My whole "friend's" family is a walking advertisement for type II diabetes. They will pay for that emotionally and physically and we all will pay for it through health care costs.

Do I think it's laziness or bad parenting? Not at all. It's an education issue. Our family has been learning over the past few years that the food we ate as kids is not the same food our kids are eating today. It's more processed and our bodies are not made to eat that stuff.

The introduction of HFCS and other things happened over our life times. Chicken nuggets were not the thing they are today when we were kids. Just look at the labels. If it's not real food ingredients, don't buy it. You wouldn't feed your kids chemicals at home, right? Why do it through their food?

I do think Disney makes an effort, but over all, I think restaurants in general are terrible. Again, we choose not to eat out and instead use that money for natural food. All Hail Trader Joe's and Whole foods! LOL

Keep in mind, folks, there are easy ways to start... Buy organic catsup, all natural barbeque sauce (there is a major brand out there that uses molasses, not HFCS) and maple syrup instead of the processed garbage. Start with that. Then you can start to make other changes that your kids can gradually work into. Doesn't have to happen over night. We made the change over 2 years.

What I'm trying to say is, I'm not judging those parents out there, but rather, encouraging them to get back on the saddle and try and try again. I understand it's hard. Consider this a pat on the back and a cyber hug of support, OK?
:thumbsup2

The switch to HFCS, chemical additives, etc in processed foods has happened within the last 30-40 years. The food kids today eat is different than the food we ate & our parents ate as children. Which means that we as parents need to be more diligent about controlling what our kids eat. I've become an obsessive label-reader, especially since DD started eating table food, and have stopped buying a lot of things that used to be staples. (For example, we hardly ever buy salad dressing any more because 95% of them have HFCS. We just use balsamic vinegar & olive oil.)

I also seek out brands that are changing back to natural recipes with no additives. Companies are listening & realizing that consumers no longer want all this crap in their food. Heinz makes a ketchup without HFCS; Hagen-Daaz has a line of ice cream called "Five" - each one has only 5 ingredients. So I vote with my $ by choosing these brands over others.

I'm not saying we never eat junk food & will never allow DD to have junk food. But I feel like the junk should stay in the junk food that we eat only occasionally & not be in the real food that we eat every day.
 
There is an entire menu to choose from, how can there be no variety? The kid's menu is on there not because of picky eaters, its there because thats the food that the majority of kids like to eat. If they happen to be one in the minority and not like that stuff there are plenty of things to order off of the adult menu. Restaurants don't need to put out a kids menu with the same fare as the adult menu because its already an option there to purchase. :confused3

I agree. A child's menu is a privilege, not a right.
 
There is an entire menu to choose from, how can there be no variety? The kid's menu is on there not because of picky eaters, its there because thats the food that the majority of kids like to eat. If they happen to be one in the minority and not like that stuff there are plenty of things to order off of the adult menu. Restaurants don't need to put out a kids menu with the same fare as the adult menu because its already an option there to purchase. :confused3
I agree with this. With 4 kids, all with varying tastes and degrees of "pickyness," we have never had a problem with find a good meal option for any of them from the WDW children's restaurant menus.
 


OP, are you a nututritionist? If you are in a position of power at your camp, you can manipulate the food, and the what the kids pick for meals. We did it all the time when kids would come into treatment.

For those with kids with sensory issues my heart goes out to you. My friend has a 2 year old preemie who is starting the process of dealing with this. It is heartbreaking.
 
My son has issues with eating off of the kids menu. Not many options that are safe for him with his multiple food allergies. He's allergic to dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, shell fish and has a super severe fish allergy. He's reacted to smell and touch with his fish allergy. Many kids are like that with peanuts. It's airborn for him. I'd never go to Coral Reef and we don't go to Red Lobster anymore either. :sad1:
DIsney has always accomodated him...mostly grilled chicken for him or chicken strips with no dairy in them.
 
There is an entire menu to choose from, how can there be no variety? The kid's menu is on there not because of picky eaters, its there because thats the food that the majority of kids like to eat. If they happen to be one in the minority and not like that stuff there are plenty of things to order off of the adult menu. Restaurants don't need to put out a kids menu with the same fare as the adult menu because its already an option there to purchase. :confused3
This. :thumbsup2

I think often the issue is that parents baselessly feel entitled to be able to feed their child for a low price, but rather, what this thread has proven is that that low price typically buys (as you would expect) crap. If you want the good stuff, it's available. And I don't just mean what's on the regular menu - because sometimes the regular menu choices are actively kid-averse. However, they're kid-averse in the same way that they're adult-who-prefers-bland-food-averse. Disney is great at offering remedy for the adult who prefers less adventurous food, and so that would address the concern a child would have about over-adventurous food choices.
 
when we go, we have used the dining package. Our boys eat best one meal of the day, usually breakfast. We opt for the buffet, so that there is a bigger variety of healthy foods. We usually take a piece of fruit to carry with us for a snack, such as an apple or orange. If you aren't using the dining package, see about getting some lacal groceries or ship a box to your hotel before you leave. I have shipped things like cereal, granols bars, apple sauce cups, etc. This cuts down on cost while you are there and lets you pick some healthy options. Hope this helps, at least a little.
 
The CS kid's meal choices are very limiting. I believe what the earlier poster said about Disney not wanting adults to buy from the kid's menus is the reason behind it. The choices don't match the adult meals available. How many kids want to have a meal similar to the parents but kid sized? You are at a place that has a burger station but there is no burger option for kids.

Here are a couple of examples;

Cosmic Ray's the kid's choices are: Salad with Chicken/Chicken Nuggets/PB&J Uncrustable Sandwich. Parents have choices like; Hot Dog, Cheeseburger, BBQ Sand, BBQ Ribs, etc.

Pinocchio Village Haus has pizza on the adult menu but the kids are relegated to; Mac & Cheese/PB&J/Turkey & Cheese Roll up. What kid does not want pizza?

Backlot Express the kid's choices are; Chicken Nuggets/Grilled Chicken while the parents are eating cheeseburger, hot dog, chicken nuggets, grilled turkey and cheese.

And lastly, if you eat at Yakitori House... I hope the kid's like Teriyaki chicken because that is the only choice for the kids.

This is one of the reasons we haven't done the dining plan on a couple of recent trips. My daughter likes to eat like daddy. After all she's 7 going on 18 in her mind. In my case it cost Disney money because I buy one meal and we split it on the CS meals. Table Service meals we are usually eating at buffets so that doesn't matter.
 
We are going to be at WDW for 15 days and I was worried that my kids would be tired of chicken nuggets and hamburgers. We are on the Dining Plan and I upgraded them to jr tickets and they eat off of the adult menu. In the long run it only cost me 80.00 more for both kids and it will save alot of headaches when the kids do get tired of the same thing. I think they are excited because now they are able to eat something that they really want!!
 
We are going to be at WDW for 15 days and I was worried that my kids would be tired of chicken nuggets and hamburgers. We are on the Dining Plan and I upgraded them to jr tickets and they eat off of the adult menu. In the long run it only cost me 80.00 more for both kids and it will save alot of headaches when the kids do get tired of the same thing. I think they are excited because now they are able to eat something that they really want!!

That seems worth it to me for Disney.
 
We are going to be at WDW for 15 days and I was worried that my kids would be tired of chicken nuggets and hamburgers. We are on the Dining Plan and I upgraded them to jr tickets and they eat off of the adult menu. In the long run it only cost me 80.00 more for both kids and it will save alot of headaches when the kids do get tired of the same thing. I think they are excited because now they are able to eat something that they really want!!

Jr. tickets? I've never heard of them, but I'm certainly interested! Can somebody explain? I have an 8-year old son, and we'll be at WDW in Oct.
 
The kids menu choices are often most difficult for 7/8 year olds. Some are developing a bigger appetite and some are ready for more adventurous meals. (Eating at Disney is part of why my kids are willing to try so many different foods - they will literally try anything)!

We will have an almost 9 year old and of course are on the fdp. We'll approach this in the way we did with our middle child. We'll share our meals with him, give him one of our desserts, order him something extra OOP, etc.
Buffets work well too! Its not a big deal once you know how to handle it.

I think it would be nice if Disney tweaked a few things. For instance, a pizza restaurant should offer pizza on the kids menu and IMO, kids should be able to get ice cream at Teppen Edo (they get a pre-packed cookie while adults can get ice cream). None of this has caused huge issues for us, but it would be a little more child friendly :goodvibes.
 
I think the previous poster hit the nail on the head - pizza on the kids menu at a pizza restaurant would prompt some adults to order that item (expecting something better than child-menu-quality pizza) and so that's going to be a bad scene for Disney. It is better to not offer that which is likely to cause more problems that it is worth.
 
Taste buds wired? If you allow your kid eat only certain things how will they become adventurous eaters? I guess this is my other issue. Parents have let their kids become "picky" eaters. I know that if I didn't at least try dinner I was stuck with PBJ. So I became more open to eating things as a child. So now parents who have kids who like trying different foods are put in a situation where they are buying a full meal and will more than likely waste it because the portion is so big. Thus adding trash and playing a part in a wasteful cycle but I digress.

I'm not attacking you but my question is, if there were no other choices if he had to eat a REAL meal what would he do? How would you as a parent react would you encourage him to try a new item or would you search out the food item HE wants to eat?

I had girlfriend who for the longest time only ate chain food- food. We went to the Key's and she refused to eat at any of the local places because they weren't a Friday's or Olive Garden. Mid trip we left her at the hotel because we wanted to go to local places. She ate one meal alone, guess what next day she went out with us. Now granted we were 22 at the time but still! Her parents had allowed her to do this on all family vacations to the point that as an adult she was very boring when it came to dining.

:rotfl: If your siggie is accurate and you have one "non-eating" child currently...well then, ALL of us thought like you at one point in time - when we weren't parents yet we thought it was ALL the parents fault (just like all tantrums at WDW, all misbehavior, etc.)....Get back to us with an update. Even if we 'planned' for otherwise, life doesn't always go according to plan - ESPECIALLY with children.

And WOW - I'm very surprised you opted to try new things vs. the PBJ nightly...I have to do the opposite because if a PBJ option was offered to my dd - it would be chosen every single night and no new things would ever be introduced....Just goes to show you how different kids are.

Enjoy raising your little one! :)
 
I think the previous poster hit the nail on the head - pizza on the kids menu at a pizza restaurant would prompt some adults to order that item (expecting something better than child-menu-quality pizza) and so that's going to be a bad scene for Disney. It is better to not offer that which is likely to cause more problems that it is worth.
I don't see how offering a child's pizza at a pizza restaurant (using the PP's example) would cause problems for Disney. Plenty of adults share meals at Disney, either with each other or with a child. I don't see how an adult ordering a child's meal is any different profit-wise for Disney than 2 people sharing 1 adult meal. We did this most meals on our last trip - sometimes we'd share an adult meal, sometimes one of us would order a child's meal & one an adult meal.
 

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