Whats up with Kids menus?

[Eliza'sMom]

My 4-year-old ordered the fish at BOG of her own volition and ate it, and all the sides, wonderfully. Isn't there also pasta with marinara sauce on that menu? Isn't that a pretty kid-friendly selection? Most children I know eat spaghetti.

She also will eat hot dogs and chicken fingers, but we really try to limit that. I love to see more menus with healthier choices.

[Eliza'sMom]

Also, we didn't want to order my 1-year-old a full meal, so we ordered her a side of macaroni and cheese, which is on the adult menu.

[photo_chick]

Originally Posted by mjl1969

We are trying to decide between BOG and Whispering Canyon for a night of our trip and was looking at the Kids Dinner Menus. Is it me or is something strange here?

First of all, there are only really 4 choices,

Secondly, I really dont see any standard kids staples .. Grilled Cheese, Chik Nugs, Hot Dog, plain pasta wbutter, etc ... instead we are given the choice of Fish of the Day, Multigrain Cheese Dippers, Beef Macaroni, and a Cheeseburger.

I have a 3 & 5 yo .. anyone know of a 3 or 5 year old that would touch "Fish of the Day"? Understand that kids menu is for older kids too, but cmon would it hurt to have a simple kids food option for those picky or young kids? Even a cheeseburger in my mind is not friendly for the youngest of kids.

You think they would make a standard grilled cheese if we asked them?

And for those saying Disney needs to keep it more healthy thats fine to each their own.. just bring back some simple offerings as an addition.

Anyone agree?

My son has Aspergers and there's very few food he will eat. New things = meltdown. SO while we'd like to try some different restaurants, like BOG, we may have to skip it because they just don't have what he will eat. I think it's great that they're offering variety for kids, but they need to keep the picky eaters in mind too. For some of us vacation is the last place we should try to get our kids to eat new things because of special circumstances.

[ttintagel]

Originally Posted by mjl1969

I have a 3 & 5 yo .. anyone know of a 3 or 5 year old that would touch "Fish of the Day"?

I would have at that age. We ate what our parents ate.

[GenevieveRaqs]

Originally Posted by mjl1969

We are trying to decide between BOG and Whispering Canyon for a night of our trip and was looking at the Kids Dinner Menus. Is it me or is something strange here?

First of all, there are only really 4 choices,

Secondly, I really dont see any standard kids staples .. Grilled Cheese, Chik Nugs, Hot Dog, plain pasta wbutter, etc ... instead we are given the choice of Fish of the Day, Multigrain Cheese Dippers, Beef Macaroni, and a Cheeseburger.

I have a 3 & 5 yo .. anyone know of a 3 or 5 year old that would touch "Fish of the Day"? Understand that kids menu is for older kids too, but cmon would it hurt to have a simple kids food option for those picky or young kids? Even a cheeseburger in my mind is not friendly for the youngest of kids.

You think they would make a standard grilled cheese if we asked them?

And for those saying Disney needs to keep it more healthy thats fine to each their own.. just bring back some simple offerings as an addition.

Anyone agree?

Sorry, I disagree. My kid enjoys all of those healthier, real food items you listed. He's 4. He's always eaten "adult" food because we don't offer him meals that are different from what we eat. In fact, his first solid food meal was spanikopita!

[Canooknic]

This is why we have decided not to do the DDP, it's not worth paying for.
Our boys will be shariing something from the adult menu at most meals, they will occasionally agree to pizza but they wouldn't eat any 'kids' food - especially anything that is fried or in breadcrumbs.

[tonga]

We're going for 10 nights soon on the Quick Service plan, and I'm having a hard time finding options with a variety for my DS age 4. Sure he'd eat nuggets, pizza and hot dogs every day, but he likes a wide variety of healthier options that I'd rather he have. He would choose grilled fish, and loves any type of Asian cuisine. The one place that shocked me when I looked at menus on line was The Yak and Yeti CS. DS would eat anything on the adult menu, but the child's menu is something like nuggets and cheeseburger. Why not offer a child portion of what the adults can have? At All Star Sports food court the only pizza option for kids is plain cheese - he loves pepperoni and will happily eat mushrooms and veggies on pizza, but we'll have to use adult credits to get him that. Really, do most kids up to 9 only like cheese on their pizza? DH and I can find good variety for ourselves at the quick service places, but for DS it is going to be a challenge.

[minnie mum]

Originally Posted by tonga

We're going for 10 nights soon on the Quick Service plan, and I'm having a hard time finding options with a variety for my DS age 4. Sure he'd eat nuggets, pizza and hot dogs every day, but he likes a wide variety of healthier options that I'd rather he have. He would choose grilled fish, and loves any type of Asian cuisine. The one place that shocked me when I looked at menus on line was The Yak and Yeti CS. DS would eat anything on the adult menu, but the child's menu is something like nuggets and cheeseburger. Why not offer a child portion of what the adults can have? At All Star Sports food court the only pizza option for kids is plain cheese - he loves pepperoni and will happily eat mushrooms and veggies on pizza, but we'll have to use adult credits to get him that. Really, do most kids up to 9 only like cheese on their pizza? DH and I can find good variety for ourselves at the quick service places, but for DS it is going to be a challenge.

Then maybe the dining plan isn't a good fit for your family. It was never intended to be one size fits all. Perhaps you will be better off paying OOP so that you can more easily select the foods that your child can eat. There are healthier food options available for kids, but you do have to do your homework by looking at all of the menus in order to find them .

[tiggerificamanda]

Originally Posted by tonga

We're going for 10 nights soon on the Quick Service plan, and I'm having a hard time finding options with a variety for my DS age 4. Sure he'd eat nuggets, pizza and hot dogs every day, but he likes a wide variety of healthier options that I'd rather he have. He would choose grilled fish, and loves any type of Asian cuisine. The one place that shocked me when I looked at menus on line was The Yak and Yeti CS. DS would eat anything on the adult menu, but the child's menu is something like nuggets and cheeseburger. Why not offer a child portion of what the adults can have? At All Star Sports food court the only pizza option for kids is plain cheese - he loves pepperoni and will happily eat mushrooms and veggies on pizza, but we'll have to use adult credits to get him that. Really, do most kids up to 9 only like cheese on their pizza? DH and I can find good variety for ourselves at the quick service places, but for DS it is going to be a challenge.

POR dining hall has a lot of options for kids and great salad station. My husband and I shared a salad and I would a get a salad and my DD5 adn DS4 shared it. Disney does not distinguish from Adult or child dinning credits so we used ALL adult credits and meal shared. We also used our free mugs for drinks and got the bottled water for our touring bags. Saved a TON of money just doing that...

Amanda Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

[tiggerificamanda]

Originally Posted by tonga

We're going for 10 nights soon on the Quick Service plan, and I'm having a hard time finding options with a variety for my DS age 4. Sure he'd eat nuggets, pizza and hot dogs every day, but he likes a wide variety of healthier options that I'd rather he have. He would choose grilled fish, and loves any type of Asian cuisine. The one place that shocked me when I looked at menus on line was The Yak and Yeti CS. DS would eat anything on the adult menu, but the child's menu is something like nuggets and cheeseburger. Why not offer a child portion of what the adults can have? At All Star Sports food court the only pizza option for kids is plain cheese - he loves pepperoni and will happily eat mushrooms and veggies on pizza, but we'll have to use adult credits to get him that. Really, do most kids up to 9 only like cheese on their pizza? DH and I can find good variety for ourselves at the quick service places, but for DS it is going to be a challenge.

oh - on yak and yeti - that one adult portion - served my family of five! it was crazy huge!!!

Amanda Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

[Tarheel girl 1975]

Originally Posted by mjl1969

We are trying to decide between BOG and Whispering Canyon for a night of our trip and was looking at the Kids Dinner Menus. Is it me or is something strange here?

First of all, there are only really 4 choices,

Secondly, I really dont see any standard kids staples .. Grilled Cheese, Chik Nugs, Hot Dog, plain pasta wbutter, etc ... instead we are given the choice of Fish of the Day, Multigrain Cheese Dippers, Beef Macaroni, and a Cheeseburger.

I have a 3 & 5 yo .. anyone know of a 3 or 5 year old that would touch "Fish of the Day"? Understand that kids menu is for older kids too, but cmon would it hurt to have a simple kids food option for those picky or young kids? Even a cheeseburger in my mind is not friendly for the youngest of kids.

You think they would make a standard grilled cheese if we asked them?

And for those saying Disney needs to keep it more healthy thats fine to each their own.. just bring back some simple offerings as an addition.

Anyone agree?

I can see it both ways. My son is a very picky eater. He would be fine eating pb & j and/or grilled cheese everyday. My daughter is more adventurous and loves to order the fish or steak. I can see why Disney started added some healthier selection, but it would be nice if they had left one or two "staples." I would actually love it if they stated selling the power packs that they have at DHS in the other parks as well.

We at dinner at WCC in Jaunary 2011 and they were the most accommodating restaurant. Our server told us right off the bat listed 5 other options that our kids could have if they didn't like what was listed on the menu. My son was so glad he could get grilled cheese. A lot of the restaurants serve pasta and he was always able to get it with butter and parmesan cheese.

[ThreeBeans]

I'm relieved to see they've moved beyond the 'standard offerings' nonsense. My kids don't want to spend a week eating nothing but hot dogs.

All of them love fish, and all of them have been eating it willingly since they were old enough to express an opinion.

I've never given them the impression there's such a thing as 'kid food' though. They eat what we eat.

(I'm not dismissing those who have serious oral aversion issues and such, I know it can be more than just pickiness. I just find the original post a little unbelievable.)

[maxiesmom]

Originally Posted by photo_chick

My son has Aspergers and there's very few food he will eat. New things = meltdown. SO while we'd like to try some different restaurants, like BOG, we may have to skip it because they just don't have what he will eat. I think it's great that they're offering variety for kids, but they need to keep the picky eaters in mind too. For some of us vacation is the last place we should try to get our kids to eat new things because of special circumstances.

Keep in mind that what your picky child may eat, another picky child may not. There is truly no way to have a menu that makes 100% of the people happy.

As far as who has a family with a child that will eat fish? Mine does. In fact the Grand Floridan Cafe is now a must-do for us, as a few years back my niece got hooked on the kids salmon. And now wants it every trip.

[Princess on the Run]

Originally Posted by Bonniec

I don't agree. There's a ton of restaurants there all serving mac n cheese and chicken nuggets. I think it's about time they have a restaurant serving something healthier. IMO, they need a lot more places serving it.

Originally Posted by Hopefully

I totally disagree with you!!!!
I think it is great that there are finally kids menus that are expanded beyond the nuggets and pizza offerings.
If your children don't like those 2 menus, there are many, many other restaurants that will work for you.
Horray for those that want something more for their children.

Originally Posted by minnie mum

Sorry, OP, I can't agree with you. At all. For too many years kids were limited to an unhealthy high fat diet of junk food. Disney is finally providing more nutritious options. You can still find all the junk food you want at plenty of other places in WDW. I'm a firm believer that if you don't like what's on the menu you should look elsewhere (dietary restrictions excepted).

Originally Posted by goofyintoronto

I agree with these two! Its about time they offered healthier options instead of the same junk for kids.

If your kids want chicken nuggets, there's a million places around that serve them.

My kids love fish and would pick that over most of that other stuff if only it was offered more often to kids.

I'm sorry, but buttered noodles is a really poor choice for a child and it amazes me when I not only see it on menus, but see parents ordering it for their kids as their main dish. Seriously!?!?! How about just let them order cookies then because buttered noodles isn't much better. It's a side dish and to be eaten in small amounts. Not a main dish. And why is M&C considered a main dish by so many? I understand that not every meal is perfect. But maybe we wouldn't have such an unhealthy society if fewer people considered buttered noodles a meal and had a little fish and a vegetable.

Kids eat what their parents eat and what they see. Eat healthy foods and your kids will too. Eat junk food and so will they. Give them unlimited options and they may pick cookies as a meal. Tell them they can have a cookie after they finish their meal and they will.

I love that Disney gives kids some options.

[6disneykids]

Since I see all the differing opinions on what kids meal should and shouldn't have I asked my 7 & 9 yr olds what they might want on some of the different menus from different WDW restaurants. Fish and grilled chicken were top choices. My 4 year old loves grilled fish, so he would be thrilled to have that is an option. As a family, we don't have what some would consider "standard kids fare" so that is most likely why it isn't top on my kids' choices.

If you have a child with food issues, (allergies or sensitivity) talk to a CM prior to ordering and they are usually very accommodating. I have had personal experience with this ( DS4 has peanut allergy)