Microwave access on Disney Dream - UPDATE Page 5: We're back!

[jclshea]

I can't begin to tell you how strangely wonderful it is to hear of so many other moms out there struggling with sensory food disorders with their children. At the age of 3 my son (he's now 4.5) ate 10 foods ... and all of them have been listed by the others on this forum. You all know the drill, only "the boil kind of Kraft, not the microwave kind", cinnamon Life cereal, wheat thin crackers, room temp Silk Milk, etc. No meats, no fruits, no veggies.

After a year and a half of intensive food therapy things are finally getting a bit easier and he will eat 25-30 different foods.

We went on a 5 day cruise on the Dream in January and I was sooooo happy to put his food issues on the back burner for a couple of days. I just came with a bag (yes a whole bag) of foods that I knew he would eat and his cups, bowls and plasticware. I even had the boxed Silk Milk in there. Then, to my complete amazement, he actually ate the Mac and Cheese from the dining rooms if it was served alone on a plate. I really, really, really think the success we had on the cruise was because I had decided to just relax and avoid the food struggles for the cruise. After all, this was our vacation!

So, maybe with a shower of pixie dust, you will have the same great luck we did! We'll be thinking of you!

 

[Sebby]

My daughter, 4.5yrs, has just started drinking cold milk. So I had contemplated this idea. (She doesn't have sensory issues like OP's DD and so many others.) But you could request a bottle warmer. You can't bring your own. Then you'd just need to bring a bottle or two to warm the milk in the warmer then transfer to a cup.

Another pain, but a relatively simple fix.

Best of luck.

 

[toy]

My dd was 12 weeks premature. When we brought her home from her foster home she was 20 months old. She was still on a feeding tube. She had a hyper sensitive gag reflex and wouldn't/couldn't eat solid foods. We started her on baby food and moved on to solids. Once she discovered she liked the taste of some solids she was willing to try more. Unfortunately her mouth wasn't ready for it. She didn't know how to move the food around in her mouth and chew it appropriately so she choked ALOT. The good news is I'm an EMT and CPR instructor. After lots of feeding therapy she got better quickly. We were very fortunate. She is now 8 years old. She still has some sensitivities to certain textures of foods. She is quite skinny but no feeding tube. I hope things improve for you all soon. Your story reminded me of just how difficult that first year was. The funny thing is she is hooked on Mac and Cheese (kraft). I put it in a thermos for school. Disney has great about accommodating special needs for our autistic dd (12). I'm sure they will find a solution for you.

Good Luck and I hope your cruise is AWESOME!!!

 

[Mommy2Abby]

Bolding below and text in blue is mine:

My 10yr old DS was a very, very picky eat but his pediatrician always made light of it

My ped never thought DD had a "serious" issue either. He kept telling me she would grow out of it. When she was 18 months old and still completely unable to tolerate ANY solid foods, I found a different pediatrician, who immediately referred her for a feeding evaluation.

We discovered during his reflux treatment that (in laymans terms) his tongue doesn't work correctly, so when he swallows food, he was aspirating significant quantities of it.

DD's tongue doesn't work correctly either. It doesn't move laterally so when she gets food in her mouth, she can't move it to the side of her mouth for chewing. Then she swallows it whole and ends up gagging or choking, or both.


He still can't figure out mixed texture foods and "yogurt with chunks in it" (as he calls it) is cause for tears because it sends him into complete overload.

YES!!!! She completely freaks out about "bumpy yogurt" or anything else of mixed textures.


Sometimes it helps to know you're not the only one out there. Most of the time you'd never know my 6 year old has these issues--

So true! You would never know DD has issues, except that she is VERY small for her age.[/QUOTE]

Then, to my complete amazement, he actually ate the Mac and Cheese from the dining rooms if it was served alone on a plate. I really, really, really think the success we had on the cruise was because I had decided to just relax and avoid the food struggles for the cruise. After all, this was our vacation!

So, maybe with a shower of pixie dust, you will have the same great luck we did! We'll be thinking of you!

This is the same approach I intend to take. She won't starve and we're on vacation so I'm not going to worry about what or when she eats. And maybe, just maybe the pixie dust will help!

 

[Mommy2Abby]

Just wanted to post a brief update now that we are home, as I know there were several posters here who have kiddos with similar eating difficulties.

DD survived the trip! I can't say it was easy, but we managed. She pretty much survived on the Pediasure, Goldfish, and vanilla pudding that I brought with us.

She did try a variety of foods, including the mac n' cheese, the chicken nuggets, the hot dogs, potato chips, ice cream, ice cream cone, and yogurt. Unfortunately, none of it was a success. About the only thing on board the ship that I was able to get her to eat were the cheese cubes that they serve on the lunch buffet at Cabana's.

Part of the problem for my DD was that she was on "sensory overload" with all of the other sights/sounds around us. It is not unusual for her to struggle with eating whenever/wherever when we travel, so I don't know that all of her struggles were directly related to the food that was available. I was really surprised that she wouldn't even eat the ice cream. She did try it, but immediately pushed it away. The soft serve is a bit more "yellow" in color than the kind we usually get at home, so that may have contributed to it.

Despite the eating difficulties, we had a wonderful time. The Dream is a beautiful ship and we look forward to sailing again, although we will likely wait until DD is a bit older and I can prepare her better for the food options available to her on the ship.

Please feel free to ask questions if you have them!

 

[TXDCLfan]

Just wanted to post a brief update now that we are home, as I know there were several posters here who have kiddos with similar eating difficulties.

DD survived the trip! I can't say it was easy, but we managed. She pretty much survived on the Pediasure, Goldfish, and vanilla pudding that I brought with us.

She did try a variety of foods, including the mac n' cheese, the chicken nuggets, the hot dogs, potato chips, ice cream, ice cream cone, and yogurt. Unfortunately, none of it was a success. About the only thing on board the ship that I was able to get her to eat were the cheese cubes that they serve on the lunch buffet at Cabana's.

Part of the problem for my DD was that she was on "sensory overload" with all of the other sights/sounds around us. It is not unusual for her to struggle with eating whenever/wherever when we travel, so I don't know that all of her struggles were directly related to the food that was available. I was really surprised that she wouldn't even eat the ice cream. She did try it, but immediately pushed it away. The soft serve is a bit more "yellow" in color than the kind we usually get at home, so that may have contributed to it.

Despite the eating difficulties, we had a wonderful time. The Dream is a beautiful ship and we look forward to sailing again, although we will likely wait until DD is a bit older and I can prepare her better for the food options available to her on the ship.

Please feel free to ask questions if you have them!

Glad to hear that you had a good time

 

[SoCaOC-Mom]

Sorry to say, but there are no microwaves anywhere on the ships (not even in the kitchens.)

My daughter has "mouthfeel" issues with foods, so I can understand. Disney will bend over backwards to try to accommodate your daughter's needs, and hopefully, she will find something that she can handle.

BTW, the mac & cheese on board is all Mickey shaped, so not sure if that is a bonus or more of a problem.

Good luck.

Lauri

On the Dream (and the Fantasy I beleive) there is a microwave in the Royal Suite, although sadly that is not an option for many people (myself included).

 

[Tropics]

I don't have any answers as we haven't cruised yet, but I feel your pain! My little boy is six and, in addition to his life threatening nut allergies, he has GERD/reflux and swallowing issues...and major food aversions.

We discovered during his reflux treatment that (in laymans terms) his tongue doesn't work correctly, so when he swallows food, he was aspirating significant quantities of it. Additionally, when he ate food with mixed textures (like really soft pears--something that has a bit of a solid plus a liquid), his mouth couldn't process it, so he would just swallow it whole and often large chunks would go into his lungs.

Do you mind me asking how old your sone was when his reflux was diagnosed and treatment started? The reason I ask is that DD had/has a very similar problem. We got the diagnosis from an OT when she was 3.5 months old and the OT was very concerned about getting DD on treatment ASAP for the reflux hoping to avoid problems with eating solids later on. We had to do a few treatments with the OT to start getting DD's tongue to move better. She is now 6.5 months and we have only recently started solids so its tough to say how things are going... I'm hoping that we caught things soon enough but I guess only time will tell.

 

[DisSarahK]

He was an infant when he was diagnosed with reflux and he was almost four when he was diagnosed with the tongue issues. Now, at age 6.5, he is back in swallowing therapy again for the eating issues because they are not fully resolved. He is working really hard on strengthening his tongue.

 

[Tropics]

I wish you and your son the best. I hope that things progress really well for him. Any eating problems are tough for a growing child.

I hadn't heard of anyone having problems with tongue movement (DD was classified has having tongue disorganization and not disfunction) until DD. It's such an odd thing that I feel really fortunate that DD got the diagnosis early. It's been tough to explain to people why we use a special bottle and as a result why it's only DH and I that can feed her.

 

[Traveler4Life]

I love this thread. It's good to know that my son is not alone. My 8.yr old has sensory issues and eating issues. He only eats about 10 foods and I'm stressing about our cruise in March 2013. I know he won't starve but most of his diet consists of yogurt and string cheese (brand specific of course). I wish there were a way to get these onboard. We'll bring his pediasure drinks, box cereal, and crackers.

Any tips from other parents in a similar boat is welcomed. Also, will DCL work with a family?

 

[Weedy]

Call Disney Cruise talk with them. They will work with you. As you know the rule is no coolers, but that is because of melting ice problems. I think you could bring a bag of string cheese and yougert wrapped up with the frozen ice packs in a back pack and it wouldn't be a problem. If they made you get rid of the ice packs before you boarded it would not be long (cabins are ready about 1:30) before you get to your cabin and could put the cheese and yougert in the fridge.

 

[stacecakes]

Call Disney Cruise talk with them. They will work with you. As you know the rule is no coolers, but that is because of melting ice problems. I think you could bring a bag of string cheese and yougert wrapped up with the frozen ice packs in a back pack and it wouldn't be a problem. If they made you get rid of the ice packs before you boarded it would not be long (cabins are ready about 1:30) before you get to your cabin and could put the cheese and yougert in the fridge.

I'm not sure what it would do to the texture so It might be necessarry to test at home first, but I will often freeze yogurt and cheese sticks at home before traveling and pack them in a soft cooler in my checked luggage when we fly. When i get to WDW or wherever they're generally still frozen(it's COLD in that Cargo bay!). We've never had a texture complaint from our kids but they're generally not super fussy. Just my two cents. Not sure how DCL would feel about it.