4yr old at Disney with SPD Food and tool questionns

[Adlergray]

Hi y'all,

My 4 yr old son has sensory issues and now that he's gotten bigger and wants to do more things and isn't considered a baby at disney I have a few questions:

1-Food is a huge issue, texture, sauces, smells. When have a very small list of foods he is generally comfortable eating. With all the mickey check meals and healthier options I am having a very hard time coming up with restaurants he will eat at. Is there away to ask for special meals ahead of time. Even things that aren't on their menus? (He also has a nut allergy so I know I can have meals modified for that but I'm afraid modification may not be good enough.) I got ripped apart for suggesting I bring him in food he will eat on the main boards) So I'm not sure how to handle all this. We try not to eat fast food at home so we try not to do QS on vacation either.

2- I'm looking for good children's sunglasses. We have many here but they are normal children's sunglasses as WI doesn't get quite as much sun. So I'm looking for suggestions.

3- Noise can be hit or miss with him. He loves fireworks but I have also seen him breakdown over the noise before. We have a pair of noise canceling headphones. But they are adult sized and have a cord so I'm looking something made for him that we can have with us if we need them.

Sorry for all the newbie questions. He has made so much progress and his SPD is just part of our routines now that I barley think of it at home. But I want to make sure we are prepared for an amusement park environment and not tell have to tell him no because I'm worried we could get in a meltdown situation that is hard to get out of.

Tia

 

[Mum23]

If it's a buffet you will be charged if he eats or not and the same goes for any kind of show/ charecter meals. The entertainment is part of what you are paying for is the reason behind that. Bringing in food is fine at other places. You do what you need to but as I said, know ahead of time you may pay for him anyway.

Also, I get not wanting to do fast food but you have to look at it this way- what is more important to you- feeding your kid or being ridged about what they are eating? I can't answer that for you but you may want to think about that. We are a fruit, veggies, meats and starch family. Hot breakfast every morning. At WDW my kids had cereal usually for one meal a day (I did send down a waffle maker and had breakfast sausages purchased for our room. We had a villa with full kitchen due to our food issues and needs). Did they eat the most health that week? Nope. Not by a long shot. Have they eaten that way before or since vacation? Nope. They have not. Do they care? They had full bellies and great memories and I am okay with that. Falling off the organic/whole foods diet for a week isn't going to stunt them for life and the experiences they had sure did make up for any nutritional deficits they encountered in that 7 days! For us anyway!

 

[bookwormde]

Have and AS kid with a very limited diet, and in the end we bought into DVC (resale) so we could have a villa with a full kitchen.

 

[Adlergray]

Paying and tipping for him even if he doesn't eat their food is not an issue at all. I just want to make sure he is happy and well feed.The buffet breakfast are great for us as muffins and pancakes are some of his favorite things so we can all get food we like. We don't do many lunches instead we do late breakfasts and early dinners. Dinners are what have proven problematic. Unfortunately we are just not a QS family we don't enjoy waiting in line or several lines and searching for tables for ok food. We have always used meals as a time out from the parks, to stop for a min get away from everything. He's really great in restaurants but most restaurants have chicken fingers, which is one of his staples, on their menus so its never an issue. I'm just trying to find a balance.

 

[limabeanmom2003]

Our kids eat pretty healthy, but when we are at disney I just accept that they are going to eat less healthy. If you can find table service restaurants with chicken nuggets then I'd just let him eat that every night.

 

[Adlergray]

Our kids eat pretty healthy, but when we are at disney I just accept that they are going to eat less healthy. If you can find table service restaurants with chicken nuggets then I'd just let him eat that every night.

That would be great and I've found meals at animal kingdom and HWS that work its MK and EPCOT I'm having trouble with. I may just pack him a meal and talk to our waiter when we get there. I think they would be understanding. Don't you?

I was hoping someone had had experiences where you can get things off the menu. I know last trip we went to O'hanna's and they brought the kids chicken nuggets even though they aren't offered. I wasn't sure if there weren't more restaurants that do things like that.

 

[Mum23]

CRT, Tony's Town Square, The Crystal Palace (all MK), Coral Reef, Liberty Inn(Epcot) all have allergy free tenders. You can get a "peanut free" list from special diets as a jumping off point to try and meal plan. I think those are all TS but I'm not 100% sure.

 

[Adlergray]

wow thanks I didn't see chicken fingers on there at all.

Oh are those all allergy options? I guess I need to get his nut allergy list because that would help a lot

 

[lanejudy]

... I was hoping someone had had experiences where you can get things off the menu. I know last trip we went to O'hanna's and they brought the kids chicken nuggets even though they aren't offered. I wasn't sure if there weren't more restaurants that do things like that.

I wouldn't expect to be able to order something not on the menu unless it's a modification of something on the menu ora standard allergy substitute listed as available. Occasionally it MAY be possible to get something available at another restaurant at the same resort, but don't plan on it.

We have taken our own food into the parks as snacks or a picnic-type meal, but I've never taken my own food into a TS restaurant. I suggest you checkout the menus and allergy lists, then choose locations offering the foods he will/can eat. It may mean a nearby resort rather than inside a park.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[Betty Rohrer]

to OP remember if you bring a meal in for your child it can not be warmed up as no food other than from there can be in kitchen. that is not a park rule that a manger can over rule but a government rule

 

[Mum23]

wow thanks I didn't see chicken fingers on there at all.

Oh are those all allergy options? I guess I need to get his nut allergy list because that would help a lot

Those all have allergy tenders listed on the peanut free listings. If you email special diets you can get the most current listing. I only focused on the allergy tenders because those were something you specifically mentioned but the listing they provide could give you many more options!

 

[lanejudy]

You also asked about headphones... I suggest Peltor Junior earmuffs. They are sized for kids and designed to block sounds. You can find them on Amazon.

We used sunglasses for DD since she was an infant. We liked ones that had a headstrap and dark lenses, but I don't recall the brand; I believe we got them at Baby Depot and/or Babies R Us. She now wears prescription glasses and we get separate Rx sunglasses as well; she still chooses the sports-style with a headstrap. I suggest including your child in choosing his sunglasses (ones you have already approved) and he's more likely to wear them. I agree some of the kids "sunglasses" available are more style than function, but there are good ones out there.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[WDWiowa]

Bolle has nice kid size sunglasses I found on sale on Amazon or Seirra Trading post last spring for a beach vacation for my 4 year daughter that hates bright light. I need to find some kid earplugs for the low noise concerns. Have a great trip.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Are there any nut butters (almond, cashew, etc.) that he can eat? Perhaps sunflower butter or any other shelf-stable sandwich spread? If so, you can bring that along and order a plain hamburger bun or plain bread and make him a sandwich right at the table. Add a side order like fries or fruit if you can find something he likes. We did this often for my son on one of our trips. He has Asperger's and is picky about food. He does like peanut butter sandwiches and I would make him one if there were no better options for him. It may be difficult with your son's allergy, but something to consider if there are any sandwich spreads he can/will eat.

We never found a restaurant that didn't mind us bringing in a food item. We would be sure to order something for him, even just ice cream for dessert and a beverage.

 

[Larissa]

Seriously, bring him food. Don't let other people tell you how to feed your kid when you know how he eats! People bring food into the park all the time, I've done it and I've never been stopped. As long as you're not bringing in three big meals for you whole family you'll probably be fine. If they do say something, tell them why you are bringing it in. From what I've seen (not experienced myself here, so I'm kind of guessing) they seem to be pretty accommodating of special needs.
If you want to bring food into the restaurants that might not be allowed...I don't know. Perhaps if you eat at counter-service restaurants...particularly with tables outside if possible?

Again though, this is just my guess. I've never been in your particular situation.

 

[Allison]

Seriously, bring him food. Don't let other people tell you how to feed your kid when you know how he eats! People bring food into the park all the time, I've done it and I've never been stopped. As long as you're not bringing in three big meals for you whole family you'll probably be fine. If they do say something, tell them why you are bringing it in. From what I've seen (not experienced myself here, so I'm kind of guessing) they seem to be pretty accommodating of special needs.
If you want to bring food into the restaurants that might not be allowed...I don't know. Perhaps if you eat at counter-service restaurants...particularly with tables outside if possible?

Again though, this is just my guess. I've never been in your particular situation.

Nobody here said you couldn't bring food into the parks. Everyone is talking about the table service situation.

 

[limabeanmom2003]

Often, if a TS restaurant is adjacent to a quick service (such as ohana, Kona cafe and the poly quick service) you can get something that one kitchen has brought to your table. For example, say ohana doesn't have pb&j but the QS does. Many times you can get that item brought to you at ohana.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

My son doesn't eat a lot of the kid's meals so I will often get him an adult appetizer or side item instead. If the rest of you are ordering at a table service restaurant I wouldn't worry about bringing something in for him.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

I am not saying you can not bring food in for him just do not plan on kitchen heating up for you as this is not allowed special needs or not. can not tell you how many parents have complained when all we can do to heat a baby bottle is to give a cup of hot water. so bring in any food you want for him but just do not bring something that needs heating up for him to eat

 

[heazer]

We've taken our AU/SPD guy twice and will be there again in a few weeks.

I have no qualms about taking in pre-packaged snacks....but it's just cumbersome to take in meals even if medically needed. I also have no qualms about ordering him food from one counter service restaurant and taking it with us into another restaurant....even if it's table service.

There's no guarantee you can get a special meal, but if you are kind and polite and ask you may get some pixie dust!

Our guy is almost 8 now, but with his "big head" kids sunglasses were always a problem. I just let him pick out whatever works, even if they are adult. If he's comfortable in them then he will wear them. That cuts down on his light sensitivity on sunny days and on rides with flashing lights.

We've tried several headphones and recently settled on Baby Bandz. They were inexpensive, block a LOT of noise but still allow him to hear me, and they fold up into a small bundle that makes them easy to stuff in our bag of tricks. (They also sell sun products like sunglasses, but we haven't tried them.)