ASD limited eater special requests (hot dogs!)

[MJ6987]

Hi,
My daughter, 14 by the time we go to WDW in Oct, is ASD and is very limited as to what she will eat. About the only thing she will eat in WDW restaurants is hot dogs and we have the QSDP. But, now I read that they are putting hot dogs on whole grain buns, which she won't eat! White bread is predictable and uniform, whole grain is not...

Would they give us hot dogs on white buns or bread if we asked, do you think?

Thanks!

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

It never hurts to ask.....but they may not have white bread buns!

Frankly, and meaing no disrespect..........any 14 year old living on hog dogs has other issues going on.

My duagther tried that picky eater act at about 11 or 12, she discovered fast......she eats what her Mom and I cook., if not she goes hungry!

Seems a month or 2 later,the picky eater issue went away!

AKK

 

[Schmeck]

It can be stressful to all to introduce new foods during a vacation, so I would start working on it at home, ASAP. White bread can be pretty scarce at WDW now (DD couldn't find any on her trip last summer) and all the buns were 'dark', according to my daughter.

Would she just eat the hotdog plain, without the bread? She's not really getting any nutrition from the white bread anyways (nor much from the hotdog) so perhaps just get her used to eating plain hotdogs at home?

I'm sure she eats plenty of other food (you'd get pretty sick if your only source of food was hotdogs ) and WDW has some great places to find alternatives. Allears has lists of the menus, and they are pretty up-to-date. We use them all the time to find stuff for my picky eater - who is off to college and will have to forage in the dining hall and learn to expand her tastebuds or starve.

 

[crashbb]

It never hurts to ask.....but they may not have white bread buns!

Frankly, and meaing no disrespect..........any 14 year old living on hog dogs has other issues going on.

My duagther tried that picky eater act at about 11 or 12, she discovered fast......she eats what her Mom and I cook., if not she goes hungry!

Seems a month or 2 later,the picky eater issue went away!

AKK

Did you read the OP's post? She specifically said that her daughter has ASD - that would be your "other issues going on".

OP - the problem is that many QS places just don't have white hot dog buns, so they cannot give them to your daughter. You could try bringing your own (not sure how feasible that is, but I know other people have done it). Or, as a PP suggested, would she eat the hot dog without a bun at all. Even the hamburger buns are now whole wheat, so that wouldn't work as an alternative.

 

[acebatonfan]

I know how you feel. DSis (autistic) will only eat chicken fingers or chicken nuggets.

And I'm going through the same issue with my younger sis (not autistic, but a really picky teenager) who will be going on DCL in August. She knows that they probably won't be serving everything she likes, and we've been trying to introduce her to new foods for a while, though we have been pretty unsuccessful with it.

As for introducing new foods, try to do it as calmly as possible. Maybe have her take a taste of what you're eating while at a restaurant, introducing a new side dish during dinner, and cooking up some of the stuff that might be found in QS besides hot dogs.

 

[bookwormde]

Many ASD kids are perfectly content with a limited diet, the trick is to balance it and provide suppliments. Sensory issues often limit what thier pallet will accept. All of us who have these kids try every day to expand their diet, but is is the rare exception, maybe a few times a year where someting major is added. And during that time we sometimes "loose" items.

Any chance she likes grilled cheese, that is one that we have had luck with on white bread at WDW. perhaps you could ask for a piece of white bread and see if she will wrap that around the hotdog as an alternative.

This is a big part of why we eneded up becoming DVC members (though resale) so that we would have a full kitchen during our WDW vacations.

We have actually begun being able to get our DSAS 13 to begin to eat some of the softer whole wheat products as long as they taste very close to white.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

It never hurts to ask.....but they may not have white bread buns!

Frankly, and meaing no disrespect..........any 14 year old living on hog dogs has other issues going on.

My duagther tried that picky eater act at about 11 or 12, she discovered fast......she eats what her Mom and I cook., if not she goes hungry!

Seems a month or 2 later,the picky eater issue went away!

AKK

OP, I am indeed sorry, I did not see the ASD..........please disregard my earlier post.

AKK

 

[mom2girls1974]

I have a ASD dd as well, and have nothing to offer except cyber hugs -also a kiddo who eats a very limited diet (though the GF/CF diet gave her a wider pallet oddly!) We also have concerns about going to WDW and the food situation.....good luck. Could you maybe bring your own buns? not sure but a option maybe?

 

[MJ6987]

OP, I am indeed sorry, I did not see the ASD..........please disregard my earlier post.

AKK

No problem. She doesn't normally eat hot dogs to be honest but Disney restaurants don't really offer what she normally eats.

 

[MJ6987]

Many ASD kids are perfectly content with a limited diet, the trick is to balance it and provide suppliments. Sensory issues often limit what thier pallet will accept. All of us who have these kids try every day to expand their diet, but is is the rare exception, maybe a few times a year where someting major is added. And during that time we sometimes "loose" items.

Any chance she likes grilled cheese, that is one that we have had luck with on white bread at WDW. perhaps you could ask for a piece of white bread and see if she will wrap that around the hotdog as an alternative.

This is a big part of why we eneded up becoming DVC members (though resale) so that we would have a full kitchen during our WDW vacations.

We have actually begun being able to get our DSAS 13 to begin to eat some of the softer whole wheat products as long as they taste very close to white.

Yeah white bread would be fine, we've done that in restaurants here in UK. Do they have white bread though? In an attempt to find something else she might eat in WDW we tried Macaroni and cheese sauce, as that seems to be a common item, she liked the pasta but not the cheese sauce, she said it was "just wrong" lol. She did however like pasta with grated cheese (not melted though!). I wonder if that might be something we could request?

 

[MJ6987]

Thanks all. Bringing our own buns is an option...try her with the whole grain ones first though.

 

[livndisney]

Yeah white bread would be fine, we've done that in restaurants here in UK. Do they have white bread though? In an attempt to find something else she might eat in WDW we tried Macaroni and cheese sauce, as that seems to be a common item, she liked the pasta but not the cheese sauce, she said it was "just wrong" lol. She did however like pasta with grated cheese (not melted though!). I wonder if that might be something we could request?

A lot of counter service places will not have block cheese to grate. They get cheese sauce and sliced cheese but not block yellow cheese.

 

[joanchris]

Thanks all. Bringing our own buns is an option...try her with the whole grain ones first though.

This is what I was going to suggest. IF you can switch her over to whole grain now....maybe giving her the option for a while at home, having both kinds in the house, then one day maybe you run out of white buns, after a week (or a few!) of seeing both in the house.
It MIGHT work and would make for a more relaxing vacation (though vacationing with my dd with disabilities is never really that relaxing!)

 

[Celidh]

It is hard when we see our kids getting upset over food. My younger ds is on the high functioning end of the spectrum but has food issues. Basically he would live off KD, processed chicken and bologna and hot dogs if I let him. There are certain foods that there is no chance in H**l I would ever get him to eat but not from lack of trying. He is likely to throw up on the table if I make him. He hates any type of normal meat but will eat it. I give him a small portion about half the size of the palm of my hand.

Anyway, before our WDW trip last year we talked about him expanding his eating. I said that there may be times when he may have to try something new. So, that said, he decided with a little prompting from me to go ahead and get something new at POP food Court. He went off with his card to order. MY partner found him standing in the middle of the food court with his food crying. He had ordered a meatball sub but after he got it he noticed that there were peppers in it. I felt so bad that he had taken in what I told him, tried something new and got something that he really hated. I didn't even think of there being peppers in the sauce because I dont' use them at home because I don't like them either.

She traded meals with him (still not something he would have loved but he ate most of it anyway) and he wasn't too bad. This was almost a year ago and he still is more hesitant to try new food.

OP, my guy likes his hotdogs (just the weiner) cut up and mixed with his KD. I think other than nuggets, that's his favourite meal.

Good luck with your DD and take it small baby steps at a time.

 

[clanmcculloch]

No problem. She doesn't normally eat hot dogs to be honest but Disney restaurants don't really offer what she normally eats.

What DOES she normally eat? Maybe we can offer addtional suggestions, either reastaurants that have something similar or brands of foods in the US that you can order via a service like Garden Grocer or WeGoShop.

 

[nyrebecca]

Just wanted to give my support. I know how it is with a quirky eater on the spectrum. I would definately think of taking your own rolls if trying the wheat at home does not work.

What else does she normally eat?

 

[Betty Rohrer]

small park where i work, QS would not have the white bread even if you asked if not on menu. i would bring rolls or bread with you if it is that big of problem or ask for hot dog without a roll.

 

[gilesmt]

Hi, just wanted to offer this, you stated she would eat pasta with just parmesan cheese. I know in DL you can get this at I think called rockets near space mountain. My DD has issues, OCD and PTSD, and as a born Italian at least half of her it has been very difficult for us to know she will not put any sauce on pasta, but she will eat meatballs with sauce, don't get it but it is a sensory thing. Anyway, at this rester aunt we have just ordered the pasta and told them to hold the sauce and we then just get packages of parmesan cheese and add it. The are cool with it. I know there are other places in WDW that will do this, I'm just not sure which ones since we usually have the upgraded dining plan. One other thing my daughter loves and will eat is corn dogs, she will not eat hotdogs, don't know if they have them in uk but see and if she likes them I know they sell them in a lot of places also. Hope this helps, good luck, I am lucky my DD is picky but she does have a variety, it is texture and they way it is on the plate that is her problem, she even eats things I never would but if placed in sauce or on a plate wrong she flips out and runs off refusing to eat, so I do feel your frustration in the situation.

 

[Princess Bette]

OP - can't offer any advice on where to eat as we are going on our first trip at Christmas. But I do want to say that having a son on the spectrum, I totally understand your situation and "feel your pain." I hope you have fabulous trip with very few melt downs - enjoy!

 

[MaggieMollyMom]

It is hard when we see our kids getting upset over food. My younger ds is on the high functioning end of the spectrum but has food issues. Basically he would live off KD, processed chicken and bologna and hot dogs if I let him. There are certain foods that there is no chance in H**l I would ever get him to eat but not from lack of trying. He is likely to throw up on the table if I make him. He hates any type of normal meat but will eat it. I give him a small portion about half the size of the palm of my hand.

Anyway, before our WDW trip last year we talked about him expanding his eating. I said that there may be times when he may have to try something new. So, that said, he decided with a little prompting from me to go ahead and get something new at POP food Court. He went off with his card to order. MY partner found him standing in the middle of the food court with his food crying. He had ordered a meatball sub but after he got it he noticed that there were peppers in it.

**OH!!! That breaks my heart!!! He went by himself and tried something new and that happened!! Poor kid!! Good for him for trying though!!!!! My daughter has bigtime limits too and we are always working on this, as you are. I FINALLY got her to eat a few bites of a sandwich!!!! White bread, of course LOL**

I felt so bad that he had taken in what I told him, tried something new and got something that he really hated. I didn't even think of there being peppers in the sauce because I dont' use them at home because I don't like them either.

She traded meals with him (still not something he would have loved but he ate most of it anyway) and he wasn't too bad. This was almost a year ago and he still is more hesitant to try new food.

OP, my guy likes his hotdogs (just the weiner) cut up and mixed with his KD. I think other than nuggets, that's his favourite meal.

Good luck with your DD and take it small baby steps at a time.[/


**Yep, babysteps! My DD has a severe oral aversion and it took over a year for her to put a toothbrush in her own mouth. It was such a struggle to get her teeth cleaned!! Now she lets me brush them all thoroughly! AMazingly, she has no cavities! LOL Probably because she won't even try candy!!!**