Dining plan question for a very picky eater

[holly7347]

HI all,

My oldest child has sensory integration disorder and it affects her eating. She will be 5 years old this month and still eats babyfood, yogurt, applesauce, cheese, and some fruit. But even with things like yogurt and fruit she is very picky about what she will eat. The yogurt can't have chunks of fruit in it. For fruit grapes have to be black, apples have to be quartered but not peeled and if they start to get brown forget it. And on and on.

So when ever we go out to eat as a family we always just pack food for her. I am planning on getting the dining plan for the rest of the family and we do want to do some character dining. Will I be able to reserve a seat for her at character dining without buying her the dining plan and paying for a meal she won't eat, and just take food in for her? She isn't a big eater so 2 small items is enough for her something like an applesauce cup and a cereal bar, or a banana and a yogurt.

 

[Heluvsme]

I think you can definitely make a reservation for "X" number of people, including her because she will be using a seat and table space. I know this past summer we had ADR's for the 4 of us in my family, and on several occasions one of my children wouldn't eat because they simply weren't hungry. It was never a big deal to the servers...they would bring them water and some soda crackers usually.

 

[all4fun]

That is a tough one because normally the DDP is a package deal. If you buy it, you have to buy it for everyone booked in the room (according to the 2008 DDP FAQ thread here). If I were in your shoes, I would probably call Disney and see if they can make a reasonable accommodation since this might fall under a disability clause (I have no idea, just a thought). You might also ask on the DISabilities board about this, maybe someone there has had a similar situation. As a parent with a child that suffered for a long time with oral aversion issues, I feel for you though! Thankfully my ds is outgrowing this (he was a preemie). On the up side, DDP for the 10& under set is only $10 a day so it's not terribly expensive. Even w/my ds eating issues on past trips, we still felt it was worth it. Especially for buffet's because you have to pay $$ up front to get a table, and $10 a day is a huge savings over the normal buffet price (for just one meal).

Sorry I can't help more. Hopefully someone who knows more than me will respond!

 

[holly7347]

I think you can definitely make a reservation for "X" number of people, including her because she will be using a seat and table space. I know this past summer we had ADR's for the 4 of us in my family, and on several occasions one of my children wouldn't eat because they simply weren't hungry. It was never a big deal to the servers...they would bring them water and some soda crackers usually.

Good to know that I can make reservations for all of us and if someone isn't hungry we don't have to use the meal anyway. But the rest of us are generally hungry all the time

That is a tough one because normally the DDP is a package deal. If you buy it, you have to buy it for everyone booked in the room (according to the 2008 DDP FAQ thread here). If I were in your shoes, I would probably call Disney and see if they can make a reasonable accommodation since this might fall under a disability clause (I have no idea, just a thought). You might also ask on the DISabilities board about this, maybe someone there has had a similar situation. As a parent with a child that suffered for a long time with oral aversion issues, I feel for you though! Thankfully my ds is outgrowing this (he was a preemie). On the up side, DDP for the 10& under set is only $10 a day so it's not terribly expensive. Even w/my ds eating issues on past trips, we still felt it was worth it. Especially for buffet's because you have to pay $$ up front to get a table, and $10 a day is a huge savings over the normal buffet price (for just one meal).

Sorry I can't help more. Hopefully someone who knows more than me will respond!

Thanks for the info that does help. I was planning on calling today but things got crazy and I was never able to use the phone. I didn't realize that the plan for those under 10 was only $10 a day. I had only seen the package price for all 4 of us and wasn't sure how it broke down. For that price we should just go ahead and get it. I know she can eat/drink the snacks and we might even get lucky with some of the buffets. I'm sure someone will eat if if she can't - my other DD is an eater!

 

[riley2008]

Another thought...

If you're going for several days and only getting the basic plan (where children are $10.00), then your other DD could likely use the TS credits too. (You can use the rest for youself if you want - child's CS meal, snack).

Just a thought. I know my boys aren't big eaters, so they will likely just split a meal. Also, my cousin, who is 11, will likely eat a kid's counter service meal, so that will leave more for me and DH.

 

[eeyorefan74]

I think I would pay the $10 a day for her anyway. You could book mostly buffet meals so there would hopefully be choices she would like- bananas, etc. Almost all the kids meals DD had on our trip had an applesauce cup as a side choice, also carrot sticks, and sometimes grapes- I think they were red, though. Check out the menus on allearsnet.com and see if you can find foods she might like. Have a great trip!

 

[twinspluscade]

HI all,

My oldest child has sensory integration disorder and it affects her eating. She will be 5 years old this month and still eats babyfood, yogurt, applesauce, cheese, and some fruit. But even with things like yogurt and fruit she is very picky about what she will eat. The yogurt can't have chunks of fruit in it. For fruit grapes have to be black, apples have to be quartered but not peeled and if they start to get brown forget it. And on and on.

So when ever we go out to eat as a family we always just pack food for her. I am planning on getting the dining plan for the rest of the family and we do want to do some character dining. Will I be able to reserve a seat for her at character dining without buying her the dining plan and paying for a meal she won't eat, and just take food in for her? She isn't a big eater so 2 small items is enough for her something like an applesauce cup and a cereal bar, or a banana and a yogurt.

From everything I've read, the dining plan is a package deal.....either everyone in your group get its, or no one does.

I've also heard the character meals sometimes charge an "entertainment" fee of $5.00 if you don't eat.

So....I'd probably go ahead and pay the $10/day for her. Also--if you do some buffets--maybe there would be a few things on the buffets that she'd eat? I would think most of the breakfast ones would have plain yogurt and bananas on them, and maybe cheese.

By the way....I was an extremely picky child too--and still am as an adult. I have a lot of texture issues and feel like I'm going to gag if I try and eat something on my "avoid" list. Hopefully your daughter won't take after me and will eventually outgrow it!