Do you pack your own food for your child?

OhanaBreadPudding

Mouseketeer
Joined
Mar 6, 2012
My son has oral sensitivities and SPD. I can't seem to stop thinking about what the heck he is going to eat in the parks! We are staying at POR, so I won't have access to a kitchen to prepare anything for him, but I will have a car and a fridge in the room.

When we go out to eat at home, I always pack foods that I know he will eat. Usually it's some kind of a pasta salad and many little sides and additions. He is still eating jarred foods, so that is easy. (I'd like to believe he won't still be eating them by then, but that seems a little unlikely) He loves hard boiled eggs, so I'm thinking I might be able to find those at the cafe.

Do you bring things along with you? Do you prepare foods in your room to bring? (and I swear I do not mean crock pots or anything like that! :rotfl2:) Or, do you just wing it when you get there and it all works out?
 
My DD has multiple food allergies and when she was younger we always brought along foods that she could safely eat. We didn't bring full meals, bur enough to tide her over. She would eat plain pasta, so that was easy to order. I would do it. Your child has to eat.
 
Same here. My DD also has multiple food allergies, and I always bring food for her into parks. I usually ship a box ahead of time with any items I think I may not be able to get there. Then I make a grocery run & get the perishable items. I would bring what you know he will eat. If you get there and find there are things for him, then take that option or a combo of the two. At least that way you'll be prepared and probably less worried about it.
 
Honestly I would not try too hard to get him off of jar foods until you return from your trip. It will ensure to you he has something easy and healthy he will eat and give him the comfort of a food he is familiar with. You can do a garden grocery order or ship a box down. If he is ok with them, I would choose the plastic containers over jars. TS places will work with you to meet his needs as much as they can as well.
 
We will be there for 8 days (5 days in the parks) and DS will only be eating WDW food twice--at character meals--maybe a snack if we see one that is safe. The rest of the time, I will be bringing his food in (multiple food allergies). I realized it would be more stressful for me to get to certain restaurants constantly all week than to bring his food in. I bring his food everywhere at home (he doesn't eat restaurant food) so it really doesn't change our lifestyle.
 
We don't pack up food for our kids, because we don't have kids. :goodvibes

But we DO pack up food for us! With our list of food allergies, it's essential.
 
will probabily not be able to warm up as no outside food to be prepared. also be careful with the heat when carrying around parks. i would think going back to room as a better idea than carrying around park in heat. you cn only carry small cooler.
 


Our sons have multiple food allergies and SPD. We brought a variety of individually packaged non-perishable snacks with us to the parks every day, and carefully selected restaurants that looked like they could cater to their needs/tastes based on their menus(for instance anywhere serving some sort of burger, can likely serve a plain patty with plain bun). Having a variety of snacks with us that we knew they could and would eat, meant that if there was very little they could or would eat at a snack stand or restaurant, we could order juice, plain fruit or veg, meat etc. and along with their snacks cobble together an acceptable meal. And having the individually packaged non perishable snacks meant that we didn't have to fuss with coolers, lockers etc. We also stayed at an offsite villa and had a quick familiar breakfast, and sometimes supper at the villa, which greatly reduced the stress of eating out every single meal.
 
if he's still eating jarred food, then just bring that. You'll save yourself a lot of headaches.

Mine wasn't off jarred until around 2 1/2, and so we never were at disney when he was that age, but after that, I always just made his pb sandwich in the room and carried it with us. But at 17 months (if I'm reading your sig right) mine wouldn't have touched any 'table' food. :(

I always do like to share that my son (almost 12) now eats anything and there is nothing that this child likes more than trying new restaurants with new foods. Every city we travel to he makes a list of places we must try (based on Man vs Food, or Diners, Drive ins) So there is plenty of hope!!!! I never thought we'd be here, but we are. :)
 
Don't pack food for my kids since they are grown and can take care of that themselves but I do pack stuff for me. (multiple allergies and diabetes) Just easier to have something I know is safe when I need something NOW bcause my sugar is dropping through the floor.
 
You can't wing it. You must know that you have enough food or he entire trip. You can't count on places to have the right special foods for him.

My daughter who has 8 food allergies enjoyed Disney but we packed all of her foods (rice packets, chicken packets, baby food jarred foods etc).
 
Thank you so much, everyone! I am feeling better because it seems like many people do this every day.

He will eat 3-4 jars of food a day, but we are making progress everyday. He will eat those packets of purees too, so I am sure we will take those to the parks because they are so perfectly easy.

I am going to call POR as it gets closer to see if I can get things like hard boiled eggs and other plain favorites at the cafe. I will also be making a trip to the grocer on our first afternoon.

He will be 22 months on our trip and it's still 5 months away, so many things could change between now and then. He has been known to backslide all the way to just drinking milk overnight, but things have been going well for a while now.

Thanks again for your helpful and kind responses!
 
if he's still eating jarred food, then just bring that. You'll save yourself a lot of headaches.

Mine wasn't off jarred until around 2 1/2, and so we never were at disney when he was that age, but after that, I always just made his pb sandwich in the room and carried it with us. But at 17 months (if I'm reading your sig right) mine wouldn't have touched any 'table' food. :(

I always do like to share that my son (almost 12) now eats anything and there is nothing that this child likes more than trying new restaurants with new foods. Every city we travel to he makes a list of places we must try (based on Man vs Food, or Diners, Drive ins) So there is plenty of hope!!!! I never thought we'd be here, but we are. :)


Thank you for sharing that! I have days where I could just cry at the dinner table, but somedays I can also see a light. I'm very happy that your son has grown out of it!

If you knew how many times I said that I don't want a "picky eater" beore I had a child, you would laugh right in my face! :rotfl:
 
Thank you for sharing that! I have days where I could just cry at the dinner table, but somedays I can also see a light. I'm very happy that your son has grown out of it!

If you knew how many times I said that I don't want a "picky eater" beore I had a child, you would laugh right in my face! :rotfl:

I remember going through the grocery with this very large toddler (he was a moose) and hundreds of jars of baby food. nearly in tears that he would not eat people food. But I really tried to make it my mission to not let it get to me at the dinner table. It was hard and I got so much flack from so many places (Just MAKE him eat the regular food!) you know how it goes, I'm sure. It is just simply amazing to me what this child will try now, and I think it all goes to the fact that I just let him eat, in peace, and at his own speed.
 
will probabily not be able to warm up as no outside food to be prepared. also be careful with the heat when carrying around parks. i would think going back to room as a better idea than carrying around park in heat. you cn only carry small cooler.
Correct. The restaurants can’t take anything brought by a guest into the kitchen to warm because of food safety rules.
They can do things to help you warm it at your table - such as bringing a cup of hot water. The Baby Care Centers do have facilities to warm foods.
I remember going through the grocery with this very large toddler (he was a moose) and hundreds of jars of baby food. nearly in tears that he would not eat people food. But I really tried to make it my mission to not let it get to me at the dinner table. It was hard and I got so much flack from so many places (Just MAKE him eat the regular food!) you know how it goes, I'm sure. It is just simply amazing to me what this child will try now, and I think it all goes to the fact that I just let him eat, in peace, and at his own speed.
That is very good advice.
The more of an issue the caregivers make it, the more of an issue it will be. When I worked as a Public Health Nurse, we had a number of client families whose children had eating issues. The ones who were most successful did just as you did and that was the advice from the Dietician we worked with; basically, provide some foods the child will eat plus some new ones. Make eating very low key and the child will eat when they are hungry.

The ones who had the most trouble were the ones trying to make the child eat - it turned from a sensory issue into a power struggle. And, you don’t want to get into a power struggle with a child on eating - they have the power there.
 
I am going to call POR as it gets closer to see if I can get things like hard boiled eggs and other plain favorites at the cafe. I will also be making a trip to the grocer on our first afternoon.

If your grocery stop is at Publix, you can get pre-packed, peeled hard-boiled eggs. Packs of 2 can be found where they make the sandwiches near the deli. Packs of 6 can be found elsewhere in the deli self-service case or in the dairy section where the fresh eggs are located. If you don't see them, ask someone.

Buy a few packages as I don't know how long they keep once the plastic bag they are packed in, is opened.
 
Thank you for sharing that! I have days where I could just cry at the dinner table, but somedays I can also see a light. I'm very happy that your son has grown out of it!

If you knew how many times I said that I don't want a "picky eater" beore I had a child, you would laugh right in my face! :rotfl:

My friend adopted a baby who was very premature and had a severe oral aversion. He had a gtube and ate nothing by mouth untill @ age 10. He is now 20, gtube has been out for years, and he is a healthy college student. Be patient and remember that you are not alone.
 
We are staying at POR

I will have a car and a fridge in the room.

Wow, they must have some big rooms at POR to fit a car in there :lmao:

Thanks for the giggle, I realize what you wrote makes perfect sense and I just read it funny.

You have gotten plenty of great advise. I have and will take food into the parks to accommodate someone's needs.

Happy planning and have a wonderful trip :)
 
My son has ADHD and when he was much younger he had issues with texture. (He cracked me up the first time he ate an apple. He bit the apple slice chewed a bit and sucked all the juice out then spit out the rest! : ) ) When we went to Disney we would use a town car service so we could make a grocery stop. We bought cheese, peanut butter, bread, gogurts and other things he would eat. (this was years before uncrustables) If we were staying somewhere without a fridge we bought a Styrofoam cooler to keep the perishables cold. Each morning we would pack a lunch in an insulated lunch bag with a cold pack. It worked fine for us.
 
My son has ADHD and when he was much younger he had issues with texture. (He cracked me up the first time he ate an apple. He bit the apple slice chewed a bit and sucked all the juice out then spit out the rest! : ) ) When we went to Disney we would use a town car service so we could make a grocery stop. We bought cheese, peanut butter, bread, gogurts and other things he would eat. (this was years before uncrustables) If we were staying somewhere without a fridge we bought a Styrofoam cooler to keep the perishables cold. Each morning we would pack a lunch in an insulated lunch bag with a cold pack. It worked fine for us.

HA! He does this and just did it this morning. I'm walking around picking up chewed up skin. He enjoys it, so I let him because the last thing we need is me telling him "no" when he actually wants to eat something!

In the last week we discovered that he will eat those mini babybel cheeses! So that is one more item that I can bring.

I am so glad I posted on this board. I was so nervous to get the "he won't starve himself, don't give him options, blah blah blah".

Everytime he gets to a point that he is eating well, he will backslide all the way back to purees and we have to start over as if he is 6 months old. It comes out of no where. I will be happy when he's a teenager that just sucks down anything I put in front of him.
 

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