Freaking Out About Picky Eaters Can Anyone Help!

[kidzmom3]

We will be going in April- 5 of us

DH- allergic to soy and peanuts, does not eat any red meat/pork, will eat some fish.

Me-allergic to shell fish (anaphylaxis, so I am very nervous around any seafood)

DS 12- will eat burgers ,chicken and steaks

DD 10- pickest of all-chicken, hot dogs thats about it, some breakfast foods

DD 8- will eat pasta, mac and cheese, chicken fingers

I am looking at the menus and can find very few resteraunts that will have something that each of us would eat. Also, they are not adventerous about sauces etc....

am i doomed to a week of CS?????????? HELP

 

[CamColt]

Don't fear. I'm a picky eater(not allergic to fish, but wont go near it). My oldest DS is allergic to peanuts and a picky eater. My youngest is beyond picky.

Most table service restaurants will have either a hot dog, macaroni (plain or macaroni & cheese) or pizza for kids. These are the 3 lunch/dinner foods my youngest eats, so I know you can usually find one of those when you eat out. I dont know much about the soy allergy, however I do find the peanut allergy is relatively easy to deal with, especially compared to multiple allergies I hear some people have. Since my DS will eat nothing funky and sticks to the kids meals, those are usually peanut free. Just inform the chef of any allergies. They really go above and beyond when dealing with allergies. You can also call ahead to the restaurant, however the times I have done that, I have found it hasnt been necessary for me.

Also, usually when things come with funky sauces or sides, you can ask for the sauce on the side or substitute side dishes, etc... Disney chefs are very accomodating.

Some places that work well for us are Mama Melrose, Kona Cafe, and ESPN.
Good luck!

 

[Got Quattro?]

DS 12- will eat burgers ,chicken and steaks

DD 10- pickest of all-chicken, hot dogs thats about it, some breakfast foods

DD 8- will eat pasta, mac and cheese, chicken fingers

See the patern.

Your kids are pickey because you allow them to be. Quit feeding them burgers, hot dogs, and chicken fingers. They soon will get hungry and try new things.

You have to broaden their pallet from an early age, or you will just be a slave to their whishes.

Sorry, but it's the cold hard truth.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Camcolt is right--most restaurants will work with you for substitutions, food allergies, no sauce, ete etc.

 

[tmt martins]

See the patern.

Your kids are pickey because you allow them to be. Quit feeding them burgers, hot dogs, and chicken fingers. They soon will get hungry and try new things.

You have to broaden their pallet from an early age, or you will just be a slave to their whishes.

Sorry, but it's the cold hard truth.

Well the cold hard truth is

A thing called a eating disorder I can trace it back 5 generations in my family .

Those that have it are very healthy but very pickie 2 to 5 foods at best.And yes we have been to Doc's ,forcefeed as a child ,starved ,bribed ,And the body just won't accept it so you learn to work around it.

I guess someone that walk should just get up and do walk or someone that can't see sould just OPEN THEIR EYES.Now there's a suggestion Open your eyes.

 

[The Sweetness]

I dont think you will be a *slave* to picky eaters for life. My dd14 is a little more adventurous than I am. When she was a baby, she was pretty severely underweight (barely 20lbs at 2 years) I let her eat what she wanted (as long as it wasnt desert first) as I was terrified if I didnt, she wouldnt eat at all. Shes less picky than I am now. I have been known to leave over my dinner and order desert if I see black pepper on my food. I know this is a bad habbit, but I absolutely cant stand the taste of any pepper, I just hate it... Or anything that tastes like egg, or came from the water... Theres a list... However, rest assured I DO NOT starve. In fact I am over weight, and wish I could be happy eating half of what I do.

Let the kids be kids. Eventually they will realize that something else tastes good besides the 4 basic food groups (Mac&chs, Dogs, Burgers, and pizza)

 

[LindsayDunn228]

See the patern.

Your kids are pickey because you allow them to be. Quit feeding them burgers, hot dogs, and chicken fingers. They soon will get hungry and try new things.

You have to broaden their pallet from an early age, or you will just be a slave to their whishes.

Sorry, but it's the cold hard truth.

I have to agree with you there. My mother would never had let me eat just hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken fingers, and whatnot. I always had to try new things and ended up enjoying them. Oh, and I NEVER had an eating disorder. Come on now.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

Let's get back OT and not give lectures about how to raise children.

Have you tried any of the buffets or are they a problem due to the allergies?
We had a good meal at 1900 Park Fair. Lots of different selections and there is always the standard kiddie buffet with pizza, chicken nuggets and mac and cheese. That's the Cindarella dinner so a little pricier but definitely worth the money.
I would stay away from Boma at AKL, but I bet you already figured that out. My DH has an ulcer so he is a little gun shy when it comes to something different.

allearsnet.com has menus for the different restaurants. Its a wonderful planning tool, especially with the allergies.

Good Luck!

 

[snowwite]

My DD is a vegetarian,I am on a special diet and my DS has nut and lactose allergies.We have been to DD many times and DD has existed on veggie burgers and salad.We just found out last year that there are special menu options for vegetarians so she tried some othere things.We just tell restaurant ahead of time abou allergies and the chefs are more than happy to omit sauces etc.We also have had good luck making meal of appetizers.My son has found chicken wings,nachos,soup etc and by adding a salad or side dish he has a meal.If you do want to expose kids to new tastes but have old faves to fall back on try the buffets like chef Mickey's,Crystal palace and Boma.My DS is picky picky but he always finds something he likes eventually. We actually have had a lot more luck with sit down meals than CS. We did not like the Cindy breakfast because it is pre-plated so you really do not get a choice about what you want to eat.We also did very well at Teppanaki steak house.I think because kids enjoy the chef cooking at table they were a little more willing to try something new.They did have kids meals also.We do go off site for some too.We dined at Cracker barrell where they have dinner but also serve breakfast all day which was a big hit.Seaworld had a coolrestaurant where kids could be on backside of shark tank and watch them while we dined.It is pricey but we went for lunch and got a bunch of the 5.00-7.00 appetizer pizzas which were very good and a salad to share.Some counter service have better options than others.Most of the Epcot ones are pretty good.Good luck! Oh and there are menus on mouse ears.

 

[kdtwiss]

I have an autistic child and a child with sensory issues - both are extremely picky eaters! If I tried to feed either one of them a hot dog or a hamburger- good God - it would be like I am feeding them fresh road kill. I feel your pain. WDW is great , but not so much so for picky eaters. I made the mistake of picking mostly buffets the first time we went. Big mistake. No grilled cheese on a buffet, no spaghetti, pizza really horrible! We planned on going in Oct (and had to cancel) and I researched every menu and planned our days around meals so everyone would actually eat.
What I found was I really had to stick with TS restaurants. Le Cellier, Kona Cafe,Concourse Steakhouse,Spoodles and Rainforest Cafe had the widest variety. Most had mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, pasta and or pizza.
www.allearsnet.com
has menus from all the restaurants - check these places out, I really researched like crazy and they had the widest variety of kid's food. I am not picky, but I do remember looking forward to the dinners. With picky eaters and all the activity that goes on at Disney it is super important to find the right fit for the food portion. My ds who is autistic was practically starved. Not a pretty picture. Good luck!