Fussy Kids Effecting Restaurant Kid Menus? Are Parents to Blame?

[mi*vida*loca]

My kids have grown up eating traditional Puerto Rican foods since they were born. So chicken nuggets, pizza, burgers ("normal kid food") was a treat for them. When we went to WDW they would devour the nuggets or burgers because it was something different. But by day 4 they're asking for rice and beans and San Angel or La Hacienda doesn't cut it.

My son is a picky eater at times (mostly with American food) but I don't feed into it. I'm that mom that serves dinner and if you don't like it you can make a sandwich or have cereal. My daughter will try and eat everything.

I grew up with a cousin who ate Perdue chicken nuggets twice a day everyday. I was about 8 years older than him and even as a kid it boggled my mind. I never made a chicken nugget in my house until my kids were well over 10 years old because I didn't want to be that mom traveling with Perdue nuggets in a bag every time we visited family. lol

I do wish Disney would add things to their kids menu but they are feeding the masses. They make what sells. So yes I do think picky eaters effect the menus at WDW. We would usually order our kids adult meals so they could get different foods if they wanted.

 

[scrapquitler]

Its really tiresome to me that I keep hearing people "Blame" me because I have picky kids. My kids were exposed to a wide variety of foods from a very early age, even as a teenager, I still encourage my very picky son to try (repeatedly) foods that he doesn't like. I did everything I was supposed to do. Its NOT my fault that he doesn't like a wide variety of foods. Please don't blame me that he has sensory issues, flavor aversions and a strong gag reflex.

When we go out to eat, I usually assume that there is something he will eat, and he usually finds something that will be accetable to him (at BOG he ate nothing but French Fries, at Pecos Bill he ate plain nacho chips). If he doesn't find something that he will like, we make another stop at a QS and he gets something that he will like. I keep a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter and a jar of jelly in the room and he'll eat a couple sandwiches if he is still hungry.

My actual picky eater problem isn't my children, its my husband. He's WAY worse than both of my kids combined. He won't eat any sauce except spaghetti sauce, he'll only eat white meat chicken and turkey, no dark meat, he only eats vegetables if they are raw, he doesn't like anything sweet, I could go on and on. He will also go into a restaurant and eat almost nothing and have a couple of those PBJ sandwiches back in the room later.

The result, we don't eat many table service meals at Disney World. We do mostly QS, and we sometimes will eat at different QS from one another (I will eat anything, and I like to try new things. I snack/eat my way around Epcot, and the boys eat Popcorn and ice cream LOL).

It does look to me like WDW has a decent variety of kids meals in the restaurant, with a mix of the 'standards' and some more adventurous choices. Every restaurant can't possibly make EVERYONE happy. If that's the case, have someone order a side, or bring a snack with you and get them something somewhere else later, or pick a different restaurant to begin with.

 

[OneinThree]

They were forcing her to eat it while she was sitting there crying, and finally she vomited. It was terrible. So sorry, that's not my style.

Not sure where you're getting this, but would encourage you to go back and read if think I've suggested as much anywhere in my posts. That sort of thing is just a ignorant as the behavior in question.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

How many children don't get to enjoy a Disney vacation? If any of my 5 complained about the food, they may never see another such trip.

I'm curious about this. Should kids that make a complaint about long lines, being tired, legs hurting, getting blisters, the heat, or 3d glasses that don't fit also not be allowed to have another Disney trip? Or is it only a food complaint (which is not even a problem, just means we order something different) that merits no more Disney? Please tell me who these people are whose children have never complained one time about one thing during a multiday Disney trip.

 

[Disneylovingmomof2]

I'm curious about this. Should kids that make a complaint about long lines, being tired, legs hurting, getting blisters, the heat, or 3d glasses that don't fit also not be allowed to have another Disney trip? Or is it only a food complaint (which is not even a problem, just means we order something different) that merits no more Disney? Please tell me who these people are whose children have never complained one time about one thing during a multiday Disney trip.

lol...I’d be scared to hear what she’d have to say about my six year old if she ever heard her! I personally believe young kids are inherently self oriented and while it’s good to have a convo and maybe redirect their frustrations/complaining, I can’t really see a huge punishment like that really being effective.

 

[jsmla]

I had a picky one who was also an epic tantrum thrower but I always figured that was my problem. I certainly didn't expect Disney to accommodate her chicketnuggetarian diet nor did we expose other diners to her bad conduct. We did the character breakfast buffets (She would eat pancakes/waffles and was a lot more serene in the morning.) but ate our other meals back in our camper at Ft Wilderness. Everybody (including the diners in the restaurants we avoided) was a lot happier that way. JMHO but vacation wasn't the time to work on my parenting skills or the lack thereof.

For the record she's 30 now, eats a normal, veggie heavy diet and has learned to control that temper Must admit that it was school that reined in the tantrums. She's a perfectionist who couldn't bear the shame of getting put on "red light". It took a high school boyfriend from a foodie family to move her beyong the nugget stage.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

I certainly didn't expect Disney to accommodate her chicketnuggetarian diet

You win the thread with that one!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I'm curious about this. Should kids that make a complaint about long lines, being tired, legs hurting, getting blisters, the heat, or 3d glasses that don't fit also not be allowed to have another Disney trip? Or is it only a food complaint (which is not even a problem, just means we order something different) that merits no more Disney? Please tell me who these people are whose children have never complained one time about one thing during a multiday Disney trip.

Well I almost sent my 15 year old home during our last Disney trip.

He complained for 3 days straight and I had had enough. He was 2.5 seconds away from being sent home unassisted minor and being picked up by his father at the airport. He got his life together in that very moment.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

lol...I’d be scared to hear what she’d have to say about my six year old if she ever heard her! I personally believe young kids are inherently self oriented and while it’s good to have a convo and maybe redirect their frustrations/complaining, I can’t really see a huge punishment like that really being effective.

One of the first things I learned as a parent....never threaten a punishment that you don't intend to keep. Telling my kids NO DISNEY means no trip for me....so not even an option LOL

 

[Disneylovingmomof2]

I had a picky one who was also an epic tantrum thrower but I always figured that was my problem. I certainly didn't expect Disney to accommodate her chicketnuggetarian diet nor did we expose other diners to her bad conduct. We did the character breakfast buffets (She would eat pancakes/waffles and was a lot more serene in the morning.) but ate our other meals back in our camper at Ft Wilderness. Everybody (including the diners in the restaurants we avoided) was a lot happier that way. JMHO but vacation wasn't the time to work on my parenting skills or the lack thereof.

For the record she's 30 now, eats a normal, veggie heavy diet and has learned to control that temper Must admit that it was school that reined in the tantrums. She's a perfectionist who couldn't bear the shame of getting put on "red light". It took a high school boyfriend from a foodie family to move her beyong the nugget stage.

A picky eater/tantrum thrower success story

 

[sponica]

I had a picky one who was also an epic tantrum thrower but I always figured that was my problem. I certainly didn't expect Disney to accommodate her chicketnuggetarian diet.

Best descriptor ever....although mine pitched a fit because all she wanted was applesauce and pepperoni for dinner one night. Hopefully that doesn't happen when we're sitting down at Le Cellier in 2 weeks...

 

[SaintsManiac]

I call it Food Wars. My daughter is only doing it to test her luck. She makes ridiculous claims about what she likes and doesn't like. We book mainly TS breakfasts, because she'll always eat that.

If she can't find something on the menu where we go, then she can have the peanut butter packs and goldfish in our backpack. We do not argue or stress about her insane food wars on our vacations. She knows this.

That being said, we do pick TS after carefully checking menus. It's everyone's vacation and no one should have to go to a restaurant they aren't interested in.

ETA: We offer plenty of different foods. Kids can be super controlling and manipulative. It's just life and it's not on ME that she refuses to eat "melted cheese" or "dirty food" aka food with seasoning on it. When she devoured her plate of ravioli at Via Napoli my husband and I almost fell over. A kid that walks 5 miles at Epcot will eat anything

 

[richkaryn]

My child is one that always found the kids menu way too limited, as he is a very adventurous eater. We quit doing the DDP and just paid OOP, and sometimes he would order off kids menu ( when it had a steak option or the like) and other times he'd order an appetizer off adult menu as his meal (calamari at Via Napoli for one). Now he has turned 10 and is a "disney adult" so it won't be a big deal anymore. We have always exposed him to food, never forcing him to eat anything (as I was as a child, and I am a semi-picky eater) but asking if he would at least try. He has always been willing to try new foods and there really isn't much he won't eat-- green beans being only thing I can think of right now, and every once in a while he will even eat those depending on how they are cooked. Our nephew (now 21) was always catered to by my inlaws who raised him- my FIL would drive across town every single night to buy the child a McDonald's hamburger with ketchup and lettuce only for supper. When he was with us, I would try to get him to eat other things. One time I went to Sonic and he said "I don't eat here". I informed him they had burgers just like McDonald's and he could eat one or get over it. We also introduced him to steak and a few other foods he eats, but to this day he has a very limited number of foods he will actually eat. My MIL will be fixing a meal for the family and say "well, I have to make chicken tenders or separate things for the kids because they won't eat all this stuff." I am quick to remind her that my 10 yr old will eat anything she puts in front of him, unlike the 21 year old.
Of course, with me being the semi-picky one, I have always made a point to show my child that you can almost always find something you will eat on a menu. I do not eat any seafood at all, yet I sucked it up and went to Cape May dinner with DH and DS one year (though I did leave still hungry from that one because there were very very limited non-seafood choices I would eat. ) I do not eat Chinese food much though they both love it (this is more of I was raised up north in an area with many Asian immigrants who owned very authentic Asian restaurants, and used to love Chinese food. Then I moved to TN where most Asian cuisine is mass-produced processed buffet junk. I have found a hibachi restaurant near by that is closer to what I ate as a kid so I compromise. I also will go to the buffet once in a blue moon with them and find a plate of edible food choices.

 

[NYCgrrl]

My kids have grown up eating traditional Puerto Rican foods since they were born. So chicken nuggets, pizza, burgers ("normal kid food") was a treat for them. When we went to WDW they would devour the nuggets or burgers because it was something different. But by day 4 they're asking for rice and beans and San Angel or La Hacienda doesn't cut it.

My son is a picky eater at times (mostly with American food) but I don't feed into it. I'm that mom that serves dinner and if you don't like it you can make a sandwich or have cereal. My daughter will try and eat everything.

I grew up with a cousin who ate Perdue chicken nuggets twice a day everyday. I was about 8 years older than him and even as a kid it boggled my mind. I never made a chicken nugget in my house until my kids were well over 10 years old because I didn't want to be that mom traveling with Perdue nuggets in a bag every time we visited family. lol

I do wish Disney would add things to their kids menu but they are feeding the masses. They make what sells. So yes I do think picky eaters effect the menus at WDW. We would usually order our kids adult meals so they could get different foods if they wanted.

Definite first world problem.

Include Frontera Cocina to the "not gonna happen again" list for my sensibilities. That was soo sad on so many different levels.. I mean if you can't do rice and beans and give it some flavor....why should I care? LOL. I'm now "scared" to eat at Bongos Cafe...have you tried it and what do you think?
I wish Daisy Martinez would open a restaurant up @ Disney World.

 

[JerseyJanice]

We fostered a boy for almost four years who was ridiculously picky. He had all kinds of food issues. Food items couldn’t touch each other. He wouldn’t eat anything that was the color green. If he saw any kind of seasoning like pepper or parsley on something, he wouldn’t touch it. There were very few things he would eat.

Since I enjoy cooking and serving nice meals, he frustrated me often. In my head, I always blamed his mother because I know that she rarely cooked anything. They ate out all the time when he was younger, and I’m confident that she let him order whatever he wanted.

By the time he left us, though, I wasn’t so sure that the pickiness was her fault. He was 17 by then and stuck to his weird ways of eating the whole time he lived with us. Now I think that’s just how he was.

The good news is that we just saw last week for the first time in a couple of years, and he has expanded his palate. He now eats sushi! Of all things—he won’t eat a salad, but he likes sashimi.

 

[richkaryn]

Heck, one of my sons is such a supertaster, he will only eat certain foods the day you open the package because he can detect the "aging" (oxidation) that happens once something has been opened and the flavors start to go "off." Blows my mind, and makes things quite difficult.

I don't eat a lot of sandwich meat- can't stand cold cut ham (though I am not a super fan of cooked hot ham either), cold cut turkey I will eat only if I am somewhere and it is a choice between it or ham (I do like a hot cooked turkey though). But even the sandwich meats I will eat (roast beef, chicken, etc) I am the same way about I will eat it the day the package is open...after that it does not taste the same to me.

 

[DLgal]

I don't eat a lot of sandwich meat- can't stand cold cut ham (though I am not a super fan of cooked hot ham either), cold cut turkey I will eat only if I am somewhere and it is a choice between it or ham (I do like a hot cooked turkey though). But even the sandwich meats I will eat (roast beef, chicken, etc) I am the same way about I will eat it the day the package is open...after that it does not taste the same to me.

Roast beef is the big offender for my son. He just recently started liking it. But, he will only eat it the first day I open the package or the day I have it sliced at the deli. I have thrown away a lot of good roast beef lately...sigh...I told him last night that roast beef was going to be a once in awhile thing, since he will only eat it on day one. If I don't have plans to eat the rest of it, I'm not buying it. At $13/pound, he doesn't get to be that picky. LOL.

 

[SomDayMyPrnceWillCom]

My 4 year old is one of those picky eaters. He may want Mac N cheese one day and say he hates it the next. Then he may eat sushi and not want to touch a hamburger. Getting him to eat is like an act of Congress sometimes. I expose him to many different types of food but he doesn't want to try them. My grown daughter was the opposite. The more exotic the better for her. She'd try anything when she was little.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Definite first world problem.

Include Frontera Cocina to the "not gonna happen again" list for my sensibilities. That was soo sad on so many different levels.. I mean if you can't do rice and beans and give it some flavor....why should I care? LOL. I'm now "scared" to eat at Bongos Cafe...have you tried it and what do you think?
I wish Daisy Martinez would open a restaurant up @ Disney World.

I've never been to Bongos but I have a friend that went last year. Her whole family loved it and it's their one must do for their next trip. And they are all Latin too.

 

[strike4]

It's actually NOT mostly chicken nuggets and mac and cheese. It's more often pasta with marinara, grilled chicken or fish with rice or potatoes, a hamburger, or cheese pizza. In our experience, mac and cheese and nuggets are actually fairly hard to find at TS restaurants.

Our child is tired of those two items so I was concerned. Thanks!