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

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Nah it's not really the parents. Disney is trying to appease the masses, or what they perceive the masses will want.

I was a very picky eater for a while. I was also one who didn't eat much at all..we're talking a bite out of a McDonald's cheeseburger and I was done type thing for years-I was tiny for my age and didn't grow for a while. We'd get a happy meal and go into a local Mexican restaurant because I didn't want to try it. We'd get a bologna and cheese with mayo sandwich like clockwork at Mr Goodcents, etc. Every now and then I'd taste my parent's food and like it sometimes and not like it sometimes.

It wasn't until years later that my taste buds changed. I'm told that happens to most people several times throughout their lifetime. I used to eat salmon and now I can't stomach the thought or any other seafood for that matter other than crab rangoon (and generally that's not real crab but imitation crab). But the idea of coconut, hummus, black olives, avacado, etc was way out there years ago but now I love those.

I do think a tad bit more variety would be nice. Not variety in terms of what every place offers but perhaps more places offering more options in addition to normal items and then leaving some places as what we may call the staples or the normal. But my caveat is there are many places that offer many different items. Not all on kids menus for sure. But I think you've got to decide what you want to do--appease your particular child's taste buds more by ordering off the adult menu and pay the higher cost or opt not to. My mom didn't like buying that happy meal knowing I'd eat little of it but she did it. For Disney it would be a gamble that may not pay off to add too many places with more options. Could lead to places that started out with a good variety and then was pared down over time (That's already happened at times).

 

[Shanti]

So I just watched the new WDW Discussion (04/24/2018) and found their discussion about their Best & Worst Restaurants on site really interesting. During the dialogue, Corey mentioned his experience at the Skipper Canteen, where there was "nothing for his kids to eat" (he stated that he stopped at a fast food restaurant afterwards). In a previous episode last year, Julie trashed the new Pecos Bill's menu because "there was nothing on their menu for her kids to eat". I do not mention Julie & Corey to single them out specifically because I genuinely appreciate the family perspective they bring when discussing topics (as no one else in the current group on DIS has younger children). Instead, in this case, Corey & Julie are examples of families that have children that seem to eat very limited things (which I know is very common). That said, kid menus are greatly effected because of these fussy kids - where it seems every kid menu has chicken nuggets or strips, macaroni & cheese, a Crustable sandwich and burgers as their only choices. I would argue that I wish there was MORE variety for kid menus.

I am blessed with 3 sons (17, 15 & 11). I raised my older boys with a wide variety of food of different nationalities from a young age. My youngest is my step son, and he definitely falls into the category of the fussy kid that will only eat chicken fingers everywhere we go. He was exposed to as many foods growing up and he has always been allowed to fall back on safe choices and not forced to try other varieties of food. In contrast, when my sons were younger, I had them eating off of my plate at restaurants because the kid menu selections were always the same distilled choices we constantly see. Now that my sons are older, they no longer eat off of kid menus. But for those of you that have younger children that still do, are their any parents that wish the kid menus had some better selections and don't suffer because other people have fussy kids? Is it not up to the parent to diversify their children's pallet instead of kowtowing to the 3 things they like?

My son ate off the Disney adult menus at age 9 because he wanted real food. Kids' menu choices are quite limited.

I don't blame the fussy kids, but rather their parents who let them eat the same type of food all the time at home. That's why their palate is so limited. Yes, every child is different (mine is autistic & had to be strongly encouraged to try unfamiliar things), but it's up to the parent to make the effort to teach the child to consume a diverse diet.

Whatever happened to requiring kids to eat their vegetables? These days, many parents treat vegetables like they're just one choice, and nuggets or pizza is just another choice. Then when the children choose nuggets & pizza all the time, they say, "Well, I exposed them to all types of food." Give me a break.

 

[GAMom2]

Wow. There are so many mean comments on here. Maybe it is because I have two picky eaters that I find some of these comments so sad. My daughter had severe reflux as a baby and wouldn’t/ couldn’t eat solid foods until she was close to two years old because of a texture issue. She would get sick every time we gave her anything with a solid texture and so transitioning her to real food was difficult. Now she is nearly 8 and still has issues with certain foods. I pack her lunch every day because I know she will go hungry and get severe headaches if she is only offered food that she doesn’t like. Thankfully she likes enough at Disney world that finding her something to eat was not very difficult. She loves a variety of fruits, yogurt and pasta so we could make it work. Her three year old brother is very similar in what he will eat so at least our meals are easy to prepare for both. We have a rule that our kids have to at least try new foods. They don’t have to eat it all but they have to try it. I guess it just bothers me that so many people are judging without having any idea what issues someone may have or why they may prefer certain things. And I guess I feel like it’s really not anyone else’s business why I let my daughter eat what she’s comfortable with.

 

[missbrooke06]

I agree with the sentiment that not every restaurant needs to serve every type of kid food or that all of them need any "kid" food.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - at home, you'll eat what I make or you won't eat (I let my son skip peas because he really hates them) but on vacation, I'm not going to force them to eat a balanced meal. One week of massive carbs and the only veggie in sight being pizza sauce isn't going to kill them.

 

[KellyHonos]

I believe that kids are fussy because they just genuinely don't have interest in adult-like foods. I think restaurants probably offer up the typical kid-faves because it may be a waste of their time and resources to include ethnic and culturally diverse options for children seeing as a majority of the time, they won't like it or it will go to waste. I'm not saying that's why, I'm just guessing. Trust me, Disney being the money-hungry company that it is, if they saw dollar signs in including more diverse options on the childrens menu, I'm willing to bet they would change it. I think it just comes down to the reality that kids are not adventurous when they're little. I certainly wasn't. My younger sister certainly wasn't. It's not always that parent's don't try to include more food in their kid's diets, it's that the fight probably isn't worth it. Growing up, I hated being forced to eat things I didn't like, it was really bothersome and it made me uncomfortable. Especially when you're on a Disney trip, the last thing I'd want to do is argue about the types of food my kids eat. Getting kids to eat in general can be hard, so I think parents just try and pick their battles, lol.

I agree that menus in general could be more diverse, but like I said, Disney goes where the money goes. Personally, being vegetarian, I'd like to see more vegetarian options, but I know that the majority of the population is not vegetarian, so I'm not mad that they don't invest resources into creating just vegetarian restaurants and quick services because they wouldn't pull in the type of money that they want.

 

[scrapquitler]

Here's something else that nobody seems to be considering. Disney is a VACATION. For our family, at least, the rules and the norms go out the window when we are on vacation. There is no bedtime, most rules are much more relaxed. Our kids almost never get soda, we're on vacation, here, have a soda!

Everyone here is judging families based on what kids choose to eat on VACATION. If you look at me on vacation, I'm drinking alcohol with every dinner that it's available and I'm eating desert at almost every meal. Don't think that means I do that at home. My husband eats pizza in the foodcourt at the resort almost every night when we are at Disney because it is VACATION. That doesn't mean that he does it at home.

Parents looking for the nuggets/hotdogs/pizza at restaurants when they are at Disney might not let their kids eat nuggets/hotdogs/pizza very often at home. Maybe they want to let the kids order whatever they want because it's vacation. Maybe they just don't want to be the food police and be enforcing 'you must eat 8 peas and 3 green beans' while they are on vacation. The grown ups get to choose what they want to eat on vacation, why shouldn't the kids have the same option?

Sure, there are those of us who have the super picky kids who won't eat a lot of things, but give parents a break. They are on vacation and maybe they just don't want to argue about vegetables with the kid for the 8492nd time.

 

[KellyHonos]

Here's something else that nobody seems to be considering. Disney is a VACATION. For our family, at least, the rules and the norms go out the window when we are on vacation. There is no bedtime, most rules are much more relaxed. Our kids almost never get soda, we're on vacation, here, have a soda!

Everyone here is judging families based on what kids choose to eat on VACATION. If you look at me on vacation, I'm drinking alcohol with every dinner that it's available and I'm eating desert at almost every meal. Don't think that means I do that at home. My husband eats pizza in the foodcourt at the resort almost every night when we are at Disney because it is VACATION. That doesn't mean that he does it at home.

Parents looking for the nuggets/hotdogs/pizza at restaurants when they are at Disney might not let their kids eat nuggets/hotdogs/pizza very often at home. Maybe they want to let the kids order whatever they want because it's vacation. Maybe they just don't want to be the food police and be enforcing 'you must eat 8 peas and 3 green beans' while they are on vacation. The grown ups get to choose what they want to eat on vacation, why shouldn't the kids have the same option?

Sure, there are those of us who have the super picky kids who won't eat a lot of things, but give parents a break. They are on vacation and maybe they just don't want to argue about vegetables with the kid for the 8492nd time.

I'm with you on this. I see parents arguing with their kids about wait times, resting, their feet being sore, their shoes not fitting, their backpacks being heavy, being tired, etc. The last thing they want to do is fight about having a more diverse palette at 5 years old, LOL...

Disney world should be FUN! Not work!!!! I understand theres tons of walking and waiting, but once you've waited and walked, you should be met with a joyful experience, something to remind you why you waited and walked. That could be a show, an attraction, a meal, a character expereince, whatever. Don't harp on your children over petty things, it's just not worth it. Just let everyone have a nice time.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Here's something else that nobody seems to be considering. Disney is a VACATION. For our family, at least, the rules and the norms go out the window when we are on vacation. There is no bedtime, most rules are much more relaxed. Our kids almost never get soda, we're on vacation, here, have a soda!

Everyone here is judging families based on what kids choose to eat on VACATION. If you look at me on vacation, I'm drinking alcohol with every dinner that it's available and I'm eating desert at almost every meal. Don't think that means I do that at home. My husband eats pizza in the foodcourt at the resort almost every night when we are at Disney because it is VACATION. That doesn't mean that he does it at home.

Parents looking for the nuggets/hotdogs/pizza at restaurants when they are at Disney might not let their kids eat nuggets/hotdogs/pizza very often at home. Maybe they want to let the kids order whatever they want because it's vacation. Maybe they just don't want to be the food police and be enforcing 'you must eat 8 peas and 3 green beans' while they are on vacation. The grown ups get to choose what they want to eat on vacation, why shouldn't the kids have the same option?

Sure, there are those of us who have the super picky kids who won't eat a lot of things, but give parents a break. They are on vacation and maybe they just don't want to argue about vegetables with the kid for the 8492nd time.

Agree 100%.

Tired of people having an opinion on how other people eat in general, but yes this is vacation. How about we all just stop worrying about what other people do?

 

[BEASLYBOO]

Here's my last contribution to this thread ( I promise)

I don't know when the tide changed and food, (not talking sushi, Pho, spicy Mexican etc.) like meatloaf, chicken, beef, vegetables, rice & potatoes all of a sudden became "Adult Food" I grew up eating food that my mother cooked. On special occasions or as a special treat my parents would take me out and we might have pizza and soda, or as a treat a McDonald's lunch. We need to stop this nonsense of labeling food as "children" and "adult food" trust me I know many adults who make a diet of chicken nuggets and french fries. Disney can't totally please everyone, but it does it's level best to provide something for picky, fussy, cheap, vegetarian, carnivore, omnivore. Parents do what works for them, people rationalize their actions, in the end we all do. The chicken industry saw an opening, how can we capitalize on peoples need for quick & convenient. "We will use chicken parts, glue them together with fillers, add salt and breading" and the chicken nugget was born. Only now, due to the pressure from doctors, nutritionists and society have these companies been forced to re-invent the chicken nugget into something healthier (oxymoron). You're not a bad parent, let's blame Tyson!

 

[Tattylou]

I'm with all the other parents of kids with sensory food issues. If you haven't lived with a kid with these kind of issues than you do not understand it. It is not anyone's fault. I have one kid who will try anything. My other son has had food aversions and sensory issues since we first introduced solid foods when he was a baby.


@SaintsManiac and @scrapquitler I completely agree!!

 

[KellyHonos]

Here's my last contribution to this thread ( I promise)

I don't know when the tide changed and food, (not talking sushi, Pho, spicy Mexican etc.) like meatloaf, chicken, beef, vegetables, rice & potatoes all of a sudden became "Adult Food" I grew up eating food that my mother cooked. On special occasions or as a special treat my parents would take me out and we might have pizza and soda, or as a treat a McDonald's lunch. We need to stop this nonsense of labeling food as "children" and "adult food" trust me I know many adults who make a diet of chicken nuggets and french fries. Disney can't totally please everyone, but it does it's level best to provide something for picky, fussy, cheap, vegetarian, carnivore, omnivore. Parents do what works for them, people rationalize their actions, in the end we all do. The chicken industry saw an opening, how can we capitalize on peoples need for quick & convenient. "We will use chicken parts, glue them together with fillers, add salt and breading" and the chicken nugget was born. Only now, due to the pressure from doctors, nutritionists and society have these companies been forced to re-invent the chicken nugget into something healthier (oxymoron). You're not a bad parent, let's blame Tyson!

Oh yeah, I totally get down with some mac and cheese french fries! Probably some of my favorite foods, LOL. I think more adventurous food is categorized as adult food because as we mature and get older, we're less intimidated by things we are not familiar with. If you're raised to eat foods with seasonings on it, perhaps you won't be so apprehensive to eat it when on vacation. Overall, we all have different tastes in food, we can all just let that be that Also, who cares what people eat on vacation?! It's vacation!

 

[BEASLYBOO]

I think more adventurous food is categorized as adult food because as we mature and get older, we're less intimidated by things we are not familiar with. If you're raised to eat foods with seasonings on it, !

Kelly, you got me to contradict myself, because trust me there was nothing adventuresome or seasoned about my MIL's meatloaf but you don't see that on kid's menus and my ex ate it weekly as a child. (Cruel and unusual punishment) Generational gap, but hey I love McDonald's fries too.

 

[CHEMISTSP]

Here's my last contribution to this thread ( I promise)

I don't know when the tide changed and food, (not talking sushi, Pho, spicy Mexican etc.) like meatloaf, chicken, beef, vegetables, rice & potatoes all of a sudden became "Adult Food" I grew up eating food that my mother cooked. On special occasions or as a special treat my parents would take me out and we might have pizza and soda, or as a treat a McDonald's lunch. We need to stop this nonsense of labeling food as "children" and "adult food" trust me I know many adults who make a diet of chicken nuggets and french fries. Disney can't totally please everyone, but it does it's level best to provide something for picky, fussy, cheap, vegetarian, carnivore, omnivore. Parents do what works for them, people rationalize their actions, in the end we all do. The chicken industry saw an opening, how can we capitalize on peoples need for quick & convenient. "We will use chicken parts, glue them together with fillers, add salt and breading" and the chicken nugget was born. Only now, due to the pressure from doctors, nutritionists and society have these companies been forced to re-invent the chicken nugget into something healthier (oxymoron). You're not a bad parent, let's blame Tyson!

There have been a lot of excellent points made on this thread on this topic that I started. I just want to say to all the parents that feel they are being attacked or judged - that was truly not my intent. I just notice in my circles a resistance of parents to even attempt to get kids to even try foods beyond their normal "chicketnuggetarian diet" (excellent post jsmla!!!). Unfortunately, Disney is like many other restaurants in that they really lower their standards when it comes to their kid menus. I love the idea of having an option of child portions on adult offerings that several people had suggested, and I don't mind that there are things like chicken nuggets, pizza and the like as offerings - but they truly do dominate most of the kid menus. Also, Vegetarian options and vegetables in general are lacking as options in my opinion. Any judgement I have in my postings was more directed at the menus with the question being if we, as parents, worked harder to diversify what our kids ate would that encourage restaurants to improve the choices they offer?

And lastly, I agree with Scrapquitler that it is a VACATION, and if you decide as a parent to loosen the restraints in what your kids eat you should not be judged for it. The Disboard Community does not disappoint and I truly do appreciate the opinions I have read on this thread over the last couple of days

 

[Bostonbeans99]

How hard is it really to have the easily made pizza, chicken nuggets, or the SIMPLE grilled cheese on the menu?

I am a person willing to "try" anything when it comes to food....but there are many restaurants at Disney that even I have to look up what the heck the item is! lol
So many dishes are so..........Fancy Schmancy.
I usually know the main course but the sides..........I'm usually going huh?

I order at Seafood restaurants and my husband orders chicken.
I go to a Mexican restaurant and 50% of the time my husband orders chicken.
I order a salad..my husband orders coleslaw, or jello (ha)
Panera Bread...my husband orders a grilled cheese.

Does it bother me a little.....sure. But to each persons taste buds and food preferences who am I to be the judge?
I've been with him 28 years, and my boys are just like him and my daughter is just like me.

BTW, I had a coworker for 6 yrs and I never saw her bring anything but a basic garden salad for lunch everyday. I believe that is 1,560 salads I watched her eat day after day after day.

I asked her once as she ate her salad....do you order that in a restaurant too? She said "no, I will sometimes get a hamburger".
I thought yeah right.....but then I thought it's not my job to police her food or anyone elses.

 

[KellyHonos]

Kelly, you got me to contradict myself, because trust me there was nothing adventuresome or seasoned about my MIL's meatloaf but you don't see that on kid's menus and my ex ate it weekly as a child. (Cruel and unusual punishment) Generational gap, but hey I love McDonald's fries too.

But you have to remember, not every one is raised the same. To some people, heavily seasoned chicken could be considered adventurous to some. I'm just playing devil's advocate

 

[DLgal]

"You eat what I cook/serve or you don't eat."

I have seen a version of this brought up many times. I find it quite hypocritical.

Anyone who says this is exerting control over someone else. The person is dictating what another person gets to eat. But who decides what to cook? Presumably the one doing the cooking, so it stands to reason the cook is making something he/she feels like eating, and enjoys.

However, when a child tries to exert control over what food goes into his own mouth, he is shot down. Why is this okay? Why do we teach kids to just "shut up and do as I say?" How does this help them learn to navigate life and assert themselves and make their own choices? What does this teach them about questioning people who have power over them when they are being asked to do something very much against their will?

Why is it so hard for some parents to give up some modicum of control in order to make their children happy at mealtimes? Food is meant to be nourishing, but it is also one of life's pleasures to be enjoyed. I find it so sad that so many people seem to be okay with such hard line parenting on this topic.

I can understand extreme situations like poverty, where food choices are limited. I'm certainly not advocating letting your child eat ice cream and cookies for every meal. I believe in offering choices and teaching children to eat balanced, healthy meals by example. For almost 13 years, I have offered and encouraged my kids to try what I am eating, at every opportunity. Sometimes they do. More often, they don't want to. But, who am I to force food into their mouths or make them go hungry? That sounds like jail to me, not being a loving parent.

Can you imagine going to a restaurant, having the waiter order for you without your input, and then saying "you will eat what I bring out or you won't eat." How would that make you feel?

 

[NYCgrrl]

I try to only judge 2 sets of people in life: stoopid people (those who waste their G-d given brains) and family members.
Everyone else in life can do whatever they want....w/i reason.

 

[Minniemouse07]

Unless I missed it, I am surprised nobody has mentioned the buffets! When we use the dining plan, we always go to buffets for our table service credits because they are a much better value for the kids meal than the sit down restaurants (often, the child's buffet price is more than the per-day cost of a child dining plan!). The variety at the buffet is huge, and we have always been impressed by the quality everywhere EXCEPT Chef Mickey's.

We were all over the buffets when my picky eater was younger, but now that he is 12yo I have a hard time paying $40-$60+ for him to eat a plate of plain pasta.

My search for TS options always looks for any kind of pasta on the menu and then we ask for a plate of plain pasta w/ butter and a vegetable on the side. Unfortunately there is a large percentage of TS restaurants that don't have any pasta at all. :-(

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

"You eat what I cook/serve or you don't eat."

I have seen a version of this brought up many times. I find it quite hypocritical.

Anyone who says this is exerting control over someone else. The person is dictating what another person gets to eat. But who decides what to cook? Presumably the one doing the cooking, so it stands to reason the cook is making something he/she feels like eating, and enjoys.

However, when a child tries to exert control over what food goes into his own mouth, he is shot down. Why is this okay? Why do we teach kids to just "shut up and do as I say?" How does this help them learn to navigate life and assert themselves and make their own choices? What does this teach them about questioning people who have power over them when they are being asked to do something very much against their will?

Why is it so hard for some parents to give up some modicum of control in order to make their children happy at mealtimes? Food is meant to be nourishing, but it is also one of life's pleasures to be enjoyed. I find it so sad that so many people seem to be okay with such hard line parenting on this topic.

I can understand extreme situations like poverty, where food choices are limited. I'm certainly not advocating letting your child eat ice cream and cookies for every meal. I believe in offering choices and teaching children to eat balanced, healthy meals by example. For almost 13 years, I have offered and encouraged my kids to try what I am eating, at every opportunity. Sometimes they do. More often, they don't want to. But, who am I to force food into their mouths or make them go hungry? That sounds like jail to me, not being a loving parent.

Can you imagine going to a restaurant, having the waiter order for you without your input, and then saying "you will eat what I bring out or you won't eat." How would that make you feel?

I agree that it's unfair for the person cooking to have complete control. But I also don't have the time nor the willingness to cook multiple meals on any given night. The compromise that works in my family is pretty simple. Every Sunday we loosely plan out meals for the week. Each family member gets one day to choose the meal, which I then prepare. If anyone doesn't like the meal one night, I might make a slight variation to accommodate said family member (i.e my son doesn't care for spaghetti sauce, so on spaghetti night I'll leave some noodles plain for him). We don't force anyone to eat things they hate, but we do require that the meals are healthy and well balanced. Don't like broccoli? Have some raw carrots instead. We also require that they try things once. If you don't try it, you won't know if you like it or not. I think that approach has helped my kids to have well rounded palates and a willingness to try new things.

 

[KellyHonos]

"You eat what I cook/serve or you don't eat."

I have seen a version of this brought up many times. I find it quite hypocritical.

Anyone who says this is exerting control over someone else. The person is dictating what another person gets to eat. But who decides what to cook? Presumably the one doing the cooking, so it stands to reason the cook is making something he/she feels like eating, and enjoys.

However, when a child tries to exert control over what food goes into his own mouth, he is shot down. Why is this okay? Why do we teach kids to just "shut up and do as I say?" How does this help them learn to navigate life and assert themselves and make their own choices? What does this teach them about questioning people who have power over them when they are being asked to do something very much against their will?

Why is it so hard for some parents to give up some modicum of control in order to make their children happy at mealtimes? Food is meant to be nourishing, but it is also one of life's pleasures to be enjoyed. I find it so sad that so many people seem to be okay with such hard line parenting on this topic.

I can understand extreme situations like poverty, where food choices are limited. I'm certainly not advocating letting your child eat ice cream and cookies for every meal. I believe in offering choices and teaching children to eat balanced, healthy meals by example. For almost 13 years, I have offered and encouraged my kids to try what I am eating, at every opportunity. Sometimes they do. More often, they don't want to. But, who am I to force food into their mouths or make them go hungry? That sounds like jail to me, not being a loving parent.

Can you imagine going to a restaurant, having the waiter order for you without your input, and then saying "you will eat what I bring out or you won't eat." How would that make you feel?

I think it's controlling as well. I have never been big on eating meat, even in childhood, and my family would always force me to eat it or I didn't get dessert, even if I ate my vegetables and other sides. Back then, I didn't enjoy the texture of meat, now I still don't enjoy the texture and for ethical reasons I don't consume it. It's just bizarre to me that people have this mindset that kids don't have their own sets of taste buds.