Need help with a PICKY eater!

[sydprincess]

We are leaving in 9 days and my main concern about our entire trip is how to combat my 2 year old DD's eating habits. Not only is she a violent eater (she will throw everything on her plate after she's done with it, which you never know when that will be, therefore the reason she gets away with it) but after looking at the menus of the places we plan to eat at, there is no way she will eat the mac and cheese, PB&J, and any of the kiddie items they serve. I will of course try to give her some of the food that we order, but there's no guarantee there either. I'd hate to waste time running from place to place locating the types of foods she will eat. We will not get away with bringing in her meals either. They would suffice for snacks but not the 3 meals she'll need. ANY advice out there from someone who has experienced this with their child before? I'm so concerned that she's going to make a scene wherever we go, not to mention return home emaciated from not having eaten while there (I'm being dramatic, but I do have concerns about weight loss).

 

[phanomouse]

What kinds of food will she eat, I know that I could help you out a bit more if I knew what types of things she did like... Also if you tell your waiter what she might like from the menu they will be able to accomodate portion size. The other suggestion I would make is to purchase things from either the grocery store if you can get to one or try to grab things from the convenience stores in the resorts (they are limited and over priced but it might help). Good luck, try not to stress too much it might take away from the magic. Have a GREAT trip!

 

[phyllis1966]

sydprincess,

I agree with phanomouse - if you tell us what she'll eat, we can certainly help you out with some suggestions for your DD - and the chefs at the WDW restaurants will usually go out of their way to accomodate guests.

BTW, my DD barely eats at all while we are in WDW, because of all the excitement, but she's never appeared to lose any weight because of it - a few ice cream bars will take care of that!

 

[slp87]

My DD (9) is fairly picky and likes unusual foods. My philosophy has always been to not worry about it when at WDW and let her eat when she sees something she likes...a week of junk won't kill her. Thankfully she's not much of a junker, she just tends to eat the same foods our entire trip. One year it was french fries, another it was hotdogs (and always Mickey Premium Bars!). My DD has never eaten pb&j or mac & cheese, in fact she's never even eaten a hamburger, but we always manage to find something. Like someone else said, just try not to worry about it too much and enjoy the trip.

 

[disney4us2002]

Let me start by saying this may not be a popular answer but here goesl, lol. Do yourself a favor now while she's only two and do not cater to this "picky" eating. Like the others said, she will not suffer from only one week of eating very little if that is her choice. Offer, offer, offer and she'll eat when she's hungry.

I have three sons and went thru this with the middle one for whatever reason. Our first was a terrific eater from the start but when number two came along, he didn't like much of anything and even now at 11 he is reluctant to eat a variety. We used to fix him different dinners, let him eat cereal instead, etc and we really had a tough time when he got to be 6ish then saying, "Okay, enough is enough and it's time to eat with us". So when our last son came along we agreed we weren't going to give in to pickiness again and he is similar to the first. Of course, some is just individuality but some is certainly that parents give in and continue to 'let' kids be picky. At least once every week there is a post about what to do with a picky eater and my advice is don't do anything.

 

[sydprincess]

WOW- you all have great advice. We have tried many, many times to deal with her being so picky by trying everything we can think of to do, but not much has seemed to help. For breakfast, she will usually eat fruit, yogurt, cereal, and sometimes waffles and French toast. She's not big on eggs, but I think we'll be okay for the most part at breakfast time. For lunch and dinner, she eats (this is horrible) chips, cookies, and fruit. She may eat some chicken with ketchup, but never beef, hot dogs, mac and cheese, spaghetti or veggies. She likes cottage cheese, pickles, and ice cream. This is pretty much it. I know it's not much to work with, but I will definitely try to ask the staff if they can help out in any way.

Thank you all for your help! It makes me feel better knowing that I'm not the only one out there who has dealt with this!

 

[madalex]

Originally posted by disney4us2002
Let me start by saying this may not be a popular answer but here goesl, lol. Do yourself a favor now while she's only two and do not cater to this "picky" eating. Like the others said, she will not suffer from only one week of eating very little if that is her choice. Offer, offer, offer and she'll eat when she's hungry.

At least once every week there is a post about what to do with a picky eater and my advice is don't do anything.

Amen to this! And I would say that the "picky eater" posts are a lot more often than "once per week" (and it's not always the kids who are the picky eaters; there are also frequently posts about adults who don't eat anything but "meat and potatoes" - that's what happens when you don't nip the "picky eater" syndrome in the bud when the kids are little).

 

[sydprincess]

This is fine, but I need advice regarding *my* DD's eating habits, not someone else's! Anyone out there who can actually provide advice?

 

[phanomouse]

From the list of things you said she will eat your going to be fine at any restaurant in WDW (sit down that is) counter service occasionally has assorted fruits and sometimes yogurt. Chips and cookies will be easily accessible anywhere. You will be just fine, Again have a great trip!!!

 

[Bob NC]

One of my kids was "picky" at one time. It's funny how if you don't give in they WILL eat....lol...Going one or two meals without eating anything somehow miraculously transforms them into being more adventurous in their eating habits.

Reminds me of a dog we got once that had eaten canned dog food all it's young life. We decided we were going "dry". He turned up his nose at it....for about 24 hours, then grew healthy and happy eating dry food exclusively.

 

[Kaycee]

From what you listed that she'll eat, I think you'll be fine. As you said, breakfast won't be an issue since she eats a good variety of breakfast foods. The majority of WDW restaurants have chicken, so she'll at least have that. Plus, a lot of places, especially the counter services and carts, have fruit. And there's no shortage of cookies and ice cream at WDW!

Of course, you'll want to offer her a little of what you're having at each meal, and who knows, maybe she'll add a few new things to her diet!

 

[mad4themouse]

Vacation time is not the time to begin food wars with a 2yo. You'll all end up miserable. If she eats chips, cookies and fruit at home for lunch & dinner, would it really be fair to her or yourself to expect her to change her eating habits for vacation? Those items, plus pickles and ice cream are readily available anywhere n WDW.

After you get back from your trip, you can work on improving her diet. Begin by offering healthy choices throughout the day. If she doesn't eat them, put them away and offer another healthy choice at the next meal or snacktime. Eventually she will eat.

 

[Jordan's MOM]

I think that mad4forthemouse is so right in saying that this in not the time to try to improve her diet and that was not your question. We too are parents that wish that we had stoped the picky eater stuff when it started right about your daughter's age. We never gave in to the junk food diet but he has been pretty picky about alot of stuff and it has taken the last 10 years to get over!!
As far as your trip, all the rules go out the window at WDW. You do not want to feed her cookies every meal, but neither do you want to battle with her. Carring food with you is not a bad idea. Tiny boxes of ceral, cans of fruit, or apple sauce are easy to carry and good choices for any meal. A few mickey cookies won't hurt either.
I would try to address the throwing food issue before you try to eat in nicer sit downs if that is in your plans. A two year old is old enough to understand what she is doing and to receive a consiquence for it. Being two is all about control and they want it all!!!
Don't worry, about weight loss, kids will eat if they are hungry. She might even discover a new food she likes!!!!

GOOD LUCK

Jordan's mom

 

[phyllis1966]

Ditto! You guys will be fine - all the things your DD likes are readily available all over WDW - have a great time!

 

[hookedup]

I have a picky 4 yr old DS, so I understand your concerns.
I don't "cater" to my son's pickiness - but when we are trying to enjoy a meal out, I don't want to hear him whine or carry-on either. It's easy for people to say - just let them eat what's available and when they're hungry enough they'll eat. That's all well and fine, but I don't want to spoil our vacation fighting over food issues with a toddler. I also don't want others trying to enjoy a meal nearby us have a meal spoiled by my sweet monster's outbursts.

That being said I would recommend looking at the menus of the places you want to go to familiarize yourself with the options available. As other posters have stated the chefs are really great about trying to accomodate requests. They deal with thousands of picky eaters both big and small

You can look for things on the kids menus and on the adult menus and see if there are items that would work for you. There is plenty of fruit and items that you mentioned above so I am sure that you will have options there. Combine that with bites of things you are eating to try and introduce some new things too.
Good luck and have fun at WDW!!!!

 

[tjmw2727]

All the menu's for the WDW Parks and Resorts are online at
www.allearsnet.com so you can check on the restaurants you are interested in. If you choose a buffet then under 3yo's eat free so you can pick and choose a little of anything for dd.

It sounds like breakfast won't be an issue and like others mentioned you can just carry a small soft sided cooler with some of her favorites. My sil uses some of the Gerber products for toddlers "graduates?" I think. They have some healthier type cereal bars that my nephew calls cookies as well as some goldfish and cereal type snacks that seem pretty good. I thought they were pricy but it may be worth looking into for a trip.

I agree with the posters who said that WDW isn't the time to change dd's habits. FWIW my oldest was sooo picky and is my best eater now so don't worry (if you ever were worried!).

I would start noting which favorite items dd' is eating that you could bring with you. I know cottage cheese comeis in plastic single serve containers - great for travel. Again you may not buy them for everyday due to the cost but in a pinch they may be a lifesaver. A stop at a "real" grocery in Florida would be a good idea. A cookie for lunch isn't so bad esp if you make it an oatmeal or oatmeal rasin cookie!! Another advantage to having a small cooler for dd is having something handy when she gets hungry. A two year old may not be able to wait for a drink or snack while you stand in line and order.

As for the throwing - its pretty common! I solved this by just giving my dd's a few items at a time, and replenishing as needed. Then when they were done if they did throw it was only a bit or two. Most of the high chairs at WDW are the wooden ones that pull up to the table. The disposable placemats with the sticky sides are ideal for feeding a toddler.

On vacation, if I can get one good meal a day in my kids, a fruit serving as well as some juice and milk then I don't worry. Kids seem to know what they need!

Have a great trip.

TJ

 

[Jenn]

Another thought - if she eats cereal, bring along a couple of those individual boxes of cereal each day. You can easily get a bowl, spoon and milk. There are fruit stands at all the parks with apples, bananas, grapes and usually also some pre-cut fruits like pineapple, melons, etc.

Try not to worry - my almost 3 year old didn't eat meat for about a year. Now, she is slowly working most meats into her diet. I just keep putting it on her plate and incorporate other healthy choices throughout the day.

 

[sydprincess]

Thanks SO much everyone! You have all posted things I have not yet thought of and will put them into practice while we are there. I appreciate your help and will do my best to make it work!

 

[wintergreen]

Another idea is to stop by the various stands in the parks that sell fruit. We try to do this at least once per day to supplement the meals (that often don't get eaten). The kids like the bags of grapes, or apples.

 

[tjmw2727]

Originally posted by wintergreen
Another idea is to stop by the various stands in the parks that sell fruit. We try to do this at least once per day to supplement the meals (that often don't get eaten). The kids like the bags of grapes, or apples.

Ditto for us - I was so glad when they put the various fruit stands in. MK in toontown, MGM by the TOT, AK by the safari and Epcot various places including the land and by Test Track. My girls love the treat and at WDW it seems really great and a treat for them. At your childs age a bananna could be a fun treat in the stroller - messy but fun with some added vitamins.

TJ