Picky 7 year old

[jmc318]

Going down to Disney in November for Jersey week with my 3 boys (11, 7, and 3). My 7 year old eats very little no matter what I do. Breakfast is not an issue as he eats Pancakes, Waffles, and Pop Tarts. Lunch and Dinner is where I have issues. Beyond pasta with butter and cheese, there is almost nothing else he eats (once in a while I can get him to eat Pizza).

We are going to be on the DDP and are going down with another family. Any restaurant suggestions that would work for him and still give the rest of us a nice meal?

Any suggestions on getting him to eat different foods before we go would be welcome as well.

Thanks.

 

[madalex]

You can get pasta with butter at just about any TS restaurant, so if that is all he eats, you will be fine.

As for suggestions to get him to try other stuff, here is one: don't give him a choice. He either eats what everyone else is eating or he doesn't eat. When he gets hungry enough, he will try other foods.

 

[newrygirl]

making him eat what he doesn't want to eat is not the way to spend your holidays, this is not the time to enforce new eating habits as everyone will be miserable, almost all disney resturants are very very good about finding something a picky eater will eat, even if he ends up having toast for supper or plain pasta, you will be fine, I also have a very picky eater and when we first started traveling I did what the above poster said and tried to make him eat different foods or i wouldn't let him hace dessert etc and you know what, it made for a very miserable holiday, now if he wants to eat pizza or pasta or only bread for a meal, I let him because it is his holiday too and after 3 pieces of bread for supper do I let him have a mickey bar, you bet, life is too short to have battles on our holidays, we go away to get away from stress, why create it in Disney world, believe me he will find stuff to eat, maybe do some buffets.

 

[madalex]

making him eat what he doesn't want to eat is not the way to spend your holidays, this is not the time to enforce new eating habits as everyone will be miserable, almost all disney resturants are very very good about finding something a picky eater will eat, even if he ends up having toast for supper or plain pasta, you will be fine, I also have a very picky eater and when we first started traveling I did what the above poster said and tried to make him eat different foods or i wouldn't let him hace dessert etc and you know what, it made for a very miserable holiday, now if he wants to eat pizza or pasta or only bread for a meal, I let him because it is his holiday too and after 3 pieces of bread for supper do I let him have a mickey bar, you bet, life is too short to have battles on our holidays, we go away to get away from stress, why create it in Disney world, believe me he will find stuff to eat, maybe do some buffets.

The OP asked "any suggestions on getting him to eat different foods before we go" (emphasis added). My suggestion was aimed at answering that question. I agree that starting to fight this battle while at WDW is not the ideal way to address this issue.

 

[jmc318]

I agree with you both. Would not even consider changing things on vacation. We have been trying to get him to eat other items which has made for some pretty miserable nights at my house. We keep trying however. My new idea is telling him that many restaurants in Disney do not have pasta so we need to try new things now.

I would be happy to get back to chicken nuggets. I saw at Costco last week bags of Mickey Mouse shaped chicken nuggets. Maybe if I tell him that these are what we will fin in November I will have some luck.

Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[danielle782001]

Tutto Italia is a nice place and will give you pasta/butter.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Tell the 7 year old to suck it up, he's in DISNEY WORLD!