Vegetarian Toddler

[amarberry]

We will be visiting WDW in Sept. with our 15 month old DD who doesn't eat meat or eggs. I'm a little concerned about what we are going to do about protein with her since most of our protein sources (tofu, cheese, beans, yogurt) aren't easy to travel with and need to be refrigerated. We're staying at Pop and are using Magical Express, so we aren't planning on a grocery stop.

Does anyone know if the gift shop or food court at Pop carries Yo Baby or, her most recent favorite food, string cheese. Also, has anyone noticed if Disney offers any organic milk?

I guess I'm not too worried...I'm sure I can find something portable if I look a little harder. If all else fails, hopefully she'll be eating mac n cheese and veggie burgers by September.

Thank you!

 

[crisi]

No organic milk and no yo-baby.

We buy our tofu shelf stable in those little boxes.

As someone with vegans in my family (we are omnivores, and by omnivores I mean that we actually cook with tofu, use meat substitutes, and then grill a steak Friday night), I'd really consider renting a car, making sure you have a fridge in your room, and stopping by the natural food store (I believe there are two in decent driving distance to WDW, though neither is close - and I can't tell you more than that). If you are looking for organic, you are going to be sorely disappointed. Disney is OK for vegetarians (not great, but OK in the way that most restaurants are), however they aren't great if you go beyond "no meat" and into the "organic, no bio engineered" realm.

You may also want to post over to the restaurant board, where some real vegetarians hang out who will have done more than "occationally had the veggie sandwich when nothing else looks good and therefore isn't trapped by a limited vegetarian menu."

 

[amarberry]

Thanks for the reply. I'm a little disappointed that there is no Yo Baby, but we'll figure something out. No organic milk doesn't surprise me, but I thought they may have started selling it in the last year since it has become pretty popular. How does the shelf stable tofu compare to refrigerated tofu? I've never tried the shelf stable before.

We try to eat as much organic as possible at home, but I have no problem going without for a week. I had been planning to ship a box of jarred organic baby food, cereal, etc. ahead of time, so I wasn't too worried about what she would eat. Now, my DD is starting to reject baby food and only wants to eat "big girl" food so I'm just trying to figure out what to do. Of course, I can share my meals with her, but I admit, that I'm not the pillar of healthy eating while I'm on vacation, in part because I am also a vegetarian and choices are limited. I'm just a little worried because I know that we will be keeping her busy on vacation and I just want to make sure that her little body is getting enough fuel!

 

[crisi]

I like the shelf stable and its all I buy. Tastes the same to me.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Publix has the organic dairy--if you have a vehicle-they'd be a bit closer than the natural food stores. Maybe even just a quick jaunt in a taxi.

The only one I know of is Whole Foods and it is the opposite direction you'd be traveling from the airport.

My daughters did not eat meat at a young age....and dairy has lots of protein. I almost say don't sweat the lack of tofu on your vacation.

I know a mom who fed her daughter black beans and she loved that.

 

[Manda]

I would think regular yogurt and cheese would be pretty easy to come by just about anywhere. Is there a reason it needs to be YoBaby? Even yogurt made with low-fat milk has a decent amount of protein in it (just not a lot of fat, of course). When DS was 15 months (he never ate baby food though), I would order side dishes of broccoli or whatever veggie they had. I'm sure almost any restaurant could put cheese on just about anything. My son also loves black beans and refried beans available at Mexcan restaurants (where everything would be cheesy as well). I really think you'll be okay. On our first vacation with DS (when he was 10 months old), I was a little concerned because he was allergic to dairy and soy and I wasn't sure where we were going to find enough food for him - but it all worked out. And, remember, it's only a few days - if she doesn't eat perfectly on vacation, she'll be fine.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

I don't know if this helps or not, but last Sept at All-Stars, they actually had Rice milk in the coolers ( the larger, not the individual containers). This product is organic(well, I just checked the packaging - the RICE used is organic - other ingred are not...). However, if your DD is not used to the taste - I am not sure this is much help to you. I would consider a grocery stop - you could always call ahead to make sure they carry what you are looking for!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Is there a reason it needs to be YoBaby? Even yogurt made with low-fat milk has a decent amount of protein in it (just not a lot of fat, of course).

speaking for myself--nothing beats the stoneyfield organic yogurts.

 

[Zoesmama03]

As far as milk. Will she drink soy milk? If so they have aseptic packs that don't need to be refridgerated and they have indidvidual serving ones you can always ask for ice to cool it. That is what I plan to do with my dd who can't have milk and I don't like her to have a lot of juice but will do some juice diluted with water too for drink. Soy milk has 7.5 grams of protein. Pretty much every brand of soy milk I've seen is organic.

My dd won't eat a lot of meat about the only meats she's been offered that she eats well are chicken and hot dogs(and I don't really like her having hot dogs too processed) so seeing what she will eat will fun. Good thing is she isn't all that picky and will eat just about anything else.

How about thinned nut butters? Have you introduced these if so they don't need refridgerated and have lots of protein too.

I've heard the resort dining areas will order some if you give them a call. They will stock it in the food court or restrauants if you will be eating there any. And I know they have soy milk at the sit down restrauants in the parks from what I've learned.

Like Manda I'm sure she will be fine to not have as perfect a diet for a few days. Plus pretty much all foods have a little protein from what I've read so she'll get enough to sustain herself I'm sure.

 

[Manda]

speaking for myself--nothing beats the stoneyfield organic yogurts.

I understand the preference for YoBaby - it's good stuff - just wondering if regular yogurt will work in this situation. I eat the Stoneyfield Non-fat every morning for breakfast.

 

[amarberry]

Thank you everyone for your help. I'm not too worried, but I just wanted to get an idea of what I might be able to find at Pop that she might like. DD is still breastfeeding and I don't plan to stop before our trip (hmm...think I need to start another thread to find out other people's experience with breastfeeding toddlers at WDW) so I know that she'll at least be getting some decent nutrition from that.

Before our trip next month, I'm going to introduce soymilk, mac n cheese, and veggie burgers. The idea of bringing along the small juice box sized soymilk was great...I was actually thinking about that yesterday when I saw them at the grocery store. The nut butter idea is great too, but we're holding off on all nuts until she is 2. DD has a pretty severe egg allergy so we've been advised hold off for a little longer. I so wish she could eat peanut butter at this point!!!

Thanks again for all of the advise!

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

I love those little cartons - we pack a few of rice milk every trip - just to sneak in something healthy here and there.

Stonyfield Lotsa Lemon! Yum!!!

As for the breast feeding - they have wonderful baby stations - quiet and cool. Stopped in the MK one a few years back - very nice!

 

[Zoesmama03]

I always see tons of low populated areas for a quite little nursing spot. Not that you gotta hide but dd will be able to more focus on eating in quite calm areas. And the nutrients will help balance out the diet big time.

 

[chamonix]

I have so been there done that, lol. We were vegetarian for many years (until dd was 3yo) and she nursed longer than that LOL.

You got lots of good advice upthread. I would just add that you can have groceries delivered by Goodings (who will probably have what you need) and also try wegoshop.com I am pretty sure they can shop at the Whole Foods for you and deliver to your hotel. Then, if you can't get a fridge (not sure how Pop does fridges) you can bring one of those soft sided coolers for home (fold flat to pack) and place ice in it. All of the foods you mention (yogurt, tofu, cheeses, etc) are VERY stable and don't need ultra cold temperatures--I'm sure the cooler would be fine for short term.

Oh, we have also done the shelf stable tofu and it's fine, but you might want to make sure she likes it by trying some at home before you go.

Except for the organic part, you should be able to find yogurt and cheese, etc on property either in food courts, or in the small shops at the resorts. (sorry I am unfamiliar with POP) It's too bad, isn't it, that we have to stop being organic when we travel to WDW? Oh well, I comfort myself with the fact that we are nearly 100% organic the rest of the time at home.