was considering taking my niece

[ReneeA]

I was considering taking my niece on our next trip to Disneyworld, but I've had her for the past couple of days and I can say that I will not consider it due to her eating habits. She's 8, and a lovely child...we enjoy having her here with us. However, she eats a total of about a dozen foods (and will only eat specific brands of those foods). I'm ready for her to go home based on what a pain it's been to feed her. I can't imagine taking her on vacation and having to cater to this palate.

Before anyone mentions it, there is nothing wrong with her. She's very smart, has no deficits, just lives in a home with a parent that is as picky as she is and encourages that behavior. For instance, I made a homemade dessert for Easter this year, and her mother was eating it and asked me how it was made. When I mentioned "lemon curd" she pushed it away. My husband just laughed and told her it was like homemade lemon pudding - no unusual ingredients - she told him she didn't eat anything that she wasn't sure of. This is why her daughter eats nothing, and literally skips meals if she doesn't get what she wants.

We eat fairly adventurously - ethnic foods, sushi, curry, etc. My kids were never the"kids meal" type. At 12 and 13, they eat things that many adults won't. We have had a policy since they were toddlers that you try everything several times, you don't get to refuse because it doesn't look or sound good to you. Disney certainly isn't the adventurous food mecca, but we do go out of our way to eat at places that have some different things to offer.

I'm just glad that I didn't take the plunge and offer to take her like we talked about. 9 days of dealing with it would have driven me to the crazy hut.

 

[RustManFan]

I wouldn't take her either. What a nightmare!

 

[Sargeant Tibbs]

I agree, what a pain. I have many pet peeves, but overly picky eaters drive me nuts. However, once children get away from the norm, they can change behaviors. There's a very strong possibility that, once away from her mother's influence, she would be more adventurous, especially if she sees that it's what's expected. And even if she stayed picky through the whole trip, I guess she'd be cheap to feed.

 

[disnut8]

Actually, if you are just taking your niece, it might not be a bad idea. She would be away from her mother and, at the age of 8, she is using her mother's actions as her own at the moment. Would the eight year old really ask about the ingredients of a food product while at Disney World? Or does the mother ask for specifics on what the child has eaten that day? It's not harmful to the child foodwise but not letting the child make her own decisions on what she eats can be harmful in the future.

 

[DISNEY1975]

My daughter is super picky. She eats PB and J every single day for lunch and sometimes for dinner too. She'll only eat chicken if its completely plain. Not one speck of seasoning can be on it. She likes mac n cheese ONLY from Kraft. The only fruit she'll eat is grapes and apple slices. It is definitely not something learned from me or my husband. I make a different dinner every night and try new recipes all the time. She looks at it and says ICK.

BUT...on vacation, she's much more open. I guess she realizes its that or nothing. Mommy doesnt have PB and J in her pocketbook! If you feel your niece wuold enjoy the trip and you dont mind her behavior, dont let a little food get in the way of her having a wonderful vacation. There have been times where my daughter truly wont eat anything at a meal, but hey..its vacation..she gets fries and ice cream for lunch! Or she eats nothing and colors while the rest of us eat then I find something for her elsewhere.

 

[Best Aunt]

Have you ever eaten with her at a restaurant? I wonder if the result would be different from what happens in a family member's home.

 

[ReneeA]

I have eaten with her at a restaurant, and she doesn't find much that she likes. I tried to get her to break out of her mold this weekend and there was a lot of, "I don't drink skim milk, only 2%, I don't drink Minute Maid oj, only Tropicana, I don't like grilled hamburgers, only fried, I don't like soft serve ice cream, only hard hand dripped."

Her mother never asks what I feed her, I'm assuming she's getting the brand name stuff from what they buy at home. I'm not a brand name shopper - I'm a store brand or what's on sale shopper.

She apparently is eating something because she's nowhere close to anorexic. It just drives me crazy to coddle and encourage those behaviors because it is a complete 180° from how I'm raising my kids. I just don't have her frequently enough to be a hard nose about it when she's here.

 

[RachealM]

I would hope it wouldn't be that bad once she's there at the park and not in her normal surroundings.

In reference to only eating specific brands of food, at age 8, that's probably mostly psychological and I highly doubt it's a decision based on identifying a difference in taste. Therefore, I'd just go with the approach that everything is what she expects it to be in order to get her to at least try something. For example.

Child: "I only eat X Brand chicken nuggets"
Adult: "These are X Band chicken nuggets"
Child: "Why do they look different?"
Adult: "Because everything here has 'Disney Magic'! It makes things look slightly different, but it's fun!"​

Yes, it's lying. But, I'm looking at is as still being under the same 'Disney Magic' umbrella of things that allows us introduce 'Princesses' and 'Characters' as the real deal as well.

If that doesn't work, honestly I would not stress about it. Kids will eventually eat when they are hungry and it'd be a shame for her to miss out on a chance at experiencing Disney at age 8 just because she's a picky eater. Anyways, good luck

 

[bumbershoot]

I don't like soft serve ice cream, only hard hand dripped

Well that's just smart. Soft serve is junk.


If you feel that having specific tastes is a "nightmare" then don't take her. None of this sounds like a huge problem to me, especially since you don't indicate that she's horrid if she chooses not to eat, and I personally would take her. But "pickiness" and it's problems are generally in the eyes of the beholder and how they feel about it, so if you can't handle it and would be bothered by it the whole time instead of just enjoying your niece, then please don't take her.

 

[ReneeA]

Well that's just smart. Soft serve is junk.


If you feel that having specific tastes is a "nightmare" then don't take her. None of this sounds like a huge problem to me, especially since you don't indicate that she's horrid if she chooses not to eat, and I personally would take her. But "pickiness" and it's problems are generally in the eyes of the beholder and how they feel about it, so if you can't handle it and would be bothered by it the whole time instead of just enjoying your niece, then please don't take her.

I don't believe I used the word nightmare, but yes...catering to anyone that is that picky is annoying. If you only eat a dozen foods, and most of those a certain brand, know that you are annoying to everyone else around you, and I would hope that those types of behaviors are outgrown by elementary school.

I may or may not take her. I am undecided, but I have a feeling her mother won't let her fly, since she also has a hang up about that...so the choice will be made for me.

 

[mommycrawford]

I taught Headstart, and we had many meals that had items the children would often say their mom doesn't let them eat (vegetables) or that were unfamiliar. I would try to broaden their world by letting them know that their mother wasn't there, so it was not forbidden, or that that was what, whoever their cartoon hero was, really liked those foods! (Ninja Turtles: first incarnation.)

Your niece is older, and you could simply make it a rule of going to a new, magical place, DISNEY, that if she were to go, she would have to eat what she was given. I would actually print up a reasonable contract that she would have to sign, and I would bring it with us on the trip. Children are rule followers: they like rules (that is probably why she follows her mother's picky ways.) If she is given a choice, and chooses to commit to the eating as a condition of going, she will follow through, and you do not need to feel funny about it because you know you are helping her grow and honor her promise. No harm will come to her, and you guys can enjoy an amazing trip full of new things!

I have made contracts with my daughter since she was 3....It has given her a sense of control in some situations (being dropped off at preschool, etc.), and really grew her reasoning skills.

Good luck.

 

[ReneeA]

I taught Headstart, and we had many meals that had items the children would often say their mom doesn't let them eat (vegetables) or that were unfamiliar. I would try to broaden their world by letting them know that their mother wasn't there, so it was not forbidden, or that that was what, whoever their cartoon hero was, really liked those foods! (Ninja Turtles: first incarnation.)

Your niece is older, and you could simply make it a rule of going to a new, magical place, DISNEY, that if she were to go, she would have to eat what she was given. I would actually print up a reasonable contract that she would have to sign, and I would bring it with us on the trip. Children are rule followers: they like rules (that is probably why she follows her mother's picky ways.) If she is given a choice, and chooses to commit to the eating as a condition of going, she will follow through, and you do not need to feel funny about it because you know you are helping her grow and honor her promise. No harm will come to her, and you guys can enjoy an amazing trip full of new things!

I have made contracts with my daughter since she was 3....It has given her a sense of control in some situations (being dropped off at preschool, etc.), and really grew her reasoning skills.

Good luck.

That's a good idea, and even if she doesn't go with us, it may be something to try next time she spends the weekend with us.

 

[Sugardimples]

I took a 10 year old picky eater with us one year and it was not fun! We sent way too much time trying to find something she would eat. And after fining something, she would usually look at it and refuse it anyway. The color was wrong or there was a speck of seasoning visible. I never took her again. She is now 19 and is no better.

 

[CarolynFH]

This reminds me of many years ago, when my cousin came to stay with us for a week. When she refused to eat dinner because it wasn't what she was accustomed to, my mom told her, "Oh, I'm so sorry, I only cook one dinner, and this is all we have tonight." I'm not sure what she ate, if anything, that first night, but I do remember that by the end of the week she was eating whatever my mom served, just as we did. And then she went home, back to my aunt who would cook two dinners, and right back to being picky.

So, if you think you could just let your niece not eat if she didn't want to, take her with you, but if you couldn't do that then leave her home. My dad, a pediatrician, says kids won't starve themselves to death if food is available.

 

[CaryHaven]

I would ONLY take her if she could demonstrate beforehand that she is willing to change her habits at least during the trip. Maybe you could make a bargain with her. I'd eat some crazy stuff if it got me another trip to Disney! Lol

 

[scdak]

I took a younger cousin with me once, I think he was about 9 at that time and he informed me that he only ate french fries and chocolate chip cookies and that is what he wanted for every meal! I didn't know this beforehand as he lives on the west coast and I had only met him a few times but my uncle was footing the bill for me to take him and his sister to Florida - not turning that offer down! I think let him have fries the first day, literally he would not order anything else but by the second day I was not going to put up with his crap and told him so. It only took 12 hours on the second day for him to have NOTHING to eat and he decided that he would eat other things at dinner that night! I later found out that he eats all kinds of food, he just thought I would be stupid enough to fall for his plan!

 

[happymommy]

I have to say, I agree that you shouldn't take her. If her parents want to do so, let them!

My son has dangerous food allergies (anaphylaxis to dairy but also egg allergic, and we took him to Disney a few times before he outgrew sesame and peanut thankfully he did outgrow those!). He also LOVES to try new foods, so Disney was great with him! At Boma when he was 4, they made him wonderful salmon skewers (the skewers were sugar cane) and it went uphill from there! They changed gloves, brought out chefs, no wonder we've spent tens of thousands on vacations there!

I can't imagine asking a sibling to take my kids to Disney without me anyway! It is magical! Let them take her and she can eat plain foods with her mom!

I can't relate - my husband is Korean (I'm half German half Austrian) and I eat anything but two things - bugs and large intestine. But one day I'm betting I'll eat both. Life is short. Like Andrew Zimmern says, if it looks good, eat it!

 

[Sugardimples]

We took our 10 year old niece with similar eating habits. It was not fun. Way too much time was spent looking for something she might eat and then she wouldn't eat it anyway. It might be the wrong color or the wrong shape so she wouldn't even taste it. We told her we'd take her again when she could eat more things. She's 19 and it hasn't happened yet.

 

[georgina]

She apparently is eating something because she's nowhere close to anorexic. It just drives me crazy to coddle and encourage those behaviors because it is a complete 180° from how I'm raising my kids. I just don't have her frequently enough to be a hard nose about it when she's here.

So don't take her. So she's being raised 180º different from how you are raising your kids. I hope you don't try to be 'hard nosed' and force her to eat food she doesn't want. Nothing wrong with being picky. I have always been a picky eater - no ethnic foods, curry, or sushi (raw fish? YUCK! disgusting!) here. My kids are all more adventurous eaters than I am - they learned it on their own as they grew up. She will grow up just fine being raised differently than you would choose.

 

[DISNEY1975]

I have eaten with her at a restaurant, and she doesn't find much that she likes. I tried to get her to break out of her mold this weekend and there was a lot of, "I don't drink skim milk, only 2%, I don't drink Minute Maid oj, only Tropicana, I don't like grilled hamburgers, only fried, I don't like soft serve ice cream, only hard hand dripped."

Her mother never asks what I feed her, I'm assuming she's getting the brand name stuff from what they buy at home. I'm not a brand name shopper - I'm a store brand or what's on sale shopper.

She apparently is eating something because she's nowhere close to anorexic. It just drives me crazy to coddle and encourage those behaviors because it is a complete 180° from how I'm raising my kids. I just don't have her frequently enough to be a hard nose about it when she's here.

OK, yeah, that is pretty bad! Who doesnt like soft serve ice cream? !!