Why are the kids meals so bad?

[Tonka's Skipper]

Just wanted to add a couple of things to my first post.

You really do have some healthier options when it comes to CS meals for kids. You just have to look a little harder. Granted the options are limited, but here are a few that I know of.

MK: CHH has a garden salad with chicken. Pecos Bill's has a turkey sandwich.

AK: Flame tree has a chicken drumstick meal

DHS: Backlot Express has an Unscrunchables sandwich. ABC Commisary has a Ham and Cheese wrap for lunch and a Turkey sandwich for dinner.

All of these come with 2 sides (veggie sticks, grapes) and beverage.

And as I said in my previous post, Epcot has quite a few good choices both at Sunshine Seasons and in the various CS spots in the pavilions.

Good luck and don't despair!

I totally agree!

AKK

 

[Lizzybean]

This is such a great thread! My entire family is vegetarian (part-time pescotarian bc we occasionally eat shellfish or sushi) and the kid menus leave much to be desired. DD4 has never had any meat in her entire life and DD8 & DS13 haven't had any in years and years and when they did it was very little.

We manage to eat great on a daily basis but I'm starting to become concerned about our trip next month. The kids are not going to eat Mac n cheese and veggie burgers every meal for a week. I'm glad we're big bfast people bc everyone can fill up on eggs and Mickey waffles at least!

I know I have to do more research but I wish I could just go on vacation and not worry about whether there will be than 1 or 2 things my kids can eat.

That's my rant for the day! I feel better!

 

[minnie mum]

I understand why the OP (and some of the other posters) have concerns over the child's meal options. And as I said on an earlier post, while healthy options do exist at both the TS and CS restaurants, you need to do research to find them. There is certainly a LOT of junk food out there.

But have you read some of the threads on these boards about parents and their children's eating habits? For every thread asking about healthy options there must be 10 moaning about how hard it is for them to find enough places that offer fries, nuggets, hot dogs and mac n cheese at every meal. And not just for the little ones- they want them for their tweens and teens too. And are outraged that not every restaurant at WDW can fulfill this demand.

Seems like Disney is caught between a rock and a hard place. As one of the PPs pointed out- Disney tried healthier child menus and had to retire the idea under a storm of protest. Blame Disney for the state of the chilren's menus if you must, but blame the parents of the 'picky eaters' (how I hate that phrase)too.

If you have to be on the DDP, then perhaps paying the upcharge to have your child eat on the adult plan is the way to go. I haven't worked out the numbers (wouldn't know where to start), but this situation may be one of those where the DDP just doesn't work for you and you'd be better off paying OOP. That way you could order an adult appetizer for the child, or split an adult entree between 2 children.

 

[navywifetill2002]

You may want to check out the menu for these places that don't (or didn't) have kids a kids menu. Meaning you should be able to order an adult meal for your child without a problem.


Toluca Turkey Legs @ Hollywood Studios
Casey's Corner @ Magic Kingdom
Pete's Doggone Good Dogs @ Magic Kingdom
Main Street Bakery @ Magic Kingdom
Golden Oak Outpost @ Magic Kingdom
Sommerfest @ Epcot
Yorkshire County Fish Shop @ Epcot
Boulangerie Patisserie @ Epcot

 

[TinkerwithDis]

I understand why the OP (and some of the other posters) have concerns over the child's meal options. And as I said on an earlier post, while healthy options do exist at both the TS and CS restaurants, you need to do research to find them. There is certainly a LOT of junk food out there.

But have you read some of the threads on these boards about parents and their children's eating habits? For every thread asking about healthy options there must be 10 moaning about how hard it is for them to find enough places that offer fries, nuggets, hot dogs and mac n cheese at every meal. And not just for the little ones- they want them for their tweens and teens too. And are outraged that not every restaurant at WDW can fulfill this demand.

Seems like Disney is caught between a rock and a hard place. As one of the PPs pointed out- Disney tried healthier child menus and had to retire the idea under a storm of protest. Blame Disney for the state of the chilren's menus if you must, but blame the parents of the 'picky eaters' (how I hate that phrase)too.

If you have to be on the DDP, then perhaps paying the upcharge to have your child eat on the adult plan is the way to go. I haven't worked out the numbers (wouldn't know where to start), but this situation may be one of those where the DDP just doesn't work for you and you'd be better off paying OOP. That way you could order an adult appetizer for the child, or split an adult entree between 2 children.

So true. well said! so many posts ive read where parents say, for example, they make sure to find restaurants that serve hot dogs cause thats all their kid will eat. incredible! great job at parenting! Theyre picky probably cause the parents will only serve what they demand. joh ny only eats hotdogs therefore will wont feed him anything but hotdogs until he snaps out of it on his own. pathetic.

I cant stand that term picky eater either btw.

There are healthy alternatives/good variety for kids. you just have to do your research and plan ahead people. Its not that difficult.



Posted from DISboards.com App for Android

 

[TinkerwithDis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by minnie mum

I understand why the OP (and some of the other posters) have concerns over the child's meal options. And as I said on an earlier post, while healthy options do exist at both the TS and CS restaurants, you need to do research to find them. There is certainly a LOT of junk food out there.

But have you read some of the threads on these boards about parents and their children's eating habits? For every thread asking about healthy options there must be 10 moaning about how hard it is for them to find enough places that offer fries, nuggets, hot dogs and mac n cheese at every meal. And not just for the little ones- they want them for their tweens and teens too. And are outraged that not every restaurant at WDW can fulfill this demand.

Seems like Disney is caught between a rock and a hard place. As one of the PPs pointed out- Disney tried healthier child menus and had to retire the idea under a storm of protest. Blame Disney for the state of the chilren's menus if you must, but blame the parents of the 'picky eaters' (how I hate that phrase)too.

If you have to be on the DDP, then perhaps paying the upcharge to have your child eat on the adult plan is the way to go. I haven't worked out the numbers (wouldn't know where to start), but this situation may be one of those where the DDP just doesn't work for you and you'd be better off paying OOP. That way you could order an adult appetizer for the child, or split an adult entree between 2 children.


So true. well said! so many posts ive read where parents say, for example, they make sure to find restaurants that serve hot dogs cause thats all their kid will eat. incredible! great job at parenting! Theyre picky probably cause the parents will only serve what they demand. johnny only eats hotdogs therefore we wont feed him anything but hotdogs until he snaps out of it on his own. pathetic.

I cant stand that term picky eater either btw.

There are healthy alternatives/good variety for kids. you just have to do your research and plan ahead people. Its not that difficult.



Posted from DISboards.com App for Android

Posted from DISboards.com App for Android

 

[TinkerwithDis]

sorry for the double post. tried to correct a typo but i ended up posting twice.


Posted from DISboards.com App for Android

 

[pixiegirl14]

We went last may during free dining with our daughters(8&6),and by the end of our vacation they were saying please please no more nuggets! So now we are planning a trip for next April and not doing the dining plan that way if they want to eat off the adult menu they can. We considered paying extra to upgrade them to adult but i know there has been much debate abt this.

 

[cymbaldiva]

The kids meals are bad to keep adults from ordering them - simple as that.


Posted from DISboards.com App for Android

 

[emmamc252]

You may want to check out the menu for these places that don't (or didn't) have kids a kids menu. Meaning you should be able to order an adult meal for your child without a problem.


Toluca Turkey Legs @ Hollywood Studios
Casey's Corner @ Magic Kingdom
Pete's Doggone Good Dogs @ Magic Kingdom
Main Street Bakery @ Magic Kingdom
Golden Oak Outpost @ Magic Kingdom
Sommerfest @ Epcot
Yorkshire County Fish Shop @ Epcot
Boulangerie Patisserie @ Epcot

erm, I wasn't meaning tha my kids would rather eat off the adult menus, I was saying that its easier to find adult meals that are more what I would class as healthy. I'm not really talking about giant turkey legs, hot dogs and battered fish and chips!

I think a lot comes down to your definition of "healthy," I do not class white bread and white pasta as "healthy." all the goodness has been stripped out of it, its totally processed and not what I have in my home. This is where asking for substitutions is needed adn where I get those lovely eyes rolled at me. THey can't substitute pasta but some places do have better bread choices but its only for adults, becuase of course kids only eat white bread!
my kids eat proper fish,not fis fingers or battered fish, they eat salmon and tuna and mackerel, they DO NOT eat processed meat, no hot dogs or burgers! I am not a food freak with them, they can eat chocolate once a week and if we go shopping with friends who want to go to macdonalds or pizza hut then of course I will take thembut this is not hte norm and certainly not every day!
I agree that it is a parents responsinility to provide good nutrition for your kids but disney make it incredibly difficult to do so and encredibly easy to not! And since when is ahot dog or burger "treat food?" I truly believe we need to get kids out of that mindset that unhealthy food is a "treat." Its something to be enjoyed once in a while but we can "treat" with healthy food too! Think of the mindset we ae giving these kids! my nephew LOVES pineapple and we often treat him and DD by makin smoothies or juices together, or even just making fruit salad faces, we also do this for lunch with vegies, hummus and pitta! its a treat because they get to enjoy making hte food with us and have a bit of fun!
The worst thing I think I ever saw at disney was a family eating at Cape may about 5 years ago. The family were heavily obese, including the kids who were VERY large for children as young as what you could tell they were (I would guess 4 and 7) They all made numerous trips to the entree buffet and by the time they were ready for dessert the 4 year old had already eated twce what I could manage! They FILLED their plates with ice cream and cakes etc, and the dad bought back an additional plate of oreo cookie ice creams, 2 cookies with icecream wedged in the middle. They tucked into their dessert plates and munched on the oreo things.the youngest daughter turned to her dad and said she was full as he tried to put a few mor oreos onto her plate. he laughed and said, "I'll show you a little trick," then proceeded to shake and wiggle himself one way and then the other and encourage DD to do the same, after about 1 minute of this he said "now did that make some more room?" and DD smiled and continued to eat! have never wanted to slap someone as much in my entire life! this guy obviously loved his kids because he was very jovial and caring towards them but my goodness! Personally I truly believe that parents like that are commiting child abuse! With kids that age they are totally at your mercy and if you feed them and make them that overweight then to me thats just as bad as one of these horrible people that starves their kids and they end up mallnourished! Either way you are killing your child! I just think disney should do more to support parents who are looking after their children!

 

[jm106]

I just had to do my homework to find placed that offer other options. It was harder for CS places but still manage. I just asked 2 days ago for suggestions on places that offer other options and got a few ideas, I look at menus. I do wish there were kids porions of some of the adult meals but they dont do that. We are not on DP this time and it is better in that my kids can share adult meal at many places. Turkey sandwich on some CS menus, CHH has kids tuna, sweet and sour chicken in chini at WS...


We also have San Angel- tacos
Boma- great buffet IMO- my yds consumed a ton of black bean hummus, ods a soup with black eyed peas. They were unaware that nuggets were on menu.
We have Kona booked for lunch- adults meals I love, kids are just ok. grilled chicken or fish or mickey ravioli, Ill probably order them an adults meal to share here.
50s PT again grilled chicken or fish (so surprised no fried chicken for kids here.) They do have meatloaf and kids can have salad(my kids eat salad nearly every day.)
Mama Melrose- spaghetti or chicken parm with salad or soup.

Im still looking for CS breakfast for kids that isnt pastry or muffins(bagels in wdw any good? Is there a variety or plain?) A kids breakfast sandwich with egg would be good. Another place Ill prob have them share.

 

[TDC Nala]

Please note, this is not a parenting forum. Criticisms of other persons' parenting methods is off topic here.

 

[tinkermama117]

I do agree it is harder to find healthier options at CS/QS places, but as PP have said if you look hard, you will find some options available. When DD5 first began eating table food on our trips 4 years ago, I was impressed that Disney had the meals that offered fruit and milk. However, not all CMs will follow the meal plan. At Pizza Planet, they tried to serve fries with her pizza rather than the grapes, apple sauce and carrot sticks. DH said something and he was told that he had to specify when ordering. It was the only place where we ran into that issue, but I'm sure there are more places trying to take the easy way out.

Many of the TS places have healthy meals. For example, Coral Reef has a fish and rice option for the kids. We've found that buffets offer the best options as well. I think Disney should really step up their options at QS/CS places. Not all kids live off of nuggets and hot dogs.

 

[CerysG]

I know this is a tough topic and I don't want to upset anyone, I just know last time we were there (last March) we really were surpirsed by the kids food choices. Now given the choice my kids will often go for junk food and so its up to us to say no you should have some milk instead of pop as you've had enough of that and so on. I don't mind them having some of this stuff now and then as I believe its all about moderation. I can see that I have lots of choices about the dinning and lots of time to think about it. Certainly if we get free dinning for the end of next August I will likely take it and then I will have to think about up grading my youngest to adult (she will be 9 1/2 by then so close enough to the 10 years) so she has a bit better choice. I can also really go over menus and try to pick places that have better options for her and I can also go to places that have buffets. Any how thanks for everyone's input and I'm glad I'm not the only one who is a bit sad about these menus. Perhaps in time we will all develop better eating habbits and Disney will off whole gain pastas and pizzas and really white meat nuggets as that would go a long way to make things better. I'm sure we won't go hungry no matter what we do and we will have a great trip and hopefully have some interesting food along the way.

 

[PrincessV]

Ugh, the kids' choices at WDW kills me. My DS eats well 90% of the time and is very, very lean, so I have no problem with a little indulgence on vacation, but why do the kids' meals have to be so repetitive?! Going all across the board, I could find enough entrée options for a different one each dinner over a 10-night stay, but it always turns out that the restaurants we like best, that have the best ambiance and food I like, that I can afford, result in an awful lot of pizza and nuggets for my DS. You know it's bad when you do a little dance because your child decides he likes hamburgers - hallelujah, we can add a third entrée to his vacation food!

But what really gets me is this:

i know disney thinks it moved mountains when they started giving out mass produced bags of imported grapes and carrot sticks....but they have a long way to go.

The total lack of variety in sides makes both me and my kid crazy! He never wants to see grapes and carrots again. Would it be so hard to have tiny little salads, raw broccoli, steamed veggies, etc.? At Columbia Harbor House, for instance, they already have steamed broccoli prepared to go with the adult salmon plate; why can't I get that as a side for my kid's meal, too???

FYI, though, the GF Cafe does have what my DS proclaims to be "the BEST!" broiled chicken breast on its kids menu. At least they did last time we were there.

 

[bledsoedoc]

p.

You may want to check out the menu for these places that don't (or didn't) have kids a kids menu. Meaning you should be able to order an adult meal for your child without a problem.


Toluca Turkey Legs @ Hollywood Studios
Casey's Corner @ Magic Kingdom
Pete's Doggone Good Dogs @ Magic Kingdom
Main Street Bakery @ Magic Kingdom
Golden Oak Outpost @ Magic Kingdom
Sommerfest @ Epcot
Yorkshire County Fish Shop @ Epcot
Boulangerie Patisserie @ Epcot

Actually, most of these places are either gone or not considered "meals" rather snacks or off er many things not on the ddp. You can finds loads of healthy snacks: fruit, yogurt, juice, etc and fairly easily.

 

[kristainohio]

I agree that some of the CS kids' meals are very repetitive and not very healthy. I'm kind of a nut about what my kids eat but I think when we are on vacation a little leniency is in order for my girls She is always excited to get her own little "bag" of something if we are eating out so I know the carrots and grapes will be a huge hit. Plus, she LOVES fruit--she will eat that over any other type of food/dessert! I do think that Disney does make an effort to give variety at TS places:
For instance, WCC has grilled chicken or fish for kids OR you can order a kids skillet or cheeseburger. That's pretty decent IMHO for kids. I think what happens is a lot of children are not adventurous eaters and are used to the chicken nugget/hamburger routine. Heck, we went through the "only yogurt, absolutely nothing else" phase with DD#1 when she was 2 At least they are trying to add the health in with the carrots and apples!

 

[ReneeA]

I share the CS meals with our only Disney child age person, and the leftover kid's credits I use for the kid's breakfast platters or at the CS places that don't differentiate between adult/children. My kids don't eat crappy kid's food - they'd revolt if I ordered them those meals.

It's a bit better at the TS places - there's normally a grilled fish/grilled chicken with veggies meal on the menu, and I've been moderately successful at requesting something different (like a restaurant specialty) made in kid's size.

We do lots of sharing due to the super bad kid's menus, though.

 

[maxiesmom]

We'll do the one quick service one table service plan. I just don't see a lot of difference between the choices for either qs or ts, its all nuggets, bugers and pizza.

Do a little more research. If you look you can find things like grilled salmon, steak and oven roasted turkey on the menu. It is not all burgers and nuggets, not at all!

Just a quick look brings this up: Pinocchio village Haus has pasta and meatballs, mac and cheese, pizza, grilled cheese, and pb&j. The Liberty Tree Tavern for lunch has oven roasted turkey, bbq chicken and pineapple flatbread, mac and cheese, and pasta with marinara. And that is just 2 places in the Magic Kingdom.

Go look at more menus. You may be surprised at the variety.

Anyone who claims there is no variety didn't do any research before their trip. It is there, but you have to know where to find it.

 

[disnut8]

Realize a few years ago people were saying "why doesn't Disney just do a standard kid's meal?" so they did and now people are complaining about a standard meal. Plus, people wanted healthier choices and let's face it, kids and healthy are limited. Disney is damned if they do and damned if they don't.

So......

let's start with what YOUR kids want to eat.

Burgers - no wait, that's not healthy.
Hot dogs - no wait, that's not healthy.
Chicken nuggets - no wait, only one style of chicken nuggets.
Salad - no wait, there are a few kids who would eat that. Oh, and the dressing has to be a certain one.
Cheese pizza - winner! Oh wait, a kid wants pepperoni on his.
Mac and cheese - winner! Oh wait, it's not Kraft which the kid is used to at home.

It's a VACATION! Your child will not die from eating something.