Will my toddler get enough veggies?

[DisneyMominMTL]

We are on the QSDP. DS2 is obviously not covered by the plan, which is fine cuz we definitely will share most meals. I've been looking through the menus, and started worrying about my son eating a healthy dose of veggies. The rest of us can fill up on salads and veggie sticks, but DS doesn't have all his teeth yet, so he can't eat many raw veggies (no carrots, celery and the likes). He also has a bad reaction to fresh tomatoes ( skin rash).

I was thinking I could bring some cans of mixed veggies ( with peas, carrots, corn and green beans) and just mix it to any dish we get. He would even eat them on their own ( with pizza or something).

Is that weird? We're also flying, does it make it weirder?

 

[newrygirl]

Nothing you do is wierd if it is for the benefit of your child, if you want to brings veggies for him by all means do so, its no different than me bringing cereal or snacks for my family

 

[dskib]

Bring them. He really won't get much otherwise. Last year, I just sucked it up for the week and made sure to bring extra fresh fruit along.

 

[akl-fan]

Vegetables are scarce at WDW especially for youngsters but most places have applesauce, grape bags and melon tubs. When we went with our 11 months old last year she had no teeth but could manage these if we cut them up.

 

[smiths02]

Veggies are somewhat scarce, but also remember that this is a vacation.

Also, my son is picky about which veggies he will eat, but he has always loved every fruit out there. At that age, our doctor said that as long as he ate a variety of fruits, we didn't have to worry about veggies as much. If you are flying, freeze dried fruits would be great to bring (they even have them in Mickey packs at our walmart). Plus, you can buy fresh fruit and applesauce pretty easily at Disney.

(And just a note, my son does eat enough veggies...salad, raw crrots, cooked broccoli, cooked asparagus...he is just fussy about the preparation)

 

[chartle]

Don't they make like single serving plastic tubs of veggies and fruit that are not Baby or toddler food but are a serving for an adult?

Much more convenient than a can.

 

[skier_pete]

Big complaint from our family - the lack of kid freindly vegatables, and even vegatables in general. (Even for adults the choices beyond "salad" gets pretty thin.) Fruit is much more available, and our DD is a bigger fruit eater than veggies, so we don't stress it too much as we figure it is only a week...but if you want to make sure your kids get their vegatables, then I would say go ahead and bring your own!

And on a "weird" scale of 1 - 10 what people choose to bring on vacation, i would put that at about a 2. (We fly to visit my parents in Arizona with 10 pounds of frozen hot dogs and 2 dozen bagels in our carry-on - that's MUCH higher on the weird scale!)

 

[3pletprincesses]

yep Disney lacks of veggies for small children. I find that it's easy to find fruits but no so much veggies other then patatoes. I would bring a few cans in my suitcase if you want to make sure to have enough veggies for him.

 

[pilferk]

Big lack of veggies for kids. We shared, too, but when our youngest was of a similar age and situation as yours.....we hit the food courts to buy "supplemental veggies" at times.

Alternately, if you're flying (and don't want to lug the food along), you could order from Garden Grocer and have the stuff delivered to your resort. You'll probably pay a bit more, but you won't have to worry about extra baggage fees (or breakage, on the plane).

 

[gumbo1009]

Agree with PP - Garden Grocer would help lighten the suitcase load (while the prices are certainly more expensive than if you brought from home, you can also order perishables like yogurt and milk which can come in handy for the kids, assuming you are staying someplace with a fridge).

Not sure how "adventurous" your DS is (when mine was a toddler, she ate EVERYTHING) but some of the bigger fixins bars in MK have one or two cooked veggies (eg mushrooms at Pecos Bills).

Liberty Square Market (in MK) sells baked potatoes (and may also sell corn on the cob, or so I've heard).

Plus, I would certainly hope you could get a side order of veggies at Sunshine Seasons in Epcot. And I wonder if you asked nicely whether some of the CSs that serve a vegetarian option would be willing to sell you a side dish of veggies?

 

[Pleglech]

There also are veggie burgers available in a few places. My kids liked them at that age.

Also, cupcakes are a vegetable (and don't try to argue otherwise).

 

[chartle]

Plus, I would certainly hope you could get a side order of veggies at Sunshine Seasons in Epcot. And I wonder if you asked nicely whether some of the CSs that serve a vegetarian option would be willing to sell you a side dish of veggies?

I have heard that any thing that is part of a combo meal can be purchased by itself.

But I have not seen a lot of veggies at any CS besides carrot sticks. Well they all do have potatoes cut into strips and placed in hot oil until they are GBD.

 

[nmmom95]

Does carrot cake count as a veggie?

 

[dskib]

There also are veggie burgers available in a few places. My kids liked them at that age.

Also, cupcakes are a vegetable (and don't try to argue otherwise).

HA! I'd never argue that!

 

[DisneyMominMTL]

You guys are too funny.

Now I'm feeling self-conscious about feeding my son healthy foods while on vacation.

I did consider garden grocer. We'll see how the packing goes!!

Thanks for the feedback. I do appreciate the suggestions about veggie substitutes: carrot cake and the likes.

 

[Colleen27]

Not weird at all in my opinion; we ordered some of my youngest's favorite veggie and fruit snacks for our first trip simply because we knew she'd want to snack between meals and figured that was an easy way to make up for the lack of veggies in her meals at WDW. I'd go with the Gerber toddler veggies instead of cans, simply because single-serving portions will be easier to manage on the go.

 

[DarcyLongfellow]

I think there are definitely stranger things to pack for vacation than canned vegetables , but carrying them around the parks and trying to open and serve them sounds like a huge pain!

What are your goals here? Nutrition, making sure your child doesn't lose his taste for veggies during the week you're gone, or just making yourself feel better about what you're feeding your kid? Any goal is fine, but if you're mostly worried about nutrition, I think there might be easier ways.

My DD is almost 2, and she refuses almost all veggies. There are a couple things I do for her that you might want to try for the week you're gone. First, do you ever use those applesauce pouches? There are several brands (Happy Tot, Plum Organics, Ella's Kitchen) that make applesauce pouches that have veggies in them -- for example spinach, peas, or pumpkin mixed with apples or pears or some other fruit. It's a good way to get in some veggies, and they are really easy to bring along. They're yummy even though they sound kind of gross!!

Second, Animal Parade is a brand of kid's vitamins. They make a product called Kid Greenz which is made from broccoli, spinach, kelp, and other greens. They're not as good as the real thing, but they're pretty great.

Finally -- even if your son doesn't have all of his teeth, he can definitely eat a large variety of foods. Kids grind up food with their gums, so as long as it's not a choking hazard, it's probably fine to eat. I've given DD carrot sticks, but I just cut them up very tiny. At home I use a mandoline, but you could probably bring a small knife with you into the parks and be fine.

Good luck, and have fun

ETA: You can buy the applesauce pouches and the vitamins online. You could also find the applesauce pouches at baby superstores or even some grocery stores, and the vitamins should be at any health food store.

 

[DisneySarah80]

Maybe you don't realize that a french fry is a potato - which is a vegetable.

Joking! I think its great that your worried about your little one getting his veggies in. I think your best bet is gardengrocer. A good tip is to bring zip lock bags from home - open up the veggies at the hotel, put them in the zip lock bags, and that the baggies to the park. Way easier than doing it at the park, and this way you can do a little portion control.

Have a great trip!!!

 

[Beauty & the Best]

Plus, I would certainly hope you could get a side order of veggies at Sunshine Seasons in Epcot. And I wonder if you asked nicely whether some of the CSs that serve a vegetarian option would be willing to sell you a side dish of veggies?

Sunshine Seasons and also most of the bigger resort food courts (like All Stars & Pop Century) will have a side of something cooked like broccoli or green beans that you can order. Also I'm thinking that most of the table service places will also have a cooked veggie side available.

To the OP, don't feel self-conscious. Many people bring food into the parks & dining establishments for their young children. I think if people see you bringing out the veggies, they won't think you're weird, they'll just think you're a good mom.

 

[chocovrdmicears]

Sunshine Seasons and also most of the bigger resort food courts (like All Stars & Pop Century) will have a side of something cooked like broccoli or green beans that you can order. Also I'm thinking that most of the table service places will also have a cooked veggie side available.

To the OP, don't feel self-conscious. Many people bring food into the parks & dining establishments for their young children. I think if people see you bringing out the veggies, they won't think you're weird, they'll just think you're a good mom.