Extremely picky eater

[puppypolice]

For my upcoming trip, my mother & niece will be joining our family for one day. For my 5 y/o niece this is her 1st & probably last trip, so I am trying to make the most of it. My concern is that she is an extremely picky eater. She literally only eats chicken nuggets, sausage links & drinks only chocolate milk. I have seen her refuse to eat nuggets @ one restaurant & make her parents take her to another so that she can eat the same thing. I have made all ADRs to make the most of her time w/ mainly character meals, but now I am 2nd guessing my choices & her appetite.
I quess my questions are as follows: What if she is not hungry & doesn't/won't eat @ a buffet? Would I still be charged for my niece's meal? How does Disney/ Table service restaraunts feel about bringing in food from a counter service? Don't get me wrong, I made sure I made ADRs where they offer the foods that she likes, but I am worried that this will not be satisfactory for her. Any advise & answers would be greatly appreciated.

[andreallybadeggs]

I feel your pain. We took nephews to WDW a few years back and one of them is the pickiest eater I've ever encountered. We did 1900 Park Fare bkfst with him and fortunately he found ONE item he would eat (think it was a spoonful of hash browns) + he also had choc. milk-- pretty pricey but since some of the others in the family ate quite a bit we felt it averaged out. I'm not sure what the policy would be if she won't eat anything at all; after all, you are paying for character interaction as well as the food. Hopefully someone else will have a more definitive answer for you. If not, you might want to call ahead. Just as a word of encouragement, we fretted a lot about what to do with our nephew and in the end realized if we could keep him hydrated, he might get a little hungry but he'd be OK. We took a bag of Fritos to the parks for him, made sure he had milk or soda to drink (no water or juice for this kid) and then went on with our plans. His unhealthy diet made us uncomfortable but he's not ours to raise and in any case, the family vacation is not the time to push those changes.

[sndral]

"and make her parents take her to another restaurant to eat the same thing" wow! Is there a medical reason that her parents are so focused on her eating? If not, then if she doesn't like what's available - she won't starve in one day. If you want to get something else like cs for her, I'd do it after everyone else has enjoyed their meal and you've left the ts restaurant.

[jonahbear2006]

I think that almost all of the counter services are picky eater friendly. My daughter is severly picky, to the point where she says, "have I had this before, " and I lie to her to get her to try it and she spits it out and says, "have not had that EVER!" She only eats kid food and it is so disappointing cause I really love to try new foods. At least I have one kid that will try anything. Our son, if i tell him it will make his hair grow, he will eat it. haha he shaved his head once and I had to shave him bald. Since then he has been very worried about it growing. haha. But I wouldn't worry too much. Disney totally has that covered. She was never worried during counter service time. gasparilla grill is a great place to eat,at G.F. There are video games in here for the kids so they can play for a bit, as well. A great menu for kids here.
I would suggest some dr. rosemond for this. he has a lot of answers to childhood problems like this that are not psychology. They are what grandma wouldve done in the 50s. You can Google their site and it will give you a list of his books you can get at the library and a lot of his books are q&a, so you wont have to read the whole book ever. You can just flip through for help. It has helped us out a great deal in sooo many areas of child-rearing.

[Disney Lynn]

"and make her parents take her to another restaurant to eat the same thing" wow! Is there a medical reason that her parents are so focused on her eating? If not, then if she doesn't like what's available - she won't starve in one day. If you want to get something else like cs for her, I'd do it after everyone else has enjoyed their meal and you've left the ts restaurant.

A 5 yr old will not starve in one day. If she doesn't like what's available, she can eat the next day. Unfortunately, as her aunt, you are not in a position to raise her, but I wouldn't let her "issues" cause you too much stress. It sounds like you have considered her food choices when making your ADRs. You've done all that you can- it's up to her, now. Relax and enjoy your trip!

[d_m_n_n]

Talk to your server and see what can be done for your niece! In December, DS6 was dying for "chicky" legs. Of course I told him he would have them that day, but plans changed and we didn't get one. At dinner that night he was still begging for a leg, but we were booked at Concourse Steakhouse (chicken STRIPS, but alas no LEGS :shake: I know there is a big difference!). We talked to our server and she said she would see what they could do. You should have seen the look on his face when she put a plate with 2 legs on it in front of him!!! If I remember correctly, they charged us the amount of the strip meal. I'm not sure what they would do at a buffet. :confused:


ETA: But also, before catering to her, see if she will try something/anything. At Ohana, the waiter offered to bring chicken strips/fries but we told him to wait. I COULD NOT believe what DSs were trying and loving!!! They still ask if we can go back for wings and "the dippers"!!

[ElenitaB]

Moderator Alert
Please let's keep the discussion to the topic. Child-rearing is not the issue here! How to feed a picky-eater is! :D

Thanks!

[ElenitaB]

Now, back to the show! :blush:

Many restaurants will do what they can to provide something that will appeal to the picky-eater, even if it's outside their menu offerings. If anything, so many of the restaurants at WDW are used to dealing with kids. When my DS was much younger (he's a rather adventurous eater now), nothing on the menu appealed to him (I think we may have been at 'Ohana) and our CM asked if mac & cheese would do (it wasn't on their menu). Sure enough, a plate of mac & cheese appeared.

[puppypolice]

Re the question of a medical condition, no there is none. I believe it all comes down to the way she is being raised. If anyone out there has seen the show Honey we're killing our kids, there was an episode where the youngest was under weight & malnourished & the rest were obese, well that fits my sister's family, & yes I had considered contacting the show. Don't get me wrong, my ds eating habit is not perfect, but what I see with my sister's family is disturbing:soapbox: I also wanted to bring up another point of concern. My mother & niece will be just coming back from a Disney Cruise, so I am a little stressed that she will be rather hungry already. I am going to make the most of it for my niece, but I will not allow her eating habits to ruin it for the rest of our family. Thank you for your insights.

[ElenitaB]

What I didn't bring up on my response, though I was thinking about it, is how on DCL they will do absolutely everything they can to appease picky eaters. There are also a lot of "kid friendly" offerings on board as well, including a pizza station, a grill station (burgers, chicken fingers, fries), a station with fresh fruit and sandwiches/wraps, soft-serve ice cream... all in addition to the buffets, the dining rooms and room service.

[Hair_Razor]

Good for you not allowing that to ruin your trip. I know in our house we have a "that's what's for dinner" policy. However my daughter can picky and when in Disney the last thing I want to do is argue about it. We got wise to this game early and started packing pb&j's for lunch instead of wasting money on CS. At some of the restaurants they let us share our food with her so it was more cost efficient. You should have no problems I am sure they are used to all sorts of requests. Good luck.

[diz_girl]

You are good about taking her pickiness situation into consideration, but don't cater to her every whim like (it sounds like) her parents do. That sounds like one kid who may be drunk with power.

Don't change your ADRs just for her. And let's hope your mother doesn't cater to her on the cruise before they meet up with you. I know that many grandparents cave really easy to appease their grandchild, when they never let their own children get away with anything when they were younger.

I only have a 1 year-old, but I've observed my own mother enough to see what is effective with my niece and nephew. It's like watching the master at work.

Yes, Disney is accommodating of picky eaters. However, if she pulls her stuff with you and your family, just tell her that if she doesn't like what's available then she doesn't have to eat. If she's hungry enough, then she'll find something to eat, especially if it's a buffet. And no desserts or other goodies from the carts either, she''l just use that to fill-up in-between meals and not eat during regular meals. If she still won't eat, then just make sure that she keeps hydrated.

Just remember, it's your family's vacation too and your family shouldn't suffer from her antics at each meal. Good luck.

[jonahbear2006]

we all really love disney food and look forward to eating there. As has been said, Disney will do just about anything to meet your Dining needs, so if you are at a sit down meal and don't have what you need, ask about it. Chances are, you can get what you are looking for. I wouldn't worry too much about it. We were concerned about our dining last time being first time DDP clients, but we are thrilled this time since we have learned how easy Disney makes it!

[jszczur5]

A 5 yr old will not starve in one day. If she doesn't like what's available, she can eat the next day. Unfortunately, as her aunt, you are not in a position to raise her, but I wouldn't let her "issues" cause you too much stress. It sounds like you have considered her food choices when making your ADRs. You've done all that you can- it's up to her, now. Relax and enjoy your trip!

I agree. A child can only be as picky as the adults will allow. I have been to numerous Disney buffets, and there should be plenty there for her to eat, even if she only fills up on nuggets, or mac and cheese. The worst case scenario is that she doesn't eat, and you wasted money. As long as she isn't catered to after the meal and given what she wants, she might even learn a lesson.

[Faver]

Maybe try Ohana's, it's family style, and the atmosphere is very relaxing and fun

[Goes4FastPass]

I have been the kid who would only eat canned Spaghetti and took the child who would only eat chicken nuggets (and only certain chicken nuggets at that) bacon, pop tarts, pepperoni pizza (must have pepperoni and must not have anything else) and chocolate milk to WDW.

The situation is difficult. It's a family vacation, not the week we change Sally's eating habits. Disney vacations are, and we never say this, stressful to children. I once had a 6 YO fall at my feet in the MK parking lot and start sobbing like he was at a funeral. "What wrong?" "I'm ju-ju-just too excited."

Here's what I did, right or wrong.

1. Food isn't important. Akershus. = Belle and Ariel and Snow White and Jasmine and Aurora and pizza. Do we really think a little girl is gonna focus on the food? When I say food isn't important I'm saying sometimes the less said the better. When adults plead with the child to eat everybody stresses. This is amplified when grandma and grandpa and spoiling auntie and impatient uncle and child's pain-in-the- older brother all weigh-in. Pick a single patient adult to be the picky eater's possible choices helper and everyone else talk about Ariel.

2. Solve it yourself. I've read about guests sending CMs scurrying to other restaurants to try to find the exact thing the picky eater is asking for at this moment. I will not do that. I think it's best to lay out the choices. The when the picky eater says "Root beer" I simply say, "That isn't a choice here. The choices are..." and she almost always sighed and said, "Oh, all right, I guess I'll have..."
This is Disney World, no one should be offended or surprised if a kid eats a PBJ at HDDR but the parents should haul the PBJ themselves and still expect to pay the child's admission.

3. Food is fuel. As I wrote earlier, for us, the picky eater issue was amplified by the distractions and excitement of Disney World. I tried to explain to my child (at a quiet moment). Apple slices and grapes are fuel. In the next few days we're going to ride Dumbo and see real elephants. We're going to watch a nighttime parade with thousands of lights and we're going to go down the waterslide at the pool a jillion times. I need you to be fueled up and tummy working right so you don't miss a thing.

[thrillme]

I agree with a lot with "Goes4FastPass" and several previous posters.

If this is her first trip she's probably going to be rather distracted by all the Princesses she meets. When she gets hungry...she'll eat ANYTHING. A lot of resturants are accostumed to picky kids and they usually can come up with a solution.

I used to think MY son was a picky eater...but he's not so bad (unless he's not really hungry). He can be picky when it comes to GOOD food. Like all kids he like chicken nuggets but...if they're too greasy or overly breaded etc...he won't eat them.

But I DO feel your pain. I took my niece to a park one time and we stopped to eat...Oh gosh...finding her something to eat was SOOOOO frustrating. Will you eat this...no...will you eat that...no...then finally one cheese enchilanda...GREAT :number1:...ewww...it has sauce on it :(. Fortunately the resturant remedied the situation and brought her one without sauce because she was "cute":thedolls:.

If you really have issues then just give her some "snacks" during the day. And make sure she drinks plenty of WATER. She'll survive. First day "might" be a battle of wills then after that she'll learn. I've found a lot of little kids eat practically NOTHING during certian stages then when they have a growth spurt they're RAVENOUS.

[brownie]

You can always ask if they don't have something on the menu she'll eat. On the other hand, she might get hungry enough by the end of the trip to start expanding her horizons!

[Disney Doll]

Let me tell you about my experience with our picky 7 year old nephew at Disney. Our nephew came with his doting grandma who would bend over backwards to move heaven and earth at his every whim. Wherever we went to eat he complained and grandma also complained on his behalf. He didn't even like the PBJ kids meals. Pretty much the whole trip he had been living off corn dog kid's meals at CBR. Even then I think he liked the sand pail the meal came in more than the actual food. One night grandma was feeling tired and wanted to go back to the resort early so we offered to take the nephew along with us. That night we were in EPCOT and decided to grab a quick bite at a Chinese counter service. We showed him the options all of which he refused, but DH and I ordered anyway figuring grandma could feed him his standard corn dog meal when we got back to the resort. Once he realized that we were not going to make a big deal about finding him the perfect meal he agreed to share some of my meal. He didn't care for most of what we ordered, but he did eat an egg roll and some noodles. When we got back to the resort and told grandma that we fed him Chinese she couldn't believe it.

The bottom line is that your niece won't starve. We don't force our own kids to eat anything, but neither do we go out of our way to find them exactly what they want. Our rule has always been no meals = no snacks and we stick to it. We don't make a big fuss about food. We just offer the kids what's available and move on. I personally don't like to ask for special items at a restaurant unless it's medically necessary, but from what I hear the restaurants at Disney are very good about taking special requests.

[Rhetoric2000]

I know in our house we have a "that's what's for dinner" policy.

*Looks back fondly* Ah yes I remember that:

Me (upon being presented with my dinner): I don't like that.
Mother: Well don't eat it love.

Staggeringly I never became a picky eater.

[Coolwench]

I have a picky 12yr old eater. We are on the dining plan. Does anyone know if she could order off the Childs menu, if she can't find anything on the Adult menu?

[Goes4FastPass]

I have a picky 12yr old eater. We are on the dining plan. Does anyone know if she could order off the Childs menu, if she can't find anything on the Adult menu?I'm almost positive that she can. It's a matter of money. Child food items are smaller and simpler and they are priced (we hope) with consideration that they are purchased along with adult food items. When things get tricky is when the family says, "Sally prefers filet mignon..." and Sally is a child on the dining plan.

Buffets are everything for everybody affairs. As an adult, I have no embarrassment when it comes to copping chicken fingers and mac and cheese from the short height buffet at the Crystal Palace.

[PopDivaPaige]

I'm with coolwench on this one (yeah, I'm the picky eater. She's my mom) anyways, yeah. I hardly like anything, and I mean anything. So, yeah, is it possible for me to eat on the children's menu? My dad says I can, but I'm not 100% sure.

EDIT: Never mind! Thanks for answering our question, Goes4FastPass! :D

[Goes4FastPass]

OK, PopDiva,

Call me Uncle Greg but if you're old enough to post messages and old enough to be a pop diva then it's time to expand your food horizons - and Disney World is a great place to do that.

Even the Chinese-Italian-German-African-Mexican-English-Japanese-French-Morrocan foods at WDW are very Americanized.

Have a great trip - and try new stuff!

:eat:

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . and make her parents take her to another restaurant to eat the same thing" wow! Is there a medical reason that her parents are so focused on her eating? If not, then if she doesn't like what's available - she won't starve in one day . . .

1) Amen.
2) Maybe the parents that need lessons.
3) Someone might question who is in charge.
4) The adult or child?
5) If kids do not want to eat what is served at home or in the eatery, fine.
6) They have every right to not eat.
7) But, don't put everyone else to the test by having to go elsewhere.
8) The kid can always carry a granola bar for the way home.

NOTE: I apologize for being sarcastic, and accept any flaming. But, kids need to know that they are not the center of the universe and have to comply. This includes eating what is placed before them.

[jillluvsdisney]

Rusty Scupper, I could not have said it better myself.

[Coolwench]

Thanks Goes4FastPast. We did book several buffet dinners so she could try new things, but it is good to know that she could order from the childs menu.:bar:

[another tink]

1) Amen.
2) Maybe the parents that need lessons.
3) Someone might question who is in charge.
4) The adult or child?
5) If kids do not want to eat what is served at home or in the eatery, fine.
6) They have every right to not eat.
7) But, don't put everyone else to the test by having to go elsewhere.
8) The kid can always carry a granola bar for the way home.

NOTE: I apologize for being sarcastic, and accept any flaming. But, kids need to know that they are not the center of the universe and have to comply. This includes eating what is placed before them.
:mickey:
I agree 100%

[Disney Lynn]

I agree! No flaming from me!!!

And to Rhetoric2000: our mothers must have been related!

[eandrsmom]

My kids are picky eaters too. However, I refuse to cater to their every whim. I make my ADR's at restaurants where they have at least one thing that they'll eat. If they don't like it, too bad. I get them involved in the process by letting them look at the menus in advance. Last trip, we all tried the cheese soup at LeCellier, and they reluctantly agreed that they liked it.