Picky 9 Year Old Eater

[ImNoImagineer]

We have a very picky 9 year old son who pretty much only eats hotpockets, taquitos, and PB&J. Very difficult if not impossible to get him to try anything. The rest of us want to eat at Story Book Dining, and there is no way he will eat the kids meals. Can we bring in food for him to eat? I am assuming we still need to pay for him.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

In general, you are allowed to bring food with you around WDW. We have also previously been advised to talk to special dining when we needed food accommodations. Here is the email: Special.Diets@DisneyWorld.com

If he eats PB&J, then I can tell you WL almost certainly carries Uncrustables.

My experience is more with food allergies, but I have also visited WDW with someone with autism, and a limited diet.

If I may be so bold, the above person was often described as a picky eater. But picky makes it sound like he was choosing to be difficult. He wasn't. He was almost 10 when we was finally tested for food allergies. Turns out, he had numerous mild food allergies to many common foods. Food allergies vary in intensity. A mild food allergy can appear to be a simple dislike. Several foods just made his mouth itch, or he just felt a little off when he ate them, but as a child, he did have the words to express that.

He also has/had sensory difficulties. He outgrew many of them, but when he was little...the smell of garlic was like nails on a chalkboard to him. He once ran out of an Italian restaurant absolutely SCREAMING with his fingers shoved up his nose and tears streaming down his face. When he finally calmed down, and sat to eat, the bread they gave us was full of rosemary. So that again caused an overload. Luckily they also stocked plain bread.

In any event, if they carry a food ANYWHERE at Wilderness Lodge, in a situation like yours, they can usually serve that food in any dining location in that hotel. Advance notice helps. They can't get foods they don't carry, but they want small children to be happy. If they know you are coming, they will try to have that food on hand. Of course I can't promise they will, but talking to them is the first step.

One thing they that cannot do is reheat or otherwise prepare outside food. I think, if possible, they would rather supply foods to you. That's what we have been told.

On top of that, food allergies and food intolerances run in my extended family. Few people understand food intolerances. An intolerance = symptoms, but not the same ones as a true allergy. The person who has one did not know until they were in their mid-40's. Doctors first thought the symptoms were lupus, but a smart doctor thought to check for a food intolerance. Turns out wheat was causing a broad range of symptoms: sinus symptoms, acne, stomach pain, muscle aches, rashes, etc. They all went away when he stopped eating wheat.

Prior to that, he might have been described as a picky eater. When he ate foods like pizza with bell peppers, he burped pepper taste. So he blamed peppers as the trigger, when it was the pizza crust.

Getting tested was a game changer for both of them, but it took some investigation.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

One more tip. Allears used to have all sorts of tips for special needs dining, including vegan. (Like where to find peanut butter at WDW.)

 

[ImNoImagineer]

In general, you are allowed to bring food with you around WDW. We have also previously been advised to talk to special dining when we needed food accommodations. Here is the email: Special.Diets@DisneyWorld.com

If he eats PB&J, then I can tell you WL almost certainly carries Uncrustables.

My experience is more with food allergies, but I have also visited WDW with someone with autism, and a limited diet.

If I may be so bold, the above person was often described as a picky eater. But picky makes it sound like he was choosing to be difficult. He wasn't. He was almost 10 when we was finally tested for food allergies. Turns out, he had numerous mild food allergies to many common foods. Food allergies vary in intensity. A mild food allergy can appear to be a simple dislike. Several foods just made his mouth itch, or he just felt a little off when he ate them, but as a child, he did have the words to express that.

He also has/had sensory difficulties. He outgrew many of them, but when he was little...the smell of garlic was like nails on a chalkboard to him. He once ran out of an Italian restaurant absolutely SCREAMING with his fingers shoved up his nose and tears streaming down his face. When he finally calmed down, and sat to eat, the bread they gave us was full of rosemary. So that again caused an overload. Luckily they also stocked plain bread.

In any event, if they carry a food ANYWHERE at Wilderness Lodge, in a situation like yours, they can usually serve that food in any dining location in that hotel. Advance notice helps. They can't get foods they don't carry, but they want small children to be happy. If they know you are coming, they will try to have that food on hand. Of course I can't promise they will, but talking to them is the first step.

One thing they that cannot do is reheat or otherwise prepare outside food. I think, if possible, they would rather supply foods to you. That's what we have been told.

On top of that, food allergies and food intolerances run in my extended family. Few people understand food intolerances. An intolerance = symptoms, but not the same ones as a true allergy. The person who has one did not know until they were in their mid-40's. Doctors first thought the symptoms were lupus, but a smart doctor thought to check for a food intolerance. Turns out wheat was causing a broad range of symptoms: sinus symptoms, acne, stomach pain, muscle aches, rashes, etc. They all went away when he stopped eating wheat.

Prior to that, he might have been described as a picky eater. When he ate foods like pizza with bell peppers, he burped pepper taste. So he blamed peppers as the trigger, when it was the pizza crust.

Getting tested was a game changer for both of them, but it took some investigation.

Thanks for the information. He doesn't complain about any effects from the food, we originally thought it had to do with the texture. He doesn't eat cheeseburgers, but will eat walking tacos. We feel he is just stubborn and doesn't like to try new things. He never at eggs until one day I made an omelette and he loved it. He now eats omelettes every Saturday. Found out he wanted to control how much salt and pepper we put on it.

 

[DisneyfanMA]

Can you keep a couple uncrustables somewhere in yiur group without them being completely squished and soggy? Peanut butter cracker packs? Cut up apples? Perhaps you can order some of that type of stuff as sides at some places as well.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

Thanks for the information. He doesn't complain about any effects from the food, we originally thought it had to do with the texture. He doesn't eat cheeseburgers, but will eat walking tacos. We feel he is just stubborn and doesn't like to try new things. He never at eggs until one day I made an omelette and he loved it. He now eats omelettes every Saturday. Found out he wanted to control how much salt and pepper we put on it.

That's great!

My autistic relative was similar about beef. First time he ate a hamburger, he just held it in his cheek, for like half an hour. He also wouldn't eat pork. Loves fish. Texture is a big part of it. I confess, I'm also a little picky about eggs. I don't like them sunny side up or otherwise undercooked.

As my relative got older, one path to improving his diet was taking him to farmer's markets. He loved talking to farmers.

And of course, WDW! On visits to WDW, he had to try 1 new food or dish at character meals. The buffets were great for this, because he was only required to take one bite, and he could see everything before he chose. The best of all was Boma! He found a number of foods he LOVES, like the pumpkin soup. They also had a kid station that served totally plain pasta and plain tomato sauce, so he knew he'd have food he liked there. I'm sure choice played a role as well.


Have a great vacation!

 

[joshsprincess921]

We have a very picky 9 year old son who pretty much only eats hotpockets, taquitos, and PB&J. Very difficult if not impossible to get him to try anything. The rest of us want to eat at Story Book Dining, and there is no way he will eat the kids meals. Can we bring in food for him to eat? I am assuming we still need to pay for him.

My son is the same age and use to be extremely picky. He's only recently within the last year started trying more and more foods, discovering that he does indeed like other food. He can still be funny about it sometimes, but he's gotten so much better.
That being said, on our last two trips, he was still in that really picky stage and Disney was able to accommodate him everywhere we went. However, for the meals that are prefix, they charged us for the price of the kids entrée. I believe we paid close to $30 for a grilled cheese sandwich at Ohana. So just know that going in. We understood this ahead of time and just wanted a nice meal and our kid to be happy. They usually have Uncrustables at all of the resorts.