We just got back from a week-long visit to the Disney World!
It was a great vacation and we had a lot of fun at the Magic Kingdom, Epcot and our own cabin at the Fort Wilderness Resort.
But it was a nightmare trying to feed our twins during the entire trip. The usual kids menu items like the fried chicken tenders, pizza and hot dogs didn’t go well at all and they only nibbled at the Mac ‘n Cheese and carrots. Surprisingly, they also rejected the milk and took only a few sips each time. The only somewhat healthy option we found was at Epcot’s Le Chefs de France restaurant, which offered grilled flounder and fresh green beans on the menu in addition to the usual chicken tenders and pasta. Sadly however, it didn’t turn out to be a pleasant dining experience for us because by that time the twins were tired and fussy!
We came to the realization that we don’t eat out and we don’t go on vacations often enough to prepare us for proper eating outside of home!
So to all of you more experienced toddler Moms out there, I have a question this week:
How do you manage your child’s nutrition on extended vacations out of home?
Please share your tips in comments below. Leave your twitter ID, blog or Facebook profile so I can link to you when I compile your tips in a future post.
Thank you!!
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
oh shame you found it so hard, I keep healthy snacks in the hotel fridge, like cheese sticks, fresh fruits and yogurt. we look for a good local grocery store
Rebecca
We live in Berlin, Germany and just got back from visiting friends and family in Canada for seven weeks.We have a two and half year old who shares our very healthy eating habits.. I have to say, I find it to be incredibly challenging to maintain the same standards while traveling. I basically had to relax and not stress out about our son consuming things he has never had before and I told him that certain things were ’special’ and that he could try a little bit. I would hit the farmers’ markets and health food stores and try and contribute when we were staying somewhere and make little healthy snacks to bring along if we were going to end up in a restaurant without healthy options. For example, I got some tortilla wraps and filled them with hummus..
Now that we are back home he doesn’t ask for the chocolate cake or any of the other things he had over there.. we are back in our kitchen eating the food he was used to from before and even though I felt that I was poisoning him a few times..(my mom made greek donuts with this bleached white four which had a huge long list of ingredients and deep fried them in corn oil!) I think the battles we would have had if I tried to forbid him those things would’ve been worse..
Don’t know if that is helpful at all…just our experience…
Athanasia
Rebecca and Athanasia
Great suggestions! We also had our fridge stocked with stuff they usually like to eat. Still it did not help! We carried a few snacks with us when we visited the parks, but that too did not go very well. And as I wrote in my post, the restaurant food was a complete nightmare.
I think the idea of letting go, relaxing a little and not stressing out too much is good. Thanks for sharing!
Hi, our kids have always been interesting in whatever WE are eating so when we have travelled for a long time, we make sure that we are eating something healthy and usually they end up eating healthier, too. Giving them a healthy snack right BEFORE we sit down at a restaurant also helps. That way they are already full and will just nibble on the unhealthy restaurant food.
Running around an amusement park like Disney is really tiring… I know when I’m really tired (and hot) my appetite goes way down. Did you try stuff like popsicles or frozen yogurt? As long as they stayed hydrated and you offered healthy options I’m sure they were fine.
I have found that my almost-3 year old daughter is just not as interested in eating when she’s having fun or is in new surroundings. I think it’s pretty normal. We too just went to Disneyland and I brought snacks and milk for the hotel but she ate very little except for breakfast (cereal and fruit). She rarely eats much when we go out to dinner no matter what she gets. I notice she chows down her first few days back at home to make up for it. I remember our trip to laughlin last summer where she ate crackers and milk the whole time.
Maryann
http://www.RaiseHealthyEaters.com
Hello Maryann
Your response makes me feel better! Thank you so much for sharing your experience.