Eating Out with a Picky Toddler

When we are traveling, I just give up. I will ask the wait staff to bring, say, a bowl of olives for my child. This will entertain her for a while, as well as giving her something to eat. That might be the sum total of her dinner. For breakfast, I'll let her get bacon and fruit loops from the breakfast buffet. For lunch, she will eat a happy meal. Not healthy at all, but I seem to have noticed that my kids are not as affected as I am by eating nothing but junk food for a couple of days. Have a great time in Vegas!

Lots of snacks - it's only one weekend, so if he doesn't get veggies at every meal, it's okay. My son always went for pancakes, so we'd try and get that with a side of fruit. That always went over well. Lots of milk (if you can have a fridge or ice chest). Good luck and have fun!

Hi K.,
Be prepared because my response is completely different than everyone elses. Children are picky because you let them be. If you offer something to your child and they dont like it, and you dont offer it to them again, they will never like it. Children tend to like sameness, therefore are not real big on new foods. If you keep giving it to them, whether or not they eat it, they get used to seeing it and will be more likely to try it at some point. Pick out a few things a week and just keep reintroducing it to your son and eventually he will eat it.

Good luck,
D.

I would involve my child in the process, like the previous poster suggested. And the buffets sound like a good idea, because they would have something from all the food groups. Fix a plate for your child and have maybe a tablespoon of different foods on it. Do not give them ice cream, cookies, etc. until they at least try the healthy foods first. Best of luck to you. I know this is a hard situation. When the child is really hungry, he will eat. Just try to stick with fruits and vegetables as much as you can.

All really good advise but remember, you have to present an item to your child at least 10 times (yes I said 10) before they will consider eating it.

Super advice so far!! I agree with Laura, kids learn what things are from repitition and this includes food. My son has a few basic things he WILL eat and I always offer him NEW stuff when he's got the basic foods on his plate. I do this for four days in a row, then give him a break and start again with the new thing a week later.

Stick with things that are easy...my son will always eat mac n' cheese or chicken fingers when we go out. Just keep it simple while your on your trip. Definitely pack the snacks!

I would just bring what he likes to eat to the places you will be eating. I did I brought hot dogs sandwiches and all the stuff he would eat. I would ask for an extra plate and just let him eat his own stuff.

With all due respect to a couple of previous posters, some kids just won't eat certain things, no matter how many times they are presented, or if you can creatively name them (broccoli trees), or if there is something to dip them in...they just won't. Trust me. I have two. Yes, I've presented the veggies, hidden the veggies (works sometimes), involved them in the process, etc. I've tried it all, more than once. Take heart, eventually, they may become more adventurous...(around 5 for my oldest, I'm still waiting with my younget).

That said, I used to take food for them to restaurants or on vacation--string cheese, easy-mac, squeezy yogurt, canned peaches, applesauce--go and buy a few individually portioned kinds of food that are easy to transport, and give him a couple of choices for each meal. He won't starve to death over a weekend, and you might be able to augment his choices from your plate (crackers, bread roll, grapes...). Little gladware containers are great for fish crackers, cheerios, blueberries, etc.

And good luck! It will get easier, I promise. I actually look forward to going away for the weekend now instead of dreading it like I used to! :-)

K.

Have you ever tried baby food? I know he seems a little old for it but my son was picky because everything had too much spice in it-He's 8 and won't even touch pepper, mints, or onions because they're too "hot".

He was so picky that when he was 3 I went back to the jars of baby food stage 2 or 3 so he got bland food and got used to it and then I added more and more to his diet.

Jars would be easy to pack and take with you-no heating, healthy, etc.

Good Luck

This is one of the hardest things I've had to deal with as a mother. Luckily my Daughter loves peanut butter and Jelly (but not much else), so when we are on the go, I usually will take a few sandwiches and single serving applesauce. We buy Organic peanut butter, homemade jelly and whole wheat bread. I've learned that ordering something for her at a restaurant is a complete waste. Good luck!

K.,
Don't give in to your son being picky. He won't let himself starve. If you provide only what he likes he is learning that he doesn't have to eat what you want him to just what he wants to eat. Good for you for healthy eating and desiring your son to eat healthy too. Even I give in to my kids' desires for junk food way too often.
M. T.

My kids were not picky but we traveled a lot, Baja etc and I wanted to keep there diet safe. Canned Fruit and Greenbeans with a pull top can worked great. I would buy the plastic stick on table mats and through the food out a little bit at a time. We used tons of little tupperwears full of crackers etc of all different shapes and sizes. Pack a mini duffle full of the smallest tupeprwear containers of food they will eat.

S.

I used to order mini pancakes and bring my own apple sauce for dipping.
Plain noodles with diced chicken

Pre-cook his favorite meal the first night. Bring in ice chest. Since you are only gone a weekend, pack it with frozen juices and water.

Vegas has grocery stores. You might need to stop there at least once. Venture outside of the strip and you will see a few markets.

My little ones also liked dried fruit. Just cut them up for a special snack.

My advice, try to eat like you eat at home. Many places will heat up anything you bring.
I would take along a microwavable dish with a lid.

Hi, K.,

My husband, sons (now ages 30 months and 14 months), and I live in Las Vegas a few months out of the year, and we travel to a lot of different locations (domestic and foreign) for my husband's job. As a result, my kids have become accustomed to eating at different types of restaurants. I think that you've been given a lot of good advice so far. I don't know what types of restaurants you've taken your son to. Based on what I've observed in my kids, letting your son try a variety of foods--not mixed together--from various restaurants or buffets might make him an open-minded eater as an adult or teen if not a child. Now there are quite a few restaurants here in Las Vegas that offer tasty, healthy food.

I'm always interested in picky eaters. What does he eat? I always feel like if kids are hungry enough and you offer foods that are healthy, but also yummy, they will eat. What's your experience. I also accept that toddlers are toddlers and sometimes they're just not interested in food. My son goes in stages, but I try to feed him balanced meals that aren't full of junk.-www.weelicious.com

Try feeding her right before you go out to dinner. Take along some favorite snacks or just some toys to keep her busy since she's already eaten. Maybe if the pressure is off of her, she might actually try a few things...good luck!

Toddlers usually like carbs....or things with a dip or sauces. Try that.
Many also like foods that are just plain and simple.
Or, try soups. Which my kids like. Or finger foods.
You can also pack some "Pediasure" which is a "meal" drink for kids...and it's packed with vitamins and protein. My son will at least drink this, when he is being super picky and I can't fathom anything for him to eat, even though I tried 20 different things.

Some kids, also don't like too much on their plate, so use SMALL portions, ie: just a couple tablespoons of something. OR, they don't like different foods on their plate all together at the same time. So keep things separated. My kids are sometimes "picky" this way. And this is what i have learned.

My son is SUPER picky...but the funny thing is, he likes to eat restaurant food! So he gets more adventurous while we are eating out and at least he will eat from our plate, or his own. But again, he scrutinizes the food first and will poke and prod it.

BUT, he likes eating off of Grandma's plate, even at home! Even if we all have the same thing. Toddlers...

All the best, I know it's not easy,
Susan

Hi K.,

My little girl is very picky as well but her favorite is chicken nuggest and mac and cheese. Everywhere we go, that's all I will order for her. So if you know your sons favorite foods or at least foods he will tolerate, stick with those. Most restaurants offer the same basics like chicken strips or nuggets and mashed potatoes or mac and cheese.

Hi K.-

My daughter is/was an extremely picky so what I did was make sure that she ate something decent before, and then when in restaurants I just gave her olives. She loves olives and it kept her happy, which in turn kept us happy as well!

Good Luck!

Hey K.,

We have the same issue with our 23 month old daughter. She loves green beans. They now make them in little plastic cups that you can toss in the microwave. I will bring them w/us out to eat and have them warm them up for us. Also the great stand by of mac n cheese, apple sauce are served pretty much everywhere too! Say hi to Elvis in Vegas :)
S.
http://www.ContentMommy.com

My daughter is still very picky at 16/17 months. When eating out I try to order items like veggies or mashed potatoes that I can feed her, but it's hit and miss with her. Some days she'll cooperate, others she will not. One thing she does eat rather well when we're out are fries. Not the healthiest, but at least she will be eating something. I'll allow her those and continue to offer her other items as well. I also carry animal crackers, cheerios, biter biscuits, juices, etc. with me. If nothing else works, she will eat those. Of course eating out in the evening is way different than being at a hotel for several days. Honestly, though, I believe that if he's hungry, he will eat. You certainly don't need to worry about him starving. Good luck to you.

I always brought Cheerios. and ordered milk and sometimes fruit too. My dughter is our 3rd and she eats very little in quantity or variety. we went out to dinner last night and she ate peanuts and had milk. it is only 1 meal, and really, not exactly healthy, but better than the ice cream she would of liked.

Hi, I agree with Diane, but everyone had good tips. You have to make healthy food palatable for kids. Cook broccoli and call them little trees, dip them in ranch dressing and you have snow. Melt cheese on Cauliflower or mix cauliflower into mac'n cheese. The white cauliflower will take on the orange chees color. My son loves to dip so I cut up veggies like bell peppers and baby carrots and make onion dip for him. Ketchup, BBQ sauce, ranch dressing and italian or bleu cheese dressings are all good on veggies. Even just some butter and salt. Buy the book The Sneaky Chef, great ideas on how to mix fruits and veggies into everyday foods. But keep introducing the real thing too or they will never get used to it. If you give up after one attempt you are robbing him of an opportunity to learn to like something. If you limit his diet now you are setting yourself up to have a picky eater for a lifetime. Don't avoid spices either, he can get used to spices and gradually accept more and more. Try Indian food, Thai food, Japanese food, you never know what will strike a chord in him! Good Luck
K. Smith
Parenting Coach and Sleep Consultant
www.theindependentchild.com

I would stick w/ the buffet style in LV, 'cause there're variety of food and your son will like at least a couple of them :) Take him around the food tables so he can see the wonderful display and hope he will enjoy trying something new. My son is a picky eater too, but more at home than when we eating out. he seem to enjoy the atmostphere and the food display.

Have fun in Las Vegas! I've heard at Excalibur they have muppet show all day!

I always bring my 22m son his own dinner, that way you know you have what he likes with you.

My daughter is the same age. I have found that she loves to Dip, so I take along baby food and offer that as dipping sauces. I know she likes it, it is somewhat healthy and it helps to introduce new foods to her... She just tried chicken nuggets for the first time this week, and liked them, so we have something else... She would also eat scrambled eggs with Katsup... softer foods with flavors she enjoys. Oat meal, sweetened. Grilled cheese sandwiches. But I started everything with having the baby food to dip with... Have fun in Vegas.
GOOD LUCK!!!!
R.

Hi K.,
my daughter is now 14, but to avoid any problems like this one of my girlfriends - she is now 93 and a world renowned child pychologist - told me early on: When eating out make sure your child is completely involved in the process. Like :"Where should we sit? Where do you want to sit? Oh look at this nice menu. Do you know what a menu is? Let's look at the pictures to see what looks good? This nice lady is going to make sure your food is cooked good and then she is going to...bring it just to you!" It was the best advice for restaurants and anywhere I ever took Meagan. She loves going out and takes in the experience with joy--just like when she was a baby! I hope this helps. Have fun in Las Vegas. C., Corona, California