Young Children and Meals on a Trip

No need to make the six year old wait until 7 to eat, just have hearty food she likes and normally eats at home in the fridge ready to warm up, chicken? pizza? pasta? whatever...and then if she's still hungry she can eat (or not) with the rest of the group later. It's not a big deal, just feed her when she's hungry and enjoy your trip!!!

This summer for lunches my kids (4 & 6) have loved "making" their own lunch. I put out ham and turkey cold cuts, sliced cheese, cheese sticks, baby carrots, sliced cucumber, pickles, olives, crackers, small slices of bread, grapes, strawberries, watermelon, whatever we have. They pick whatever they want. They think it is the greatest!

Spaghetti is always an easy dinner to make. You can do other fun shapes for pasta or different kinds of sauces.

We do taco bars. Hard and soft shells, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, chopped onion, sliced olives, black beans, retried beans, Spanish rice, hamburger, chicken, salsa, sour cream, etc. everyone makes their tacos.

If you have a crockpot you can do shredded pork or shredded chicken for sandwiches.

Would it be possible to give your kids a filling snack at the time they normally eat dinner and then feed them dinner when everyone else is ready? Otherwise it sounds like you will be possibly cooking the meal (or even two meals) every night. Otherwise, I would do things in the cockpot or just have sandwich fixings and some salads and everyone can help themselves when they are ready to eat.

Feed them protein at their usual dinner time and they can join everyone else at a later dinner. Cheese and crackers, yogurt or peanut butter sandwiches are all easy. Look at their favorite foods to find easy things that you know they will eat.

On vacation the schedule goes out the window. So they need a snack at 5? Go for it! Dinner with everyone is whenever it's ready. Don't stress on this - just do what works for your family and be flexible, leave the rules and schedule at home.

I know this doesn't answer your question and I hate how people on this site do that. But I'm going to. We never ate dinner before 7 even when my kids were young, as young as 1. So if we went on a group trip now and were expected to eat between 5 and 5:30 bc of one family, I would not be happy. Seems like you should ask the others when they usually eat and then compromise. I'd of course be happy to eat earlier than usual but not 2 hours earlier. If I were you I'd feed the 1 year old separately and give the 6 year old a snack and assume dinner is around 6 or 6:30. I assume you mention 7 bc that's when the other families eat.

ETA

The only thing that will come of battles over meals is that your child will dig in their heals. They will NOT suddenly start eating what you want.

I just don't get why kids can't say the don't like something without an adult taking it as an affront to their cooking or a sign of disrespect. It's a choice, kids have taste buds just like you do.

SO they don't like something. Pick out a food YOU detest and that's the only food you can eat until you satisfy some other person's demented ideals about you've had enough or not.

Another thing that is going to happen is you will be an embarrassment to your family and yourself. Making a hiney of yourself over food especially during vacation is not going to achieve the things you want.

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I think you are overthinking this.

A typical day of food for kids in child care is sort of like this. I think most families do meals sort of like this. Of course some people send their kids to bed as soon as dinner is done so the adults can have their evenings to themselves but I really think most people want to spend time with their kids and do evening things. On vacation your kids will be up late a lot.

Up and eat breakfast. On vacation I'd say by 8:30/9am they should be up and ready to eat.

A mid morning snack wouldn't be something I'd think they'd want but that might be something you can plan on and have handy. Lunch could be later than you usually have it.

On a normal day we'd eat between 11:30 and 12:30 then straight to nap time, no side lines because that one year old needs their nap.

Then when little one wakes up, in our place that would be around 2:30/2:45. Then a good high protein snack and fruit or juice to drink. If I had done juice at breakfast then I'd do half a cup of fruit and water or Koolaid.

Then if the kids are hungry before dinner I'd have parts of dinner ready for them to eat. I didn't use baby food after talking to either Del Monte or Gerber. I called one of them with a question and was completely shocked by the answer.

I had been given a bunch of stage 3 baby food and it was a couple of days expired. I wanted to know if it was still good to use. The person I was speaking with me to flat out throw them away.

They told me that baby food has the very minimum nutrition in it allowed. It's basically flavored goo that fills their tummy but doesn't give them nutrition. It is empty goo.

Your child is well over the age where they need baby food. They need full out table food that everyone is eating.

Back to my suggestions about meals...lol.

I think having things ready for the kids to snack on will help you make it through your normal meal times fine. Having some fruit ready to give them something fast. Have some high protein stuff ready too. We do peanut butter crackers. The kids love to make them and eat them. Messy? Yes but they enjoy a snack they can make.

I think that you can feed your kids dinner early if you want to. Please do not feed your baby anything except table food. If you're going to cook for you older child why not cook something they'll both eat? Why not let them eat a whole meal then later when everyone else is eating they can eat again if they want or just sit at the table with everyone and experience a family style dinner.

Will you be barbecuing? We typically grill chicken for fajitas, hamburgers, sausages, fish .. and just bring a few salads along with us (and replenish 1/2 way through). Corn on cob. Spaghetti one night. Bread, cheese, etc. We typically do a pizza or bring something home from a local place for a treat one night.

I just give kids baby carrots or some watermelon, or apple and cheese if they get hungry while we're preparing supper.

For little ones, we just cubed up whatever we were having. Could your 14 month old tolerate that?

Enjoy your trip :)

I believe you are over thinking things.

Most families do not eat dinner at 5-530. IF you are vacationing with other families, I believe everyone should adjust to a more acceptable dinner time that works for everyone. Around here, we eat anytime between 6-7 but we are very flexible, however, I can't see myself having dinner at 5, I am still in the midst of working (from home) and wrapping up the end of my day.

Your 6 yr old is capable of having a healthy afternoon snack and eating with everyone else.

I would not use this vacation as a battleground to teach your 6 yr old a lesson. IF other children are around (especially older children) the 6 yr old will probably follow what they do because the 6yr old wants to be a part of the group.

We do casseroles in the wintertime. Your are at a beach house... why not use the outdoor grill and make things fun if you are not going to go out for dinner at all. Burgers, steaks, chicken, fish, kabobs, etc.

Give your older child fruit, veggies, cheese, crackers as a snack to ride him/her over til dinner. Even a late afternoon snack of milk & 2 cookies, or a jello, hummus, etc.

We go away each year as a group. Someone different cooks each night. There are always left overs and coldcuts and fruits. When the kids were little I brought my own bag of snacks for them (mac and cheese, bagels, goldfish crackers, granola bars, cookies) etc. There are no set times for meals. Only dinner is really discussed and time decided as a group based on activities for the day. It all flows pretty easily: someone will take out the lunch meats and breads to make their own sandwich and others will grab the potato salad and pickles and soon everyone is eating together. But nothing stopped me from feeding or allowing my kids to snack at any time. And if you dont want to cook just pick up a stack of pizzas for everyone. Just come prepared (of shop locally) with some of your kids favorites.

L.

I'm sorry - you are over thinking this. You cannot expect other families to bend to your daughter's needs. She can't wait until 7PM? Give her a snack. Simple as that.

Most people don't get off work until 5PM. I don't think I could eat that early. My grandmother was like that - demanded that everyone fit their schedule to her demands. Drove people nuts. She "needed" to eat by 5PM? Great - fix yourself a sandwich or a snack. She got mad - but everyone else was HAPPY!! YAHOO!!

Meals that are easy?
Mac and cheese
quesadillas
burritos
tacos
soup and sandwiches

Want to bring things prepared that you can take out and heat up?
Enchiladas
Casseroles
Chicken (whole)

Plan on having SNACKS for your kids. THAT is something YOU CAN CONTROL. Have things that you know your kids will eat and have it ready or handy for them. DO NOT look at a clock or a watch. You're supposed to be on vacation. Feed as necessary - not on a schedule.

Good luck!

I think you might be surprised at what a 6 year old can do to adjust and connect more to the older kids. I'd feed the 1 year old whenever you want to - no one will care and all will understand. But give the 6 year old some protein around 5 or so to "hold" him - some peanut butter in celery or on apple wedges, yogurt, some cheese and almonds/cashews, a scrambled or hard boiled egg, etc. Just nothing sugary or with white flour (crackers, white bread, etc.) that will result in a crash 30 minutes later and no lasting satisfaction. But I think a 6 year old might well want to hang out with and eat with the "big kids" rather than the baby. If you have higher expectations, you might be pleasantly surprised, especially if the older kids are playing frisbee or hanging at the beach at 5 or 5:30.

I think kids (and teens and adults) often get wiped out after a day on the beach, and naps are not out of the question even if they are long past napping at home. Consider it.

Do your kids already eat casseroles? There are great ways to jazz up mac & cheese with real cheese (not the Kraft in a box powdered stuff) and added veggies (butternut squash is a classic) to give real nutrition and staying power. I'm a big fan of make-your-own chicken nuggets or fingers which reheat well. I use wheat germ, whole wheat bread crumbs, or a combination, and just dip cut up chicken breasts in egg and then the crumbs. Oven bake, or quick fry in olive oil for crispy outsides and finish in the oven. Honey mustard chicken is super easy (equal parts of the 2, using either basic yellow mustard, or a darker/grainy mustard, or some of each) and it can be done in the oven or on the grill. Marinate ahead of time (like while you're all at the beach), cook whenever. It's good hot, or cold, or cut up on salads. Taco bars are easy, and hungry kids can pick at the fixings early on if they are starving.

Maybe you can elaborate on what you already like to make and what both kids eat, and then we can help more?

i asked a similar question a few weeks ago. i premade all our dinners and had simple lunches (cheff b ravioli, pb and j, and mac-n-cheese with hotdogs for lunches)
here is a link to that thread and its replies: http://www.mamapedia.com/questions/15938785345924300801
i was able to have a great vacation using a few suggestions from here (and it gave me ideas of my own)

Most locations have grocery stores. Pack your crock pot, look up some slow cooker recipes and go. :)

On the road, we usually have cheese and crackers with some finger friendly fruit and deli meat.

When we go camping or to the cabin we eat on much the same schedule as at home. We have breakfast around 9:00am, I clean up and make a picnic lunch and head to the beach. After all day on the beach we are quite happy to head back to the campsite/cabin by 4:00-4:30pm for a rest and supper at 5:00-5:30pm. Depending on what cooking facilities I have I make much the same kinds of meals I would at home. I will do much of the prep work at home to make things easier (ie shredding cheese, washing and cutting veggies). Tacos, spaghetti with meat sauce, hamburgers, hot dogs, baked or campfire potatoes, steak, pork chops, chicken breasts, canned veggies, corn on the cob. By the time we are done eating and clean up and there is still plenty of time to head back to the beach, for a hike, have a camp fire or watch a movie.

You are totally NOT overthinking it. In fact how considerate of you to keep your kids fed on their schedule so they don't turn into into low blood sugar monsters and drive everyone crazy. Also, I find its really nice to have the little ones fed ahead of the grown ups. I enjoy my grown up meals much better with kids fed and off to play.
On these kinds of trips I bring canned veggies (corn and beans), fresh fruit, baby bell cheese and whole grain bread for toast. I also bring dry pasta and or brown rice and cook up a batch to use all week for early dinners for my kids. I usually find there are enough left overs to feed my kids early dinners as needed so I don't have to use my dry pasta, but its peace of mind to have on hand.

I get where you are coming from. No one is "bending" for your kids schedule. Not sure how people misread that you are trying to change dinner time. Trust me, you are doing everyone a favor with a plan to feed your kids early if need be. If by chance your older child can make it for late dinner with snacks, great! If she seems to be melting down, have dinners you can put out in 5 minutes. Its a great plan!

We will be going to the beach, and what I usually do is have cheese, crackers and grapes available while I'm cooking. I might also cut up some apple, or give the kids a banana. I do this at home all the time when hubby is running late. Just give the 6 year old a snack around 5, and then let him eat dinner with everyone else.

Our mail plan will consist of hamburgers, roast chicken, pasta, tacos, and pizza. All simple things to get on the table quickly.

In the summer we grill a lot. (Chicken, steak, hot dogs/hamburgers) If you marinate the meat before hand and have fruit salad, Caesar salad mix etc. on hand it shouldn't take more than 20 minutes to be ready to eat especially if you can have someone else grill.