Bringing non-eating children to specialty restaurants

[gsc500]

 

My recommendation to all parents who have small children that will not eat this type of food, leave them with the babysitter. Enjoy a nice meal with your spouce and leave the kids with the sitter. This way there is no chance of them annoying anyone else, either.

 

It's up to the parent to know their own child and to be considerate of others.

 

I'm blessed that my kids LOVE to go out to eat and they are very well behaved and will color quietly if bored. The older one (now 9) we took out from birth. She might be a devil at home but an angel in public. ;) The younger one did well until she hit age 2. She got too restless. Well, for 2 WHOLE years, we hardly ate out. Even on vacation (WDW), we ate in the room because it was more relaxing. Why subject ourselves and others to a disturbed meal? Now the younger one (7 now) is the one that enjoys eating out the most. She requests fancy restaurants as her reward whenever possible.

 

Now I understand that some children are usually well behaved at meals, but when they "act" up, it's up to the parent to take them out of the restaurant to calm them down.

[SusieV]

I had a daughter who was very picky. Our rule was that if my wife made something that was not unusual, what did not get eaten for dinner was served for breakfast. Except for when grandmother was visiting, I do not think that she got any dessert until she was 5.

 

She eventually got over her pickiness and now (at age 3-+) eats almost anything.

 

DON

 

Wow. Talk about creating mega food issues for your child later in life.

 

Not to mention the whole concept of "kid friendly food". Whenever I read that, the poster is usually referring to processed garbage instead of real food.

[newmexicoNita]

The ships do have peanut butter onboard and jelly...my husbands favorite breakfast...LOL. When we were in Teppanyaki last Feb on the Gem, one young boy in our group liked only certain things to eat. We ordered him a steak and sliced tomatoes for his dinner. The wait staff happily supplied the request and did not charge for the "seat".

What you could do is contact the ship's coordinator for special requests. :)

 

but she has said he has a favorite brand of peanut butter, not just any...

 

Nita

[newmexicoNita]

It's up to the parent to know their own child and to be considerate of others.

 

I'm blessed that my kids LOVE to go out to eat and they are very well behaved and will color quietly if bored. The older one (now 9) we took out from birth. She might be a devil at home but an angel in public. ;) The younger one did well until she hit age 2. She got too restless. Well, for 2 WHOLE years, we hardly ate out. Even on vacation (WDW), we ate in the room because it was more relaxing. Why subject ourselves and others to a disturbed meal? Now the younger one (7 now) is the one that enjoys eating out the most. She requests fancy restaurants as her reward whenever possible.

 

Now I understand that some children are usually well behaved at meals, but when they "act" up, it's up to the parent to take them out of the restaurant to calm them down.

that is what logcabin said, know your kids, if they will not enjoy an upscale french restaurant leave them in the kids club..Our two older grandkids were introduced to upscale dining by the time they were 4 or 5, maybe not a 2 hour dinner but still mid to upscale as was our oldest. Our 2 younger ones would have been a pain in the neck for everyone. Even though the 2 granddaughters did know how to behave, when we took them on NCL the first time, we did not take them to Le Bistro. They enjoy their time away from us and the 4 adults enjoyed an evening without them...

Nita

[iheartbda]

I agree with CT on this one. Plus, this is not a parenting thread, it's a dining thread. IMHO, I think we should all wait to be asked for specific advice before giving it, and just stick to the OP's question.

 

YES!

So I guess I third this.;)

[MrsLeo]

I agree with CT on this one. Plus, this is not a parenting thread, it's a dining thread. IMHO, I think we should all wait to be asked for specific advice before giving it, and just stick to the OP's question.

 

I would like to fourth that!!

 

Good grief, it may take a village to raise a child, but what does it take to get the village to mind their own business or answer the OP's original question :rolleyes:?

[DAGVBSB]

My daughter has been cruising since she was five. The good news is that cruises have allowed her to try different types of food that we might not ordinarily get for her. (or us for that matter.)

 

For example: She sampled calamari in La Trattatoria on a NCL cruise off her mom's plate and loved it, so we ordered her her own order and she ate it up.

 

In our experience, a child can order off of the children's menu (same in all restaurants on board) in the specialty restaurants at no charge. They can also order off the apetizer, soup, salad and desert menu of the specialty restaurant at no charge. The only charge is if they order an entree off the menu.

 

Like I said, a great way to try new foods!

 

Funny story... we had several two for one coupon for Cagney's a few years ago. My mother in law was not partnered up with anyone, so we let my then 8 year old daughter order a filet mignon as the "free" half of the coupon. Now for the kicker... she fell in love with it and wants it all the time. Of course, now on shore.... it costs daddy money! (but before anyone says anything... she can have it any time she wants.)

[JMB123]

As a mother of a child with deadly food allergies, I thought it was important to point out that being in the open ocean may not be the best place to have a young child try a new food for the first time.

 

I also agree that it's the child's vacation, too, and not the time to have food battles!

 

To help answer the OP's question, we've had our kids order off the children's menu without having to pay, except for in Teppanyaki, where they charge full price even if they order off the kid's menu, since they are taking up a seat that could otherwise be sold.

[NEOPH]

that is what logcabin said, know your kids, if they will not enjoy an upscale french restaurant leave them in the kids club..Our two older grandkids were introduced to upscale dining by the time they were 4 or 5, maybe not a 2 hour dinner but still mid to upscale as was our oldest. Our 2 younger ones would have been a pain in the neck for everyone. Even though the 2 granddaughters did know how to behave, when we took them on NCL the first time, we did not take them to Le Bistro. They enjoy their time away from us and the 4 adults enjoyed an evening without them...

Nita

 

A-Men..

Please do not take offense.

I have saved for this trip, have child care, house sitter, dog sitter.

It sometimes it bad enough to have to experience someone else's "angel"

misbehaving on a ship. Please do not take a child to specialty dining!

Many of us go there to be away from Children: our own and your's as well!

I love Children;however, from time to time we all need a break!

[Wavesprite]

My children (7 and 3) are very picky, but I will use tonight as an example. We had mashed potoatoes, meatloaf and brussel sprouts. They each complained and whined, but they each ate one brussell sprout, half of the meat loaf serving and 10 bites of mashed potatoes. On the cruise, they will eat the kids food selections, but will also be encourated to try something different because we will make them try it..at least one bite....

 

We think that vacation IS for trying new things. I'm not saying lay down the gauntlet and not let them have what they like, but I think that it's a GREAT opportunity to have them try new things....

 

I wouldn't be worried though about peanut butter, etc...they should have that on board. As to his "favorite kind". Maybe not??

[newmexicoNita]

As a mother of a child with deadly food allergies, I thought it was important to point out that being in the open ocean may not be the best place to have a young child try a new food for the first time.

 

I also agree that it's the child's vacation, too, and not the time to have food battles!

 

To help answer the OP's question, we've had our kids order off the children's menu without having to pay, except for in Teppanyaki, where they charge full price even if they order off the kid's menu, since they are taking up a seat that could otherwise be sold.

I believe there are 2 issues here: 1-you have an allerginic child which is very different from a picky eater whose mom brings special food for him and 2-she doesn't even want to order off the menu, she wants to bring his food to the restaurant.

 

I know what you are saying and we probably should all be keeping our nose out of the business of someone else, I notice she hasn't been back. I just think many are so taken back by her comments. Many of us have or had picky eater kids, I have never, in my life heard of someone bringing a weeks worth of food with them for a picky eater..

 

Nita

[newmexicoNita]

My children (7 and 3) are very picky, but I will use tonight as an example. We had mashed potoatoes, meatloaf and brussel sprouts. They each complained and whined, but they each ate one brussell sprout, half of the meat loaf serving and 10 bites of mashed potatoes. On the cruise, they will eat the kids food selections, but will also be encourated to try something different because we will make them try it..at least one bite....

 

We think that vacation IS for trying new things. I'm not saying lay down the gauntlet and not let them have what they like, but I think that it's a GREAT opportunity to have them try new things....

 

I wouldn't be worried though about peanut butter, etc...they should have that on board. As to his "favorite kind". Maybe not??

you could have had dinner at our house except we had a combination of broccoli, carrots and bell peppers instead of the brussel sprouts and yes, I made hubby eat a little of everything, well actually I told him, he couldn't have anymore...LOL

[tiggerfan616]

Picky children turn into picky adults, trust me I'm married to one. The best thing for him on the cruise is that he can have steak every night.

My son who's 7 will eat broccoli and tuna fish right out of the can but I cant get him to eat a potato unless its a french fry.

 

But back on track I agree the dining staff will probaly be shocked to see you brining your own food but their should not be a problem with it. I would wait and see whats on the kids menu and if its hotdogs he likes let him have them every day who cares your on vacation

[johnritt]

Wow. Talk about creating mega food issues for your child later in life.

 

Not to mention the whole concept of "kid friendly food". Whenever I read that, the poster is usually referring to processed garbage instead of real food.

 

You serve "precious" white mega mega mega processed bread and say you are serving real food. Now THAT is a concept.:rolleyes:

[coffeebean]

I'm pretty sure he can eat off the children's menu without any charge. Sorry to say this, but I wouldn't pack anything special for him. If he can't find something on the menu to try, he would go hungry. How else would he learn to like anything other than peanut butter and hot dogs?

 

I'm certainly not an expert when it comes to rearing children, but I happen to agree with you about this. If you don't offer some tough love, then you wind up with a guy who will only eat three vegetables...peas, carrots and string beans. Yes, that's my DH for you. Oh, he does eat one more vegetable...peas and carrots. LOL.

[garycarla]

Without going into my background, I do have some pretty good experience in raising kids and eating habits.

[SIZE=4][COLOR=Red]1 - Mother Nature will not let a kid starve.

2 - You should think again about how you are ENABLING this child and how it will impact him in the future.

Do you really love this child? Then do what is best for his well being.


[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[CanadianTwosome]

My grandfather had a saying... "If we could all just raise the neighbor's kids, they'd all turn out perfectly."

The bottom line is that no matter how wonderful and perfect a parent you think you are, there is someone who disagrees with at least some of your choices. Shall I give you some advice? Oh, you don't want my advice on how to parent your kids? 'Nuff said. :)

As for those of you who think children should not be brought to the specialty restaurants, what a load of crap. Nobody wants to be around ANYONE who is disruptive, loud, or rude, but to suggest that children have some kind of monopoly on that is ridiculous. In my experience, I have had to endure many, many, many more annoying adults than children. As on our last two cruises, we will be bringing our daughter with us to every restaurant we visit, whether included or specialty. Also as on our last two cruises, she will undoubtedly be one of the best behaved patrons in each. She is well mannered, chews with her mouth closed, speaks at a reasonable level, does not use profanity, and even knows which fork to use. Oh... and she NEVER wears a ball cap. :)

To directly respond to the specific arguments:

Kids who don't want the specialty food won't enjoy eating in a specialty restaurant. Why not? Don't your kids enjoy eating a meal with you, even if you're eating escargot and they're eating peanut butter?

My personal favourite: We paid for our cruise and deserve to enjoy our meal. Guess what? So did we, and so do we. Again, if a person is misbehaving or disruptive, they should be removed - please remember this if you or one of your companions ever has one too many glasses of wine.

[garycarla]

I just reviewed my earlier posting, my tone may have been a bit strong. I was not making any comments about bring kids to any restaurant, though I am not sure why if they do not want to eat the good.

Hope folks understand, but enabling a "picky eater" really is just that, enabling.

[pengu1n]

[quote name='garycarla']Without going into my background, I do have some pretty good experience in raising kids and eating habits.

[SIZE=4][COLOR=Red]1 - Mother Nature will not let a kid starve.

2 - You should think again about how you are ENABLING this child and how it will impact him in the future.

Do you really love this child? Then do what is best for his well being.


[/COLOR][/SIZE][/QUOTE]
As you didn't go into your background, hopefully people will overlook your incorrect advice. I am a speech pathologist who works with children with developmental delays, such as autism and down syndrome, and I have specialized training in feeding disorders. It is a myth that a child will not starve themselves to death. It scares me when I hear people talking about this. There are children who have starved to death and others who have had to have feeding tubes because they have not learned to eat.

While at this point, we're off-track from the info the OP requested, I just want to let some of you know, as you criticize this mother for what she allows her child to eat, you don't know the circumstances involved. If you have a child who only eats 3 foods & you mess with one of them, you may get a child who then only eats 2 foods. Maybe you've never seen a child who wants to eat the same cheese puffs his friends are eating, but the smell of them makes him gag everytime he gets it close to his mouth. Or kids like my co-worker's very typical 3 & 5 year olds who had reflux so bad that it somehow interferred with their ability to feel hunger (they will sit at the table & eat a wide variety of foods, but have to reminded to keep taking bites as they would just sit there without eating.)

If you have a child who eats a wide variety of foods from all the food groups, but just doesn't like, say, broccoli, yes you could probably force that child to try it and maybe one day they might like it. Are you going to do permanent damage? Probably not. But this method is not going to work for a child who only eats a handful of different foods. If you have a child who is very picky, you need to talk to your pediatrician or a dietitian and determine a course of action.

"stomp, stomp" (That's me, getting off my soapbox.:o) No offense meant garycarla or anyone else, just want to prevent any children being harmed through mis-advice.

[iheartbda]

42 posts later and the OP hasn't shown up again.
Could it be that he/she was scared off after asking a simple question and getting all the unsolicited advice about how the child should be eating and what to do to make him eat?:rolleyes:

[JaiJaiW]

My pediatrician told me with my picky eater, "She will eat eventually and she won't starve herself to death. As long as there are no major medical problems, DO NOT provide special foods, she'll learn to try things and will get by just fine". This was 18 years ago and my daughter turned out just fine.

[falken]

[quote name='pengu1n']
"stomp, stomp" (That's me, getting off my soapbox.:o) No offense meant garycarla or anyone else, just want to prevent any children being harmed through mis-advice.[/quote]

I would think most people would take the statement to mean healthy children with no physical or mental impairment. Obviously if your child has other issues special rules will apply. An otherwise healthy child without an underlying disability is not going to starve themselves to death. If they tried, I assume they would fall outside the healthy requirement at some point before they died.

[garycarla]

[quote name='falken']I would think most people would take the statement to mean healthy children with no physical or mental impairment. Obviously if your child has other issues special rules will apply. An otherwise healthy child without an underlying disability is not going to starve themselves to death. If they tried, I assume they would fall outside the healthy requirement at some point before they died.[/quote]

A well written statement. Thank you!

There is a big difference between a picky eater and one with "issues".

[JaiJaiW]

The 6 year old child belongs to a friend, not her. Check her other posts.

[mpk218]

Boy am I glad I read this thread . I have not laughed this hard in a long time. Thank you !
I had no idea I was supposed to restrict my children
to eating venues based on the idea of " if they dont like that kind of food they should be left home ". (cabin).
And talk about "picky eaters" , how about the ones that cant seem to get a meal down if theres a child in the room.
Now thats [B]neurotic ... [FONT=Arial]please go back and reread this thread , its hysterical... Im still weeping :p[/FONT][/B]
[B][FONT=Arial][/FONT][/B]
[B][FONT=Arial]mpk[/FONT][/B]