Traveling as a family is one of those joys that just keeps giving. Though you are sure to walk away with so many treasured memories, that doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed a stress-free experience, especially if your kids are picky eaters. They may be picky out of preference, may have ARFID, or may be seriously allergic. All of these can make what should be a lovely trip out into something of a nightmare.
The good news is that it doesn’t have to be. There are so many smart and simple ways that you can cater to your child’s needs, even when there’s no guarantee that the restaurants nearby will have something available.
Skip The Hotel Room, and Book a Condo Instead
Getting a condo or villa is one of the smartest things you can do as a parent, especially if your kids have specific dietary needs. Choosing from one of these incredible Maui vacation rentals for your next Hawaii trip means you get the full list of luxury amenities, plus one that’s missing out of most hotel rooms – a full kitchen. With a full kitchen, you can easily prep meals that your kids can eat, have somewhere to go for meals if there’s no options available, and even prep food. As a big bonus, you can usually get a condo that sleeps everyone in your family, which, when you work out the per-person costs, significantly increases your trip’s price.
Pack Safe Foods and Snacks
Kids, particularly young kids, do best when they have a little snack refresh and break every two to three hours. This is particularly true when you’re out and about and using up so much energy and having fun. Rather than rely solely on what’s around you in terms of safe foods, it’s best to just bring some with you just in case. Ideally, you should pick options that are non-perishable and do well in a backpack without any additional effort (like cooling or heating) for ease of use.
Search for Their Favorite Foods on the Map Apps
Unless your child has severe allergies or severe ARFID and won’t accept changes in taste or texture, even if the dish is the same, you can usually cut through the noise by searching for their favorite dishes on map apps. For example, say they enjoy spaghetti. You can search spaghetti (or any other dish) online and have options pop up. This isn’t a foolproof plan since it requires someone to have written a review about that food in the past, but it’s a good starting point.
Always Get in Touch with Restaurants in Advance
This tip is especially important if your kid has severe allergies, especially those that aren’t usually as well catered for (like celiac disease). Rather than walking up ahead and hoping for the best (and wasting your time while doing it), call the restaurant you are considering and ask to speak to the manager so you can voice all your concerns and see if the restaurant is a good fit. If you can’t find anything, plan a lovely meal so that the stress of eating out can be taken care of. You can even order in for yourselves, and then make the specific meal for your picky eater so you can all enjoy delicious food together.
