Apparently mine. Here’s the story: with the exception of a few road trips, our family has yet to take that long family vacation to faraway and magical places. John’s severe peanut (among his other allergies) have made us think twice before booking a flight or hotel room. It’s not the only reason we have hesitated. The past four years alone have been busy with moving, starting a business and having two more babies (15 months a part). However now we want to do something special, something that requires us to take all four kids on the plane. We want to go to Disneyworld.
My eight year old has already lost her interest in all things princess but I am hoping the magic of Disney will still cast a spell on her. My two and three year old are obsessed with everything Disney related so I am fairly certain they will have the time of their lives, whether they remember it or not. It’s my six year old, John, that I am worried about. Not just for the obvious reasons of food safety, cross contamination issues and such. What I really worry about is that if I don’t help him to venture out and see the world a bit more than we have the past six years he might develop a complex about his food allergies.
When we finally brought up to the kids this weekend that we were pondering a trip to Disneyworld for the first time everyone squealed with joy; except John. He became withdrawn and grumpy and didn’t really want talk about going. He asked if we could just stay home and maybe go bowling or mini putting somewhere. My response went along the lines of “Are you crazy??” (in a joking manner of course). But when I took him aside to get to the root of why he didn’t want to go it was obvious the reason was because of his food allergies. He worried about his safety and whether or not he’d have anything safe to eat that wasn’t in the comfort of his own home. John was geniunely sad and confused. I had no idea the emotional toll his food allergies had taken on him. In his six short years he’s only known a world with food allergies. He knows he has to take extra precautions, his mom always has to make special food for him and we can’t casually go to just any restaurant unless every ingredient has been fact checked and verified safe. It’s a lot for anyone to deal with, let alone a six year old boy.
In that moment I realized that not only is it my job to keep John safe but also to help him live more freely. I need to help him understand that it’s OK to be a little nervous about certain situations but it doesn’t mean in any way that he can’t have fun or enjoy the things other kids enjoy. Sure he has to be vigilant about the food he eats but he can also be just like any other kid.
I’ve tried over the years to educate John about food allergies and how to become a self advocate in the event I wasn’t there. But I think I need to start easing his anxiety over travelling away from home and being in an unfamiliar environment. I think I need to start easing my own anxiety about it as well.
If any of you have any tips about travelling to Disneyworld I’d love to hear them. Or maybe you have tips in general about travelling with food allergies. I’d love to hear them all.
This is a touching post. Here is a link about dining at Disneyworld. Best of wishes.
http://askaboutmypeanutallergy.typepad.com/weblog/disney-world-peanut-safe-dining.html
Hi there!
Your site looks really informative and I can’t wait to check it out some more. Disney was just on our minds so it was very interesting to read. I wish you all the best. I have started an “allergy tips” blog at http://www.ourducksinarow.com if it is of any interest.
Best regards!
I’m sorry, but I’m going to load you down with links
We went this past summer and it was the BEST trip. Disney is extreemly food allergy aware and we had no issues and my son felt so safe there! Maybe if you son sees some pictures it will pique his excitement. I’m by no means an “expert”, but if you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask.
http://zumfamily.blogspot.com/2008/06/little-tip.html
http://zumfamily.blogspot.com/2008/06/florida.html
http://zumfamily.blogspot.com/2008/06/florida-were-made-it.html
http://zumfamily.blogspot.com/2008/06/day-2-magic-kingdom.html
http://zumfamily.blogspot.com/2008/07/day-3-more-food-more-characters-and.html
http://zumfamily.blogspot.com/2008/07/day-4-animal-kingdom.html
http://zumfamily.blogspot.com/2008/07/day-5-back-to-kingdom-and-on-to-beach.html
I feel like I’m boring you with “vacation slides”, but hopefully something here will help get him in the Disney mood. It is the only place (besides the allergists office) that we’ve ever been that I feel like they truly understood my sons allergies.
Hello! I am so sorry to double post if that’s the case – I just didn’t see my comment. Your site is wonderful and I look forward to checking it out further. Your Disney post was very timely for me and I wish you the best of luck. If it’s of any interest I have started an “allergy tips” blog at http://www.ourduckinsarow.com. Best regards!
We just got back from another Disney World trip with my son who is severely allergic to dairy, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts. Check out my Jan. 23, 2009 blog entry- http://foodallergyassistant.blogspot.com/2009/01/planning-disney-world-vacation.html.
Disney World is really on top of food allergies. We love our trips there! What a great learning opportunity this can be for your son if he helps you plan the trip and then watches how you handle his allergies away from home. Good luck to you!
Food Allergy Assistant
http://www.foodallergyassistant.com
foodallergyassistant@gmail.com
We have taken a couple of big trips with my 4-yr-old, who is allergic to milk, eggs, peanuts, and most tree nuts. I have found that it is doable and enjoyable. My tips are: (1) make sure the hotel room you’re staying in has a microwave and dorm refrigerator, (2) stop at a natural foods grocery store (like Whole Foods) when you first arrive at your destination to stock up on staples, and (3) bring as much safe food as you can with you in your luggage. As for #3, I have found that large tupperware or glad containers work well to hold lots of foods in suitcases. I have even transported several individual-sized soymilk and ricemilk containers (the kind that are the size of fruit juice boxes) in those larger containers in my luggage. I have also brought safe bread slices, Sunbutter, jelly, etc. that way. On the last trip, I even packed in my luggage foods that need to be kept cool by packing them in an insulated container (like a big insulated lunch bag) that I put a few ice packs in. I packed Tofutti fake cheese & cream cheese and some lunch meat this way and it stayed cool the entire plane trip. I also pack a lot of food containers, bowls, spoons, forks, cups, etc. just in case we need them.
Sorry for my technical difficulties today!! My tips blog is http://www.ourducksinarow.com. I misspelled it in my previous post so the link didn’t work. Best regards and thanks again for your site!
Thanks so much Leigha and Colleen. EXCELLENT advice and I truly appreciate it. I am going to add http://www.ourducksinarow.com to my blogroll, and Colleen I checked out all those wonderful tips on Disney. You’re the best!
We haven’t been there with the kids so I don’t have advice on that. Every summer, we take a looong car ride to Pittsburgh and back. The kids really look forward to that. I think all your kids will LOVE Disney! Looking forward to hearing Disney specific tips from others with more experience in that area.
I have a 6 year old with severe dairy and egg allergies, and we travel fairly often. We last went to San Diego for a week in November. I find a hotel room with a kitchen is pretty much essential. We would fix his breakfast in the room and bagged lunch (either just for him or for everyone). My parents went along and had low sodium diets, so they needed a bagged lunch too. Then we would do dinner back in the room or out depending on how brave/tired we were feeling. When we go out, we make sure to call ahead and then also ask to talk to the cook/chef when we arrive. Grocery delivery services also really help. A lot of times they will waive the delivery fee for the first delivery, and it’s so convenient to shop online (where you can read labels online at your leisure) before you go and not waste your vacation time at the grocery. I used to pack more food, but the airline luggage fees make that much harder to justify now. I hope you go, and everyone has a great time!
We went to Disney World exactly one year ago. My 6 year-old son is severely allergic to dairy, egg and peanuts. We ate all our meals at on-site restaurants. My son has probably never eaten so well in his life. He kept saying, “This is the life!” The chefs were incredibly accomodating. Besides meals, there were plenty of treats and snacks he could have in the parks. I’m sure the links provided by the other posters will help you find all the info you need, but if you call/e-mail Disney Dining, they’ll tell help you. If you need additional info, you can send me an e-mail and I’ll forward you a list of safe food in the parks. The list is a year old, so there might be some changes, but it’ll give you an idea of what to expect. You can also go to http://www.disboards.com. Maybe you’ve already been there. It is a great source for all your Disney questions. Enjoy the planning process and tell your son that he will be well-fed on your trip!
We went to Disney last October and it was our first real vacation and the first time we’d eaten out so many days in a row due to my son’s allergies (dairy, egg, PN/TN, Fish & Shellfish) however they were amazing. A call to the dining folks is key, they have tons of info on restaurants, foods & ingredients. Making advance reservations and indicating an allergy during that time will ensure that a chef speaks to you when you arrive and personally prepares your food. We did the dining plan and I even found that the counter service restaurants were very accomodating. The key is to find a staff member the minute you walk in (even before looking at a menu) ask for the manager and state you have a food allergy in the party, and then manager will come out and personally take care of your entire order.
I recommend shopping and keeping essentials in your hotel room (we ate breakfast in the room every day) – and pack a bag with safe snacks, sunbutter, fruit, etc. The one thing I would do next time is also bring hot dog & hamburger rolls, especially for counter service restaurants. All of theirs contain dairy and my son HATED the special tapioca ones (can’t blame him they were gross).
The up front planning and anticipation was far more stressful than the actual trip – we were with a large group (and he was the only one suffering from any food allergies), he was able to have something special just about everywhere we went and cried as we headed to the airport because he just didn’t want to leave. He told me last night he can’t wait until he is 8 (currently is 5) because we can go back to Disney then. Hope you have a great trip if you decide to go!
I hear from friends that Disney is really good about the food. Very touching post. It is so hard for the children. My daughter is having similar thoughts and getting quite anxious. It turns out the school nurse has told her she could die from eating the wrong thing.
I hope things work out for your trip.
I’m blown away but all of your comments. You have no idea how much I appreciate your words of wisdom, links and personal stories. It is so helpful, and I am grateful to you all. Vivian…thanks also for your kind words about my blog update….it was fun to do!
Just another high recommendation about Disney World dining with a food allergy
(peanut and tree nut). I still comment to people and to restaurtants where we live that I wish everyone could be like Disney. They won’t even let you see the wait staff before the manager/chef comes to see you. Just let them know when you make your reservation that you have a peanut allergy. Have a great time! By the way, we went in May 08 and between that trip and the trip before, they added “Divvies” baked goods!
They carried them in the food courts at the value resorts onsite at Disney.
Have a great time! We’re jealous..
Julie
That’s right, I forgot about the Divvies! That is a huge bonus. Everyone I have spoken to or who have posted here has given such wondeful advice and I love reading all these stories. We are so fortunate to have each other as sounding boards. I feel so much more confident and excited and I owe that to all of YOU. Now my next hurdle is to decide when to go….spring break or right after school lets out in June!
What perfect timing, read this to him. This one made me cry (in a good way). http://www.speedbumpkitchen.com/2009/02/chef-amber-true-disney-princess.html
Thanks SO MUCH Charmaine! That was an awesome post and I can’t wait to read it to John. I am literally taking all this tips down verbatim! You guys are so awesome!!!
Sorry about posting to your old blogspot address. I’ll add this one to my links of allergy moms! It sounds like your son is just as nervous in life as my daughter! If my worry wart can do Disney, so can your son! For reference, I ordered groceries from gardengrocer.com to be delivered to our Disney hotel. They have all the loony things we need like soymilk, soy yogurt, tofutti, Fleischmann’s unsalted margarine and other familiar items that don’t pack well (especially now that check-in bags are $15 per leg, per bag, each way!!) I also ordered up some fun treats and things from peanutfreeplanet.com too. The fun and safe treats we found in the park were Divvies caramel corn and chocolate chip cookies, Itzakadoozie popsicles, cotton candy, giant smoked turkey legs and Superpretzels (Mega-Disney sized!). Have fun and remind your son that it is mom and dad’s job to worry, it’s his job to watch out for Mickey!
We went to Disney in September with our 4 year old daughter and then 20 month old son. Our son has severe allergies to milk, eggs, barley and peanuts as well as moderate allergies to tree nuts, soy and corn. I got very little help from the Disney representatives that I spoke with before we left. As a result, I packed everything I could think of and lugged it with us to Disney. Once we got there, the food I packed we used some days simply for convenience, not out of necessity. The staff at Disney is fabulous from the managers in the quick stop restaurants to the chefs in the restaurants. In Epcot, our son was able to get Rice dream ice cream! Everywhere we went, we met the chef and then he/she personally served our son’s meal to him. Through the entire trip, our son had no reactions, not even a rash, which is amazing considering the breadth of his allergies. This trip totally changed my view of vacations with our son. At least now I know that we can always have a “safe trip” to Disney.
I hope you have as positive of an experience as we did. Good luck!
what a great story! thanks so much for sharing susan!
Your story about your son made me cry. I hope you share with him all these wonderful experiences that other allergy kids have had at Disney and put his mind at ease. We too just returned from a terrific trip to Disneyworld with our allergic (TN/PN/D/E) daughter and allergy-free daughter. It was wonderfully stress free. There is a Whole Foods about 10-15 minutes away from Disneyworld that you can pick up essentials like soy milk, sunbutter, etc.
Thanks so much Ellen. It has been incredible to share these amazing and inspiring stories with John. We feel so much more at ease thanks to all of you!
Here is a great video with the Disney chefs talking about their allergy policies.
Such a great story.My kids really loves this place.
-Kaylee
thanks for this nice post 111213
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