This is a symbol from BOARDMAKER I use to represent parades. It reminds me of the Animal Kingdom puppets.

With the help of a friend who is a speech therapist, I pulled together this short list of items that we used when my son was first going to Disney. While he could speak, if he had too much stimuli he needed a visual reminder about what we were doing, and what we needed from him. We had lists for getting into the car seat, getting on your coat and shoes, and I was worried about being in a place with so many choices.

Using the fact that kids tend to like what they like, and having scanned the menus ahead of time, I made a choice board, using picture symbols about what we could eat, drink, and see. He could look right down and select one of his favorite things. I chose items I knew that Disney could provide, which helped speed things along, but please know that if there is not a “ubiquitous comfort food” on the menu, like white rice, or corn flakes, ask your cast member. I was blown away that Whispering Canyon was able to pull chicken nuggets out of thin air when my son asked for them, and I overheard a server at The Sci Fi Diner at Hollywood Studio offer to run over the commissary if the kids at another table can’t pull together a combo from the offerings they had. “I’ll just scoot over there and get you something else.” Wow. Does that happen at Taco Bell?
There are perks to living in a home where you “get what you get and you don’t get upset,” or if you don’t like what I serve, you don’t eat. I get that. Flexibility as an adult being one. Learning to try different foods at stages in your life when your taste buds change (said the Irish girl who was craving Kimchi yesterday) is another. However, if your child has a sensory integration issue, and a, let’s call it, strong sense of fortitude, they may not feel hunger in the stomach for food like their peers do, and they may just lose energy when their blood sugar drops. If a child always overstuffs their mouth with grapes, nature’s choking hazard, (Sorry Ms. J., that was a tough pre-school year for all of us) ask the server for an apple or banana. They’d prefer to make your kid happy than deal with what is known as a “protein spill”. Take a vacation from proving a point, parents. There will plenty of times to expand their horizons next week. This week, just be consistent and use how well you know your kid to make your vacation wonderful, for everyone.
My kids always come home learning that they like one new thing, like chocolate soy milk, or bread with pineapples (Ohana’s welcome bread) but if your kid has a sensitive stomach, let them speak softly (and carry a change of clothes).
Please feel free to print this list and bring it along.  You can also make your own with pictures of your family’s favorite things. A cheap photo album works well.  If you use mine, fold it in thirds, so the child is looking at only food when you talk about food, and only drinks when you talk about drinks. Otherwise, be prepared for your kid to ask to go the pool when you ask if he’d like some chicken. Unless, of course, your kid would never do that. Twice.

Tech note:
The software I used to create this is: Boardmaker, by Mayer-Johnson, and is the Gold Standard for schools. If you have a kid with a special need, even mild ADHD, or any toddlers at all, ask Santa for it. For the record, Boardmaker has never heard of me, does pay me, and hasn’t given me any free samples. They are just amazing.