We'll be going to Kauai in July with our 17 month old daughter. She still doesn't do very well with restaurant food, so we were thinking of bringing some home made meals (spaghetti and meatballs, chicken & rice casserole, mac&cheese, etc...) that we will freeze and bring with us that we know she likes. And for breakfast, some dried cereals as well as snacks she likes.

Did anyone ever do that? We were thinking of either a cooler on wheels or a portable one (the one that looks like a sports bag). We are staying at the Marriott in Lihue and we don't have a kitchen, only a fridge. We will try to see if they have a microwave otherwise, we were thinking of bringing a travel size stove burner for boiling water and reheating the food. Don't know if the hotel will have any restrictions on that.

Any suggestions or comments?

I have a question. Where are you traveling from (consider your travel time door-to-door)? I am assuming you will be packaging these meals in small portioned size containers which could have a hard time staying frozen, even in a cooler bag with ice packs. I'm not saying it's a bad idea but I might be concerned with potential spoilage - especially if the food begins to thaw.

We are travelling from Montreal - so aprox travel time is around 14 hours. Yes, that was my fear also that the food doesnt stay frozen.

Is there another way to bring it? My husband suggested packaging it in a box and checking it with our luggage.

Any ideas?

Restaurants/ food vendors FedEx food. You could check out how they package to keep things frozen.

Hotels will not allow open burners in rooms. They usually will bring a microwave on request, or you could buy an inexpensive one there (and ship home I guess if you wanted).

Are there no packaged foods, toddler foods, etc. that you could get your child used to before July? I think that would be an easier option. I would be concerned with spoilage.

With a microwave in the room and food from the stores you should be able to find things she will eat.

Whatever you do, DON'T pack it with your checked in luggage. I think that would only speed up the thawing process. First, I would inquire about acess to a microwave oven. I would pack a can opener and purchase spaghetti and meatballs (Chef BoyRdee) and they also have the Kraft Ready Mac&Cheese, soups too.

Sure it won't be as nutritious as your home cooking, but an upset tummy could spoil your trip. I think bringing your own food is not a good idea (other than snacks and non-perishables) - too risky.

Perishable and/or frozen foods are generally shipped with dry ice -- not something you would find easily as a consumer I wouldn't think (maybe your ice cream parlor?). Even if it thaws, which it probably will over a 14 hour period, as long as the food stays cold, it will be safe (40-45 degrees is an average fridge temperature). If you're like most parents, though, you are going to worry about it.

Perhaps for that week you may forego a "balanced diet" for your daughter -- focus on fruit, yoghurt, ice cream, soups, peanutbutter, cereals and other things that you may find in a supermarket in Kauai. The selection should be pretty similar to what you have in Montreal. I'm with Starrsville on this one; introduce her to other foods she may like between now and then. It will make it less stressful for everyone.

Maybe I'm missing something here, but my son ate several types of baby food til he was at least three. They even make them in plastic containers now, and no need to refrigerate til you open. Even without a microwave in your room, the hotel will still accomodate you in heating up some foods if you need to.

Why would you try to take food with you? There are stores in Hawaii and I dont see why you would at all have to forgo healthy food in any way.

Have a great trip!

My sons have each flown a few times and some foods that pack well for travel on the plane are: Tapioca pudding cups, cheerios, baby carrots, fruit cups, juice, water etc... I always make sure I pack enough in my carryon to hold them over if the flight is delayed or if we can't make it to a store after first checking in to the hotel.

If your daughter doesn't do well with restaurant foods I am puzzled why you are staying in a hotel as opposed to somewhere with a kithenette type arrangement.

That being said, I think with some smart planning, you'll do fine.

Good luck!

Troll....

We are staying at a the Marriott hotel because that's where my husband is attending a conference - and the room is free!! Otherwise, you can bet that a condo would be my first choice. That being said, with not having to pay for the room, we can spend a little more on food, restaurants, etc... It's just that I was told by some friends that just got back from Hawaii that the place was not very kid friendly, ie no restaurants with kids menu or food that kids would love. But as I am reading along, I realize that this is not true. Like the pp said, we could always go to the grocery store and but some dry stuff, cheese, fruit and try to have her eat some of our food, at least even if she's not having complete meals, she won't be starving. She could catch up when we get back home.

Lots of kids go to Hawaii and often stay at the Marriott. You will be able to get "pasta" at the hotel restaurant made plain, with sauce, with sauce on the side, with cheese, with cheese on the side, etc. So many kids today eat pasta that we were even able to get it for our kids in Siem Reap. Lots of places in Lihue to get groceries, you will have no problem. Just plan to buy there. If you feel the need, bring a small box of cereal with you for the first morning, but hotels have lots of dry creal including the kinds you think are too sweet...what a vacation treat!!! Just bring lots of sun block.

I don't think the frozen food idea will work, unless you found a way to have it professionally packaged and shipped (dry ice as mentioned above) and had a kitchen on the other end. With only a small hotel frig how long would these items last anyway? And no, you most likely are not allowed to use a burner in a hotel room.

I can understand not wanting to do restaurants with a small child. But I do think if you get creative you can find store-bought (either at home or upon arrival) foods that would work. Canned mac&cheese or spaghetti, applesauce and fruit in small plastic cups, various shelf-stable packaging, toddler 'baby' food in jars, string cheese. Wouldn't these work?

Also for the chicken and rice example, just buy a "plate lunch". You'll have no problem finding white rice in Hawaii!

This may be a stupid question, but will the US (or Hawaii) "let" you bring in your child's home-prepared foods from Canada?

Am I missing something here. Kauai is not a "third world" island. Bellezza28 should have no trouble finding "comfort food" for her 17 month old daughter at either the hotel, restaurants or grocery stores. It would be a waste of time, effort and luggage space for her to bring pre-prepared foods and as others have pointed out what would she do with the pre-packaged frozen foods once she got to the hotel. A room size refrigerator probably wouldn't hold it all and the local health codes will prevent the hotel from storing the food in one of their restaurant refrigerators or freezers.

Also, to clarify for those people thinking of packing a cooler, dry ice is available at many supermarket chains in the US. The difficulty is some airlines will not let you ship a cooler containing dry ice while others will limit the amount of dry ice you can pack. Best to check directly with your airline to see what applies (we did this once flying 2 different carriers - fortunately on the first leg we could take a certain amount but on the connecting flight we had to remove all the dry ice, luckily it was a short hop).

You will find plenty of suitable food for your toddler at the Marriott. Hawaii is very family friendly and lots of the restaurants including the Marriott have kids' menus. Your child will not starve in Hawaii unless she chooses to do so. Speaking from experience of having young kids who were picky eaters, your child will eat anything if she's hungry enough.

Don't bring frozen food from home. If the US will even let you bring it into the country, it's still a food poisoning nightmare waiting to happen.

I guess I'm trying to figure out what "doesn't do well with restaurant food" really implies. If it is an issue of food allergies and tolerances to certain ingrediants, than certainly you need a viable option. Given issues of transport and storage, have you considered an efficiency unit that will allow you to prepare food while there?

Otherwise, not sure how long you can reasonably expect food to last even if packed in dry ice for transport.

If it is an issue of being finicky and unwilling to deviate from what they know, than I'd suggest your best advice might come from a book or article on toddler behavior and how to work best to enact a change.

I think Rookie's answer above is the only one needed!

I don't believe you can bring fresh food onto the islands. I know you can't transport fruit. I'd check the department of agriculture website for details before you get much further with this plan.

Rookie, it looks like you win the prize! A+ for weaing your thinking cap!

I have picky eaters and always found Hawaii to be a toddler's dream. Lots of plain fish and chicken, white rice, fruit. If it's allergies, well, that's a bit trickier. If it's anything else, this child will not starve.

Yes, you can bring food in and out of Hawai`i. Raw produce is an issue, but cooked foods are not. I often bring Moloka`i sweet potatoes to my DD, but I have to cook them first. I bring all kinds of things back with me--just not live or raw produce.