Disney With Type 1 and Celiac

So, you are super excited about your upcoming Disney trip? Are you also panicking because you have a diabetic? Maybe, you even have the headache of the diabetes celiac combo. Well you’re not alone!

We just got back from our second Disney trip since Payton’s diagnosis. Traveling with celiac always has its challenges. However, Disney is the only place on earth where I don’t have to worry about what she will eat. I’m not even joking. From chicken nuggets, burgers, fries… all the way to delicious pizza Disney has your kids (or you) covered.

Payton was diagnosed at 5 and is now 13. She isn’t a picky eater, however she is picky about her gluten free foods. I’ve spoiled her with all things homemade. Our first trip to Disney Payton was 9 years old. She wasn’t very picky at that point. This trip was also a success! She liked everything and even said “we have to find out what kind of buns these are! So yeah, pretty happy about that (wiping sweat from my brow).

So now that you know finding food isn’t going to be that hard lets talk snacks… We bring lots of snacks with us and keep them in our backpacks. There is candy pretty much everywhere and the wonderful smell of popcorn calling you throughout the parks. But it gets expensive. You can set up a Walmart drop off order to your hotel! I believe they said it was $6 to have the front desk take your order to your room… That’s not bad at all! Bottled waters and zero sugar Gatorades are ideal for diabetics. They are essential when walking or standing around in the sun all day long.

If you are anything like me, you won’t care about the character dining. You also won’t be concerned about the extra price tag that comes with it. This is what we did for breakfast the whole week. We drove so I had more wiggle room for bringing things with us. I baked banana muffins before we went. I add fiber to all of my baked goods. This way, they don’t affect Payton’s blood sugar as badly as most baked goods. For the other kids we brought pop tarts and mini muffins. If you get lucky at the Walmart closest to Disney, you can find the breakfast egg cups. You can keep them in the fridge and it’s a quick filling breakfast to head out the door with! I’m pretty sure all Disney rooms have a fridge and microwave in them.

We rope dropped every morning so we didn’t necessarily need to have a huge breakfast. It was just whatever we could grab on our way out. We also did protein coffee every morning with almond milk.

Sometimes we would eat in the hotel café but we also had PB&J back in the room waiting for us.

NOW ON TO DIABETES…

Ok so it’s hard to pack light when traveling with a type one diabetic. Good news is it all usually fits in their medical bag. We packed two more pumps and CGMs than we needed because you never know when you’ll have one fail. Make sure you have plenty of insulin before you leave. If it looks like you’ll run low, invest in a travel cooler! Here are 3 different kinds and sizes.

Payton is on a Dexcom G7. This is our new FAVORITE way to make sure it stays on her body! The little patch keeps it covered and in place without having any sticker adhesive directly on the Dexcom. So if the patch starts to come up it’s A LOT EASIER to change! She loves it and its going to help so much this summer.

Unfortunately, Disney World no longer does the medical passes for type one diabetes. I know it’s crazy right! It honestly wasn’t too terrible for us. We carried our own bags on most of the rides. There was a place to put your stuff on most of the rides. The only rides we couldn’t bring our bags on were Tron and Avatar. For the Tron ride they have a room full of lockers that uses your magic band lock and unlock. For Avatar there is a place on the wall behind you to put your things. Overall there was never a time that we felt she was in any danger. We kept little packs of gummy bears. We had them in case her sugar would start to tank from all of the walking.

If your child is on a Dexcom, I highly recommend getting them an Apple Watch. This is especially important if they don’t already have one. This is great for everyday life. It really helped Payton a lot in school. And it always gives us peace of mind as he can see her levels on her wrist. It’s also A LOT quieter!!!

Here are some backpacks we like

We had a blast. At the end of the day, it’s all about figuring out what works best for you and your family. I’m always here to help so feel free to leave us a comment!!!