KLM advertises free child meals on intercontinental flights, provided they are booked 24 hours in advance. I have an upcoming KLM flight that I booked using Delta SkyMiles. I tried to select child meals for my kids online but the only choices were various allergy-specific or religious meals. I called KLM and the agent said my children were booked as "adult fares" and therefore a child's meal couldn't be assigned. I'm not sure what that means, because Delta's website lets you book a specific number of "passengers" (without designation between child and adult), and then you enter each passenger's DOB at booking. The agent suggested I have Delta reissue the tickets as "child fares".

I called Delta and they told me there is no such thing as a "child fare", all award tickets are ticketed in the same manner. They said I need to resolve with KLM. I called KLM again and they said there's nothing they can do, and I should request the child's meal at the airport. I told the agent it says online it must be booked 24 hours in advance, and she said there might be extras on board. That's the best they can do.

Is it typically this difficult to book a child's meal or is it because the reservation was made with Delta? Any ideas on how to ensure my kids will get some food they will eat on a long flight? (yes, they actually eat airplane food)