To take DD 5 to McDonald's every other weekend?

Maybe the child wouldn't like your idea of a treat. She can have a treat she likes once a fortnight and it won't do any harm.

Oh, I know, I’ve been around for long enough to be able to almost predict them, lol.

A chip is only a chip if made from (raw) potatoes, peeled, cut and fried. From a proper chip shop or home made.
Skinny shit made into fries are an abomination in any establishment!
But don't stop treating your DD, nothing wrong with it occasionally!

It's a personal thing though isn't it?

My friend sees a spa day as a 'treat'.

I'd rather do 9 weeks community service in the pouring rain.

Ha ha I absolutely love this 🤣

I don’t think I ever said it was said in stone.

I’m just going off my own experience as I have parents who say they wish they’d been a bit less strict about food in hindsight. My diet was appalling for a long time and I still struggle with food now. Admittedly being autistic doesn’t help but it’s just a topic that interests me.

Well said 🙂

There's a Wimpy near me.

It still tastes the same, but you need to take out a 25 year mortgage to be able to afford it.

My parents used to withhold shit food from me, I never had a maccys until I was 15!!!!! Junk was completely forbidden fruit for me and subsequently made me binge and binge and binge it when I could......ignore your friend....I wish I had been taught "moderation", id probably be a normal weight and eater x

We have been a couple of times when it's been more of a necessity than anything else (my family lives miles away, so there's often travelling and when everyone is tired and she's not in the mood for "grown up" food it happens). But we just do with it the same as all food, its just food.

I don't fight with DD to eat anything. She gets balanced meals, sometimes she eats everything, sometimes she doesn't. She has open access to the fruit bowl, and there's a section in the fridge door she can get things out of but once they're gone they're gone (eg veg, yogurts, cheese, one chocolate snack etc) and she'll ask for anything else, at which point we'll consider it depending on what else has been eaten / happened in the day.

I think if a big deal is made over certain types of food being "bad" or "treats" and then "good" foods are pushed on kids, then it will skew their relationship. If all food is just "food" but some is more accessible than others, then that's the snacking habits they'll build.

And DD will genuinely choose fruit over most things, the majority of the time. Because that's what's "normal" to her as a snack. Which means the odd bit of junk does no harm.

Yes thankfully they are safe for coeliacs.

It was KFC after swimming for us. We're a pretty healthy eating household generally. All things in moderation (including moderation).

They’ve never even had an ice cream at the park or on a day out? Really?

@faerietales
these threads always go the same way. The op asks for ALL opinions. Most think it’s fine. Some don’t think it’s fine. Then the most round on the some hurling various insults in their direction, making stuff up about kale and lentils etc. I’m never sure why - guilt? Don’t know. When the reality is that there’s quite a large gap in between giving a 5 year old a mcds every fortnight, and never ever allowing them a single bit of junk ever. Which absolutely no one here has said. They have simply said they wouldn’t give it every fortnight because it then becomes a habit.

Some people do some don’t.
This ‘idea’ is not set in stone.

None of my three have gone off the rails and in fact one sent me a pic today of sushi that he made ( special kits at Lidl )
They all ( three now adult sons ) hate crappy burger bars.

I didn’t drum it down their throats though. Who needs to discuss it We just never went. No big deal.

Yes, that’s something I’m really conscious of. I never talk about good or bad food, or make a big deal of things. My eldest is at the age where he will go to birthday parties and be given chips and nuggets, and I know that I just have to let him get on with it. But I’m still never going to make it at home!

We personally used to have McDonalds as a treat v occasionally eg I had a birthday party there - but now I’m a total slob by Mumsnet standards and this moderation didn’t do me much good! So I don’t see the issue. Every other week for a tiny portion of fried potato with some salt and an icecream with a scattering of chocolate etc after exercise is hardly going to ruin her attitude towards food, imo.

I probably wouldn’t take mine there more than once every few months as I just don’t think it’s filling - and it’s hard to get veg there. (I appreciate a meal/snack void of veg is fine sometimes when the rest of their diet is balanced.) But it’s great she likes a salad. Mine are too young to appreciate a salad much so still at the age when I’m trying to get as many vegetables into them as possible. But mine love Nando’s, Wagamama, Franco Manca etc occasionally where I’m pretty happy with the kids’ menus and they seem full afterwards.

I’m so sorry you have such a joy sucker as a friend. Well done for being a great mum and having a clearly considered diet for your daughter while making great memories of swimming and fun snacks. My DD went through a stage of sometimes having those Nutella dip pots with biscuit sticks after swimming. Guarantee that was full of eleventy billion more additives and crap than your chips and McFlurry but it was once in a blue moon and she was so excited.
Some people are dicks! Please carry on your lovely times treating your daughter.

I suspect there is very little potato in McDonald's chips but we eat them still 😋

This unlocked a really happy memory for me that I haven't thought of in years! Thank you for sharing.

I used to do an instrument lesson and then about an hour later a choir lesson on Saturdays. My old dad used to take me and get me a portion of chips from the leisure centre during the wait, and we'd eat them in this cool big stairwell. Best part of the week 😊

I was recently told I was giving my 2 year old a horrendous diet because I give him alpha bites cereal (with coconut blossom instead of sugar), fruit and yoghurt for breakfast... Some people are always going to have something negative to say 🤷🏻‍♀️ just got to have confidence in your decisions and let it go in one ear and out the other

@arethereanyleftatall I was hoping you'd let me in on a secret for good steak on the cheap!

Where are you buying steaks for £2?

I just find it an interesting way of doing things as my parents were like this, I went totally off the rails with my diet as soon as I had my own access to money.

That’s true @IpsyUpsyDaisyDoos. I was more thinking it’s the same price as the whole meal.