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Original poster

How often do you treat the kids to a treat?

56 replies

MsMiaWallace · 09/03/2022 10:14

How often do you treat the kids to say a McDonald's, chippy tea or similar?

Not sure if I'm too tight or not?
We always have treats in at home but quite rarely treat them to takeaway milkshake, food etc.

OP posts:
ChickpeaPie · 09/03/2022 10:18

I don’t consider chippy tea a treat for the kids as they’re very young and it’s not really their kind of thing, it’s a treat for me though!
Macdonalds though they ask for every time we go to town. Go there maybe once a month.

Monkeybutt1 · 09/03/2022 10:19

Usually quite rare, it would be a proper treat. At the moment we have no kitchen so will be more regular! We do seem to be stricter than a lot of my mum friends with food, but my 9 year old does a lot of sport and has a good awareness of fuelling his body right and is happy to have them as rare treats. We don't like Mcdonalds so it would usually be Taco Bell here

Wallabyone · 09/03/2022 10:20

Quite often! We have a takeaway once a week, and eat out once a week. If we are out, for example going to the bigger library, then we'll often go to John Lewis' cafe for a scone and tea, or to Costa for a toastie and hot chocolate, etc.

We have always enjoyed coffees and meals out, even before children.

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konasana · 09/03/2022 10:20

Very rarely, about once every 3 months. They don't ask for either of these, McDonald's is a convenience food we eat if we are on our way back from somewhere and it's late and nothing else open/we have no time, and chips are just for the beach!

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 09/03/2022 10:21

Mcdonalds et al. Extremely rarely.
They see going to the local cafe for brunch though as a major treat. That's every couple of months. Or for a hot chocolate and cake
Ice creams reasonably regular in the summer.

mistermagpie · 09/03/2022 10:22

Very rarely. They get treats like crisps and biscuits a few times a week, so I'm not against junk at all, but my eldest son is 6 and he's probably had McDonald's five times in his life.

The fact is, we've got three kids and only one of them is not a fussy eater. It would be a waste of money or actually impossible trying to get a takeaway that they would all eat, so it's just easier to cook for them at home.

DH and I get a takeaway once a week though, but we just eat it after the kids are in bed!

MintyGreenDream · 09/03/2022 10:24

Once a week usually

MaryAndHerNet · 09/03/2022 10:25

Not as often anymore. Maybe once a month we have a McDonalds, it's too expensive now that daughter is older, when she was a bab and had happy meals it wasn't so bad.

We do have other treats almost daily, nothing huge, pack of biscuits or some mini pancakes etc. Tesco do 3 small packs of sweets for a £1, daughter loves picking her 3 bags.

Thatsplentyjack · 09/03/2022 10:25

Probably once a week. But could be going for breakfast or getting a takeaway(they don't actually like getting a takeaway muvh because there's not much they like), going for a McDonald's/kfc/taco Bell, going put for dinner (altho7gh that's very rare now because it's so expensive) we used to go out for dinner a lot.

Original poster
MsMiaWallace · 09/03/2022 10:26

Yes DH & I will get a takeaway every couple of weeks but usually Indian & when the kids are in bed.
I can't remember the last time they had McDonald's etc.
was feeling a bit bad !

OP posts:
Monkeybutt1 · 09/03/2022 10:27

Just to add we do eat out quite a lot but in proper restaurants, I see fastfood as the same as Takeaways. We eat out probably once a month normally. My son does love a Greggs pizza haha he is easily pleased.

Goldenbear · 09/03/2022 10:29

We do but my kids are nearly 15 and 10 so particularly in the teens case it is something to do to get him to socialise with us. Kind of bribery really. However, it is not going to be a Macdonalds more something like an Italian for proper Pizza, Wahaccas or a restaurant that sells good, decent curries. He does have Burger King/Macdonalds but that would be with his mates. The youngest likes all of the above but alot less of it. Tbh it is becoming a bit too expensive as my DS has endless appetite and puts on zero weight with any of it so if I suggest a price maximum he will point out that he is really thin and don't I want him to put on weight. It is unhealthy as well so we have decided we probably do it too much. DH is a very good cook and enjoys cooking at the weekend to relax so we are cutting back.

RightOnTheEdge · 09/03/2022 10:33

I wouldn't see these as treats for the kids really. We all enjoy them. I'd see it as more of a treat for me because I wouldn't have to cook.
We don't have a McDonalds where we live though so we have them rarely anyway.

Why do people order takeaways after kids are in bed? Is it because they are too young or don't like them or just because you don't want them to have it? It would be a family thing in my house.

Original poster
MsMiaWallace · 09/03/2022 10:42

The later takeaway thing is for DH to enjoy together. Bit like a date night I suppose

OP posts:
Waxonwaxoff0 · 09/03/2022 10:46

We get takeaway once a month, meal out once a month and coffee/cake on Sundays after DS's swimming lesson.

3WildOnes · 09/03/2022 10:53

We have takeaway once a week, alternate between Indian and fish and chips. That’s a treat for all of us. McDonalds if we are driving over dinner time or if in town over lunch time, a few times a year. We probably go out for dinner as a family once a month to a pizzeria or Wagamama’s type place. Coffee for cake and a drink maybe once a week after school.

ReginaFilange001 · 09/03/2022 11:43

We have a 'treat' tea one a week which in reality is just something easy like oven pizza or fakeaway just to give me an easier night (I'm the cook in the house)

Fish and chips is mainly for holidays/ seaside day out.

DH and I rarely have proper takeaway in the house (Indian, chinese etc.) But will get the M&S dine in deal occasionally. We do share this with our DD (6) or just get her something else - M&S meal of her choice. This happens every 3 months or so.

We will have coffee & cake type treat maybe 1-2 times a month, DD has a treat from the vending machine after swimming - usually mini cheddars. Ice cream 1 x month, more in summer or on holiday. We have a box with all kinds of sweets and treats that DD receives for bday, Easter, Xmas etc and she is allowed something from that after tea 4-5 evenings a week - might be a small haribo pack or some choc coins.

We love eating out (pizza chain, Italian, noodles) as a family and this happens for bday, on holiday and weekends away.

Notdoingthis · 09/03/2022 11:48

McDonalds maybe once every 2 years! I try to avoid it.
Fish and chips, maybe once every month or 2.
Takeaway for me and dh maybe once a month. The kids wouldn't enjoy it so would be a waste 9f money on them.

morechocolateneededtoday · 09/03/2022 12:01

Barely ever. Like a PP, Mcdonalds is for convenience when going somewhere
/coming back late. Kids are 5 and 3 and they had Mcdonalds meal for first time last summer.

In terms of eating out, also not common but if we are in city centre for something or at an activity will often eat out at restaurant but usually nicer meal rather than fast food. Don't get takeaways as we don't feel they're good value for money and prefer to cook ourselves.

In summer we often treat them to ice cream from van or elsewhere as well as make food they love at home. Food is huge thing for us, we just prefer to make it ourselves and they get involved

Givemeallthegin8 · 09/03/2022 12:24

We have McDonald’s every Friday along with our movie night . It’s my favorite day , no cooking and kids are tired so it does us all good to relax with McDonald’s and a movie !
We would generally either have an ice cream or go out for lunch over the weekend .
We would go to Starbucks after school maybe once every 6 weeks
School holidays would be more treats and more money unfortunately, generally having lunch when out and about , ice creams at the beach ( we live two minutes from the beach so spend a lot of nice days there )

Completely different from when I was a child, McDonald’s would have been for a birthday party or maybe twice a year treat !

Woollystockings · 09/03/2022 12:29

McDonalds or chippy tea aren’t something we would ever do. It wouldn’t cross my mind to get them. Maybe chips if we were at the seaside. We don’t get takeaways either. I think if you’re having takeaways for yourself every two weeks, though, maybe some of that money could be spent on the kids instead. A treat would be ice cream perhaps.

caringcarer · 09/03/2022 12:34

ATM we have a takeaway once a week and as DS is 15 and does a lot of sport we have it because he has a really late finish after cricket nets so too late to cook. He occasionally goes to KFC for a chicken burger with friends but only about once every 8 weeks. In the summer we have takeaway less as take picnics to cricket matches.

SummerHouse · 09/03/2022 12:38

Don't feel bad about not giving them McDonald's. Or about your Indian treat. The less they have of that the better and easier not to get into the habit than to break it.

Original poster
MsMiaWallace · 09/03/2022 13:01

They have plenty of treats at home!

OP posts:
Hoppinggreen · 09/03/2022 13:03

MacDonalds never but they can go with their friends using their own money (teens). They wouldn’t want a chippy tea and we make our own pizzas
DD gets a takeaway every couple of months if she wants and I pay
We go out for a meal as a family around once a month though