How long will we 'get away with ' sharing meals with DD when out?

[AliceTheCamelHasFiveHumps]

DD is 3y4m and I still share meals when out. So if I order sausage, mash and veg. It's usually 3 sausages, like if mash and veggies.

She'll have ½-1 sausage,and some of the veggies and mash.
Or say, McDonald's, she'll have around 10 of my chips and maybe one chicken select.

What age did you stop sharing?

Don't think I ever shared a meal with DTs they always had a kids meal.

I'm surprised you are giving mcdonalds to a 3 year old at all op 😉

It depends where it is but mine are 3 and 3/4 and 1 and 3/4 and we wouldn't get away with this for either of them: my youngest can do pretty well with a happy meal now. Sometimes it's the wrong choice: we ordered a kids meal for each of them at a greasy spoon this week when they easily could have shared (it was an adult portion of chips each, basically) but most places have small kids options too; a lot of chain pubs do pasta with a side of veg, etc., Which is perfect.

Harvester near me have also started charging £1 for a bowl of breakfast for over ones, so they do expect you to pay.

Why ask and they say ‘why should i?!’ Nobody’s really insisting you should, it’s just you asked! No need to be prickly OP, do whatever you want.

Does she snack all day? I know my youngest left meals until she was 4.

If she starts eating more but wouldn't eat a whole meal then you could buy a starter or side with your meal so you both have enough food.

My sensible answer would be - when she eats more and more of your food and then you’re hungry! Then you need to buy her her own portion. Make the most of it, McD’s are getting expensive, not quite the regular treat any more!

Depending on the cuisine and restaurant, my 5 and 6 year olds will still sometimes share a meal with me (that's one of them sharing with me, not both!)/share with each other. As other restaurants, they can finish a meal each. We order according to what they are likely to eat and then just get more if they are unexpectedly eating more. They are not a fan of pub food/burgers so almost always would share but will happily finish a children's meal at an Italian restaurant each.

If you buy her a meal of her own choosing you might be surprised how much she eats.

She'll eat ½-1 sausage, depending. But Yeah that's like 30-60g of meat... Which is plenty for a 3 yo???

I used to order a side of peas and chips for ds until he was about 5 - very fussy and small appetite. If it was a fast food place, he would order what he wanted and I under-orded for myself, as knew he wouldn't eat half, until he was about 10.

Mines always had his own meal since he was weaned. It never occurred to me not to. Why would I share my food?!

Also, mine doesn't eat a huge range of food so I'd like to choose what I want, not what he will eat!

She'll have ½-1 sausage,and some of the veggies and mash.
Or say, McDonald's, she'll have around 10 of my chips and maybe one chicken select.

That’s not enough food as a meal for a 3yo child because she needs enough nutrients/calories to grow and develop. What else does she eat during the day? Give her an adequate portion for a 3-4 yo and she might be encouraged to eat more.

Is she eating 1/2 a sausage because that's what you give her and she's too polite to ask for more, or because that's all she needs to be full? Thinking honestly...

I think this is a great point. Also if she's only given a tiny amount of food how do you know she's actually full? Sure she might not have a great appetite, but what if she actually wanted to eat more, it's impossible for her to do that when you've limited her to just one chicken select and a few chips.

DS was definitely younger than 3. He had a dairy allergy until 2 so that made it trickier, so would sometimes take own food.

Would sometimes get starter for him rather than main, especially if children’s menu was all beige food

Well this thread takes competitive under eating in a whole new direction

It’s not ‘plenty’ but if it works for your kid that’s fine. Have you ever tried getting them their own meal? Maybe they’d eat more. I always got mine their own meal but fed them bits from my plate so they could try new things too, and sometimes ate a sausage off their plate if there was too much.

You're asking how long you will get away with it.

And the answer is clearly obvious.

As long as your child is full.

Does your DD not eat much at home @AliceTheCamelHasFiveHumps

Because restaurants are businesses.

I would say it’s reasonable up to 2. After that I think they should have their own meal.

So you're basically ordering children's food every time you go out. I'd rather stay at home 😆

DS was 7 when he moved to wanting something off the adult menu. I don't think we shared meals ever. When very small we'd have taken something with us ie baby food.

Because sometimes the portions are huge and my DD doesn't eat that much when out. Even when she is given her own meal, she eats like a sparrow and doesn't eat ½ of it.

About 18 months.

My 3 year old rarely finishes his meal but I still prefer to get him his own. Partly because we don't necessarily want the same things and partly because after a certain point I don't think it's fair to the restaurant to take up space but not buy things.

Lololol no like the other day we had moules mariniere and she had 3 of them, a bit of roll and some of the salad. Or she'll have some of my shakshuka or cooked brekkie etc.

Even when she is given her own meal, she eats like a sparrow and doesn't eat ½ of it.

And that's absolutely fine. At least with her own meal she eats as much as she wants, rather than being restricted to what you allow her from the shared meal.