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Original poster

What age to switch from a Happy Meal?

279 replies

RhubarbThumb · 16/02/2025 13:41

My DS is 6 (7 in March) and went with a school friend swimming, and went for McDonald's after and the other boy (was 7 in October) was bought an adults medium meal.

Is 7ish the age? I was thinking maybe 11/12??

OP posts:
Original poster
RhubarbThumb · 20/02/2025 07:16

mathanxiety · 19/02/2025 15:46

Apart from the question of whether it's really food, what do you mean by "it's too much food for them"?

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I mean that a 3yo eating a big Mac and large chips is being given too much food, and it wouldn't get eaten and would be a waste.

OP posts:
Simonjt · 20/02/2025 07:22

MelbrowMaia · 19/02/2025 07:55

It does sound gross though, giving McDonald’s to young children. Mine do of course have treats, but I can’t help but feel this sort of fast junk food with no nutritional content dressed up as food is the worst of the worst. I’d rather them have a meal out elsewhere any day and not see McDonald’s as a treat at all - I certainly don’t. At least a slice of cake looks like pudding, those burgers and fries look like they’re a main meal but are full of sugar just the same. It’s so dangerous.

I’m a type one diabetic, they are not at all full of sugar.

Original poster
RhubarbThumb · 20/02/2025 11:13

Simonjt · 20/02/2025 07:22

I’m a type one diabetic, they are not at all full of sugar.

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Agreed.

The ice-cream, you'd expect to be. And sauces. So no surprise there!

Yea, if you ordered burger, chips, lemonade and a ice-cream and dips etc it can be over 100g of sugar in a 1200 calories

But the meal of chicken nuggets, chips and a fruit shoot has like 2.2g of sugar. And if he has the ketchup, it's 7g. They're "allowed" 19g a day of free sugars. So hardly breaking the bank!!!

OP posts:
widowtocricket · 20/02/2025 16:00

Like others have said it’s appetite dependant. After my kids have played a football match they would want a bigger meal as a happy meal wouldn’t fill them up. But I also think the price jump from a Happy meal to a main meal is a lot for not much more food. So for years I got away with buying them a Nugget happy meal & then something additional from the pound saver menu such as cheese burger or chicken mayo. This would have been a few years ago though when the stuff on the pound saver menu was actually £1!

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