What age to switch from a Happy Meal?

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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??

My sis and I still both have them. We are in our 60's.

Sorry but I think that's weird.

McD is shit, let's be honest. If you want decent burgers, there are much better places. Its a treat, it's junk food, it's not the end of the world, but it's empty calories and you will be hungry soon after.

However, If you take the kids there, might as well giving the food they need at that time, not leaving them half hungry to give them something else as soon as you are out.

Fair enough.

Around age 7/8 my children switched to adult meals (in restaurants too)

Happy Meal is 730 kcal.
You should not be hungry after that unless you eat once a day.

https://www.mcdonalds.com/kw/en-kw/meal/happy-meal-chickenburger.html

There it is! The smug judgement.

there is no way an adult of even basic intelligence would need to ask random strangers on the internet what to order their child from McDonald.

you want randoms on the internet to agree with you that it is shocking that an overweight child eats an adult sized meal. And you want people to agree that you are the better parent.

@LondonFox The times I’ve eaten a happy meal I’ve always been hungry not long after🙈 ooops

My daughter is 13 and asks for a happy meal as it's the right amount of food for her. Her twin bro wouldn't entertain it

As many people have said, it's appetite dependent. I often order a happy meal for myself.

I really had bit considered getting a kid and adult meal and wondered if this was unusual at 7. Apparently it isn't.
That's fine.

I've never ordered a happy meal for my kids....just a cheeseburger and fries!

My 7 year old has a chicken nugget HM and an extra burger from the saver menu - win win. Don’t get a burger HM and extra nuggets though, because it’s way more expensive!

That's a very bold statement.

I know a lot of people who would be hungry after a Happy Meal

Height, age, activity levels etc all factor in.

You simply can't say "you should not be hungry" as though you are the authority on calories.

Carb to protein ratios are also something to be considered when looking at how satiating a meal is.
Calories don't necessarily = how full you are.

Did you not google the calories included in the various happy meals and compare them? Surely you know the average calories a child needs and can see if your child gets enough from the meal. What does it matter what other children eat? All children are different. And in any case some items on the menu contain less calories than a happy meal. All information easily googled. Even the age that the happy meal is aimed at is online.

It’s such an odd thread - I really feel sorry for this child. How dreadful to think some adult woman is starting an internet thread about what she ate one day at McDonald’s! The horror - an adult meal! And already overweight! Ty tut. While my little prince was full after a child meal! Aren’t I the better parent.

😬😬😬😬😬😬😬😬😬

And yet many will continue to feel hungry not long after a Happy Meal, and the world will keep spinning. 🤣

I’ve just totted up my own Happy Meal preference and it came out to 419 cals, which was around what I expected!

I can recall watching two young teen girls (13 ish) eating Happy Meals when my DC were a similar age and eating full adult meals and wondering if it was because they were on limited pocket money or genuinely had a small appetite. They were very slim so probably the latter.

As a post menopausal woman, I reckon a cheese burger Happy Meals could satiate me.

My 2 year old can eat a full happy meal. I can't imagine it still satisfying his hunger when he's 7.

When they're still hungry after eating one?

It's a grand total of 100kcal difference between a cheeseburger Happy Meal and a medium cheeseburger meal, assuming a calorie-free drink like water.

I agree. At 4 or 5 my dd wouldn't be full with it. Other friends till 7 or 8. It just depends on their appetite.

My youngest is 10 and hasn't had a happy meal for a couple of years so 7/8 sounds about right. Depends on their appetite really but a hungry 8 year old can eat more than an adult in my experience!

I think mine were about 8-9 but 7 is fine if they would eat an adults meal, especially for dinner. As others have said there isn't much in a happy meal.

Ds 11 starred having meals off the main menu around 8 yrs old.I really want mcdonalds now! 😋

Oldest dgs (11) doesn't like Mcdonalds chips so has 6 nuggets and a plain hamburger and has done this for a few years (if hungry he will ask for a 2nd burger or a Mcflurry) Dgs2 age 7 varies but is choosing a happy meal less often now. He tends to pick either a double cheeseburger and small fries or a cheeseburger and medium fries most often.