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Original poster

Nursery trip to McDonald’s

51 replies

Artisanmom · 27/03/2025 17:56

Grabbed a quick bite from mcds on the way back from the hospital earlier, in an area far from home and noticed 6 teeny tots with fruit shoots and 3 adults with their own meals happily munching away.

Do you think their parents knew their kids were accompanying the staff for their lunch?
Would it bother you if your kids were out at McDonald’s on a nursery outing?

I mean I had an unhealthy hamburger and apple pie so who am I to judge but I wouldn’t be pleased with my 2 year old eating that or having a fruit shoot.
I just really wonder if their parents had given permission for them to be there.

What do you think?

OP posts:
FrenchandSaunders · 27/03/2025 17:57

I wouldn’t care if it was only occasionally

ScrewedByFunding · 27/03/2025 17:59

How did you know there were a nursery? You left that bit out.

GingerLiberalFeminist · 27/03/2025 18:00

Blimey. If it was a nursery I'd be pretty shocked.

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Childcare & nursery Families
user4578 · 27/03/2025 18:01

I think it’s an odd trip and weird that the adults had a full meal when kids just had a drink. But it’s not my nursery & not my child so

stayathomer · 27/03/2025 18:04

Oh god no I’d hate it. We’re a relaxed house but it was like the first time the kids came home from school and they’d watched a movie on just a normal day and I was thinking’ah bless the teacher must be having one of those days’ and next thing ALL of my kids started listing different movies they’d seen in school! I just think McDonald’s is pushing it

MagneticSquirrel · 27/03/2025 18:07

No way! I’d be pulling my children out of any nursery that took the kids to McDonalds (or any other fast food place). Completely unacceptable.

TickingAlongNicely · 27/03/2025 18:08

How did you know this was childcare not a group of friends with their children? 6 kids and three adults isn't normal nursery ratio...

Original poster
Artisanmom · 27/03/2025 18:09

@ScrewedByFunding I don’t for certain but initially I noticed the ‘staff’ I presume who were wearing the same uniform- it was very bright blue and I’d thought wow what shop is that! Then I noticed the little toddlers sitting in a row with the fruit shoots lined up. Then saw 3 buggies shoved in the corner.
I also saw them leave with tots in tow and again presumed they were heading back to nursery.

They were very well behaved while the adults were eating though I must say!

OP posts:
TomatoSandwiches · 27/03/2025 18:09

I don't think a nursery would do this.

Ellie1015 · 27/03/2025 18:10

3 adults and 6 kids? I would assume that is a group of friends rather than nursery.

SchoolDilemma17 · 27/03/2025 18:12

I doubt a nursery takes kids to McDonald’s. Never even heard a childminder do this.

Original poster
Artisanmom · 27/03/2025 18:13

Would a group of friends all wear the same clothes? Also I don’t know the exact number of kids as I didn’t count but at least 6 and all the kids were a bunch of mixed races so unless the friends have 1 kid each with a different dad it was defines some form of childcare.

OP posts:
Chipsahoy · 27/03/2025 18:15

My ds childminder started taking him weekly! I found a new childminder. He was 2 and while I have no problem with the occasional McDonald’s, weekly was absolutely not ok with me.
We go about twice a year. Max!

Original poster
Artisanmom · 27/03/2025 18:17

@GingerLiberalFeminist I was very shocked myself and would feel the need to pull them out too @MagneticSquirrel but who knows maybe it was an approved outing by the parents?!!

OP posts:
Catapultaway · 27/03/2025 18:22

Our nursery took DS and others loads of places. Trip to the local spar to get the weekly supplies, the local care home, a round trip on the bus, a walk to mcdonalds, a walk to fire station, a train ride to the pet store to buy fish... all just new experiences and a break from the same space. Don't have an issue with it. Think YABU.

Original poster
Artisanmom · 27/03/2025 18:23

As pp’s have mentioned it may not have been a nursery but definitely was some form of childcare. Also 2 very young looking girls and one much older lady, again could be a group of friends but I don’t know it just looked like a nursery to me.

Just wanted to add I used to run a nursery many years ago and we did let a small number of staff go out with a small number of children. My nursery was very small and some days there were hardly any kids in or we left the younger/older ones back at the nursery so others could nip out for a quick play or to get ingredients from the shop to make play dough. The ratio of staff to kids is not unbelievable to make it a nursery. It doesn’t mean the whole nursery was out, just a small number of children from the nursery.

OP posts:
Original poster
Artisanmom · 27/03/2025 18:23

@Catapultaway did they eat McDonald’s?

OP posts:
SchoolDilemma17 · 27/03/2025 18:26

Chipsahoy · 27/03/2025 18:15

My ds childminder started taking him weekly! I found a new childminder. He was 2 and while I have no problem with the occasional McDonald’s, weekly was absolutely not ok with me.
We go about twice a year. Max!

Wow that’s crazy. My 3 year old has never been to McDonalds. I wouldn’t be happy with a childminder taking him.

Catapultaway · 27/03/2025 18:26

Artisanmom · 27/03/2025 18:23

@Catapultaway did they eat McDonald’s?

Yes, but we were asked permission first.
But in this OP apparently they only had a fruit shoot, so not really relevant.

mindutopia · 27/03/2025 18:27

I would assume that it was a trip to somewhere rather than a trip to McDonald’s as an outing, but they stopped at McDonald’s for lunch on the way.

It’s not great, but my dc eat at McDonald’s or similar, maybe twice a year and I know it wouldn’t kill them to have it three times.

I would probably assume that maybe there were practical reasons for it. No means to safely store packed lunches during the day or maybe a child with SEN who only does chicken nuggets. That said, in secondary school, I remember going to sports competitions like away for the whole day and we used to eat breakfast at McDonald’s on the way there and dinner on the way back. I was a vegetarian so back in the 90s, I was literally that kid eating 3 apple pies for dinner. 😂

LeopardsANeutral · 27/03/2025 18:31

Our nursery took our kids on the last day before Christmas. They rang all of the parents to ask if it was ok. I agreed as it was a Christmas treat but it’s never happened again. I wouldn’t be happy with it on a random Thursday in March.

Jeezitneverends · 27/03/2025 18:32

My childminder sometimes took ds to a pub for a bar lunch on the occasional days when she just had him..I loved that they did this together, amd now 8n his 20s he still remembers it

republicofjam · 27/03/2025 18:45

Ratio of staff to 2 year olds is 1/5 so seems unlikely that it would be a nursery. There is a major struggle to recruit sufficient early years staff and few nurseries would have the 3 employees, or funds to spare on an outing with 6 children instead of the usual 15.

quincyquince · 27/03/2025 18:47

Artisanmom · 27/03/2025 18:13

Would a group of friends all wear the same clothes? Also I don’t know the exact number of kids as I didn’t count but at least 6 and all the kids were a bunch of mixed races so unless the friends have 1 kid each with a different dad it was defines some form of childcare.

They probably all work there and to their own kids before going to work?

HowToChangeWays · 27/03/2025 18:49

It's a macdonalds! Who cares. As long as not daily. I'm sure the parents knew.

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