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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to think that children's meals

22 replies

undercovamutha · 29/08/2010 16:35

in restaurants/pubs are MUCH too big for young children.

We've just been out for sunday lunch to a local pub. We all ordered a roast dinner, including, for the first time, DS who is 18mo. He is getting too old (and eats too much) for us to carry on giving him bits off our plates, and eats more than 4yo DD most of the time anyway.

Anyway, the food came out for the DCs and there was approximately one potato and one piece of meat less than on my very large plate of food. How is that a kids portion?

They both had a VERY large yorkshire pudding, about 3 big slices of turkey, and about 5 potatos each, plus a PILE of about 5 different veg. I have quite a big appetite and I would have struggled to finish their portion. DS actually ate a lot more than DD, but there was still loads left on both plates. Its horrible to see such waste.

We have found this to be the case at many different places, and obviously in retrospect should have asked for an extra plate for DS, to put half of DD's food on, and saved ourselves some money.

But still, AIBU to think that a childs portion should be considerably smaller (and ideally considerably cheaper) than an adults portion?

OP posts:

greentriangle · 29/08/2010 16:37

Well it's difficult.

I went to a carvery place and there were 2 adults and 2 children aged I would say 18 and 16 ish. All 4 got a child's meal (the carver serves the meat, you serve the potatoes and veg). So I would think restaurants are in a difficult position, people take the piss.

fryalot · 29/08/2010 16:38

I think YABU to some extent - most places say that children's meals are available to children up to the age of 10.

A ten year old would be more than capable of eating what you describe.

Unless you want to get into different portion sizes for different aged children which would be way too complicated for most cafe/pub/restaurants to put into practice, they have to serve a meal that suits all possible customers (ie children)

mitochondria · 29/08/2010 16:39

YANBU. Trouble is, each place is different - my children are 5 and 4 and I'm never sure whether they could share a meal or need one each. If you go to that pub again you'll know they can share!

A child's portion has to span from 18 months old up to much bigger children - I have been to some places where there is a choice of "little kids" or "big kids".

Original poster

undercovamutha · 29/08/2010 16:41

Squonk - not sure exactly how much a 10yo eats, but DH and I would have struggled (and we are quite greedy ).

OP posts:

fryalot · 29/08/2010 16:43

actually - just re-read your OP and thought that p'raps it would have to be a very hungry ten year old

SaliMali1 · 29/08/2010 16:51

Hi YANBU as a child my parents would just ask for a plate. If there was something I really really wanted then they would order it for me.

Can you do that these days?

SixtyFootDoll · 29/08/2010 16:54

I find a lot of places the childrens meal are too SMALL for my DS's who aare 7 and 10.
In fact DS1 will no longer order from the childrens menu after he was recently served a pizza the size of a saucer!

macdoodle · 29/08/2010 16:57

Toby carvery today, they have ideal for me.
Adult carvery huge, childrens big but ok for 9yr old DD1. They let you have a side plate for food off your plate and had more than enough of the 2 adults plates for DD2 age 2 and a half!

wonka · 29/08/2010 17:01

We would get one meal for the older two and the youngest eats some of ours..
I hate waste and none of them would have an appetite big enough for a pub childrens meal!

rpickett · 29/08/2010 17:03

Would you prefer they served too little and your child was still hungry? at least with too much you know theywill be full and can always leave it.

muggglewump · 29/08/2010 17:09

I was out for lunch today too and the children's sausage and mash was three sausages and a huge pile of mash and then extra veg for the table.
9yr old DD didn't finish it, never mind the 18month old or 3yr old, though tbf DD had an adult starter too.
I'm happy for DD to order from the adult menu, but she wanted the same as the boys.

TrillianAstra · 29/08/2010 17:19

I thought this was going to be a complaint that they were too small... What's wrong with getting a meal that is too big in a restaurant? Unless you have been brainwashed by 'clean your plate, there are children starving in Africa' throughout your childhood that is.

pointydog · 29/08/2010 17:20

The dds ar e now beyond kids' meals but any they have had in teh past were always a much smaller portion than the adult ones.

I suppose they have got to satisfy hungry kids of 10 or 12 as well.

colditz · 29/08/2010 17:21

An 18 month old isn't the same size as a 9 year old though, and I would be very pissed off if my child under ten was still hungry after clearing a children's meal.

jamaisjedors · 29/08/2010 17:22

The DS (3 & 5) always share a child-sized meal and I ask for an extra plate.

But we had a child's menu in pizza express once which was not even big enough to satisfy one of them.

Perhaps we need pictures of the meals on the menu? mn campaign?

tokyonambu · 29/08/2010 17:30

When my daughters were that sort of age, we just asked for an extra plate and gave them whatever they fancied from our meals. We did that in places with delusions of grandeur Michelin stars, and we did it in better restaurants Balti houses which cost a fiver a head. Up until quite recently (ten or twelve year olds) we routinely ordered three pizzas and an extra plate in Pizza Express.

Of course, Chinese restaurants, Tapas places and the sort of Indians that put the food on nightlights in front of you are the best with kids, because everyone starts with an empty plate and can help themselves, which is ideal.

cat64 · 29/08/2010 17:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Tippychoocks · 29/08/2010 17:48

Of course it is mad that a "child's meal" is supposed to be right for all children aged 3-12 ish. We waste an awful lot or I make DD eat my dinner on a saucer. Luckily we don't go anywhere classy

ProfYaffle · 29/08/2010 17:58

When our dds got to the 'OK, you're stealing too much of Mummy's dinner now' stage we started to order an extra side dish or two to fill the gap.

Now at 6 and 3 I find it difficult to gauge how big the child meals are going to be and whether we can get away with them sharing one or they need one each.

colditz · 30/08/2010 11:53

mine always need one each except in the Asda cafe where a child'smeal is big enough for me!

deakell · 30/08/2010 12:10

Can't you just buy one child's meal and share it between them? When they get bigger and eat more you can then buy two?

Kids meal sizes are very subjective in as much as you want to feed your 18 month old but others will wand to feed 6,7 8 year old who may well eat that amount. I would be annoyed to feed my 5 year old (very hungry boy, thin as a rake with hollow legs we think) to be given a teeny weeny portion.

Just ask for less on the plate or buy one to share

OhYouBadBadKitten · 30/08/2010 12:17

We either ask for a plate or dd chooses a starter. Even at the age of 10 she doesnt always fancy an adult sized meal. on holiday when we had a 3 course meal she had a starter, had bits off our plates (esp mine as I don't have a huge appetite) for a main and ordered her own pudding. worked really well.

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