to give ill DS who wont eat a McDonalds?

[streakyfalsetan]

thats it really, ear infection, bad cough, high temp. Not eaten properly for nearly a week. Out of desperation I bought him a Happy Meal (usually has them as a treat maybe once a month) in the week and he ate about half of it.

Not really eaten properly since then, am so desperate for him to eat something Im edging towards getting him another McDs today for his dinner. One part of me thinks if he is that hungry he should eat whatever I make him but I keep thinking that when Im ill there are only certain things I fancy so why should a 3 year old be any different?

I wouldnt even eat two in a week but AIBU to do it just this once just so he has eaten something?

Why is that funny?

I didn't want to come across all preachy without any experience yet and annoy anyone, but at the same time - I know how I live my life and how I intend to parent.

Fastfood makes me physically ill so I just never go in. If I never go in, and pass the restaurants right by, how likely it is my young baby/toddler will ever even be aware of what it's like inside one?

I wouldn't hesitate to give him it. YADNBU.

Agree with MrsD from visiting a friends dd on cancer ward I am often called upon to bring in salty meat products/crisps - ill children crave this.

He needs calpol/other pain killersd to help him - he needs food in his tummy with the meds idealy so let him eat what he wants.

TBH if you were the sort of parent to feed him shit willynilly then you wouldnt be asking/worried about this!

Go to mc do. All those drugs are harsh on tummy, so any food better than none. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do! And please don't feel guilt or shame!!

I would give a child anything they felt like when ill.
The exception being that I wouldnt give food to a child who was vomiting ( even if they asked for it).

Hope he's better soon

MrsDeVere - I was the same, thought when my kids are ill Id give them carrots, lots of fruit etc . I just want him to have a couple of decent meals at least.

Poor little bugger, we were doing really well with potty training and hes had a couple of little accidents cos hes ill and hes really upset

toddler might not know but when you get to school/parties etc...

Bless Betty

Op I can still remember when I was young and had been very poorly and mum bought me a mcchicken sarnie it was the best thing I had e ET eaten and all the more naughty cause I was in bed

Betty - It is incredibly unlikely your dc will never go to McDs and if you lay that down as a hard and fast rule then you will come across a a loon and your dc will miss out on parties etc. Also your dc will be those kids going crazy for shit food when they can get their hands on it - because it's been forbidden.

That said, of course you are fundamentally right and no one is denying McD's is a pile of shite.

It just doesn't matter if kids have it once a month or so!

Also it just is funny when non parents say these things sorry! I said my dc would never watch television - honestly, I really really did say that

YANBU - when I'm ill I like choc digestive biscuits.

Bettybat. I could give you a whole list of stuff I vowed never to do once I had dd. I managed to get to 24 months before I came to my senses and tore up the list!! And I found myself doing all sorts of dumb ass stuff just to get dd fed. Like holding her toast so that she would eat it!!
Btw I'm older mum and a law graduate. So there you go....the prosecution rests...

streaky some healthier foods are harder on the stomach when you are ill. Citrus fruits can cause immediate and unpleasant reactions [eww]

Give him the McD but in little bits. If he hasnt eaten for a while it might make him sick if he scoffs a whole happy meal in one go.

If he can take dairy ok, the milkshakes are very high in calories.

Bless him, being all upset about his accidents, explain that accidents even happen to big people when they are poorly.

I hope he is better soon.

If that's what he fancies, then I'd let him. It is food, and if he's going to fight the infection then he needs something in him.

' sugary salty energy dense over flavoured food is bang on the money in this situation and it's only a slippery slope if you lack the parenting strength to say "that was a special situation because you needed tempting energy dense food to help you get better" later on.'
Exactly String.

Betty, wait til you have a sick child. They are so ephemeral and unhappy that you would do anything to ease it.

Ha, right OK - thanks for all the head patting and laughing.

Pre-parenting, you can only go on your own experiences of what your parents did, right?

My parents very, very rarely gave me fastfood. Sure - I went to children's parties at Pizza Hut or Wimpy and ate the food. But week in, week out, aside from those birthday parties of a handful of times a year, I was given home cooked food. DH was raised pretty much the same way.

So if we were exposed to fastfood at times as children, and yet our parents still managed to avoid giving it to us on a regular or semi-regular basis - why shouldn't we be able to manage that? Genuine question :)

Oh yeah, the no tv ever rule. Lasted about 3 weeks. PITA colic so I stuck her in front of Friends on channel4, shit adverts too! Someone ring social services, quick!

Betty I didn't mean to be mean, it just other posters have pointed out, when you have an ill DC or just one who's not eating a stronger feed them instinct kicks in and you'll feed them whatever they'll eat.

Any way you might have a MIL like mine who took DD there at 2 [buhmm] for no reason. She only had her for an hour while I was at the dentist, she must have had to race there to wind me up.

Whatever it takes to have them eat anything when they are ill.

He probably does need the calories and the salt after a fever.

Still offer fruit that he likes. Even if strawberries.

I usually make of list of all possible foods until DS says he wants one. :)

betty, I've just posted on another thread about how neither of my children had fast food, not even chips. So now they are almost adults, they really don't like fast food.
But if they were properly ill and fancied a Macdonald's I'd be at the Empire of the Evil Clown as fast as I could get there.

helpyourself don't worry, I'm taking it all in light-hearted jest :)

It's just...I know I'm without the experience of y'all, so I only have that I know, which is how I was raised. And how I was raised was exposure to fastfood from other children's parties, but my parents just never, ever bought it for us. So it's logical to question - why shouldn't I be able to ape that?

Anyway, remember this thread when you have a little one and are feeling a glum failure because they are spitting their organic spinach back at you.
You won't be a failure, you will be more experienced and learn to compromise in certain situations.

Betty, the key is on the intend to.

I'm not fond of McDs either (except the fries), but wait until your DC is invited to a McDs party. :o

I try to avoid junk food, but it's in the home and it's part of a healthy diet with fruit and veg too.
DS loves fries and we have them about once a week.
He also loves fish and fruit and some veg and we have them more than once a week.

If he wants to live on biscuits when he is ill, so be it.

BTW, though, OP, have you tried chicken soup? It's supposed to be great for illnesses and children usually like it too.

betty, we are not talking about normal everyday parenting. This child is sick, on medication and needs energy to fight further infection. If a carb rich happy meal helps this time, isn't that sensible?

Dustinthewind oooh which thread, I'd be really interested in reading that.

BTW I'm not saying all these other lofty ideas I have won't come crashing down once the reality of parenting kicks in

But the food one really scares me - I've read many, many books on how awful it is, and my own body expelling FF in the way it does scares me too - and so I just hope I can manage to get through their childhood without too much exposure to it.

Betty - the simple answer is because our lives are very different from our parents and things have changed, ie most parents both work now and have much less time etc - I cook everything from scratch in the house and yet we will have the occasional McDs - its no worse food then your future dcs will experience at other peoples houses - ie fishfingers and chips etc.

Its not really about the food anyway its about not setting yourself up for unrealistic expectations of how your parenting will be.

You have to equip your dc for how life is now and may be in the future with all the bad choices out there, you cant stick your head in the sand and bring them up as if it all doesnt exist.

I'm sure you won't let your offspring nag for sweeties either.
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/1443564-To-get-cross-with-dc-for-always-asking-for-sweets-cakes-gum-chocolate-spread-etc