to think that she is doing the wrong thing as a parent?

[HootOnTheBeach]

Really didn't want to use the word 'bad'

DP's darling sister uploaded photos of her 9~ month old in McDonald's eating fries and chicken nuggets.

We KNOW junk food is bad, why give it to such a young baby? Why give it to your child at all?!

I don't judge her for feeding her 9mo McDonald's per se... Although having said that, it's not great.

I do judge her for posting pics of her kid swilling McDs on Facebook, though...

Seems a tad misguided.

Another who doesn't understand why mcds is a treat. It's dirt cheap, in no way special, exclusive, rare etc. It's has none of the markers of a normal treat.

I think there's a big difference between noting that someone does something differently from the way you would and thinking they're a bad parents for doing it.

Personally, I wouldn't feed a baby that age McDonalds but I don't believe it would be harmful as such, unless it was a daily event. DH has a bit of a 'thing' against McD's so our children have never been there, but I don't honestly believe they would come to harm if they did. Anyway, they've had similar food at birthday parties and certainly have never suffered any ill effects.

I would just stay out of it OP and definitely not comment.

Ds1 had organic veg no chocolate cake or processed food til he was over 1.

Ds2 was accidently weaned onto his brothers ice cream at 5 and a half months and ate mashed versions of out usual healthy food. Never chips or sweets or processed meat etc.

DD asked to try my chips at 5.5 months so I gave her one to gum. She loves her brothers ice creams and im proud of them for sharing. Her diet is healthy but if we have the occasional unhealthy treat as part of a balanced diet then so does she.

I wouldn't let a nine month old munch their way through a happy meal but if for some reason I found myself in McDs (would be rare, but it has happened) and had a nine month old with me I don't suppose I'd think twice about giving them a chip to gnaw on. The photo isn't going to give much context really - is it a couple of chips and a nugget and a child who won't be in McDs again for the next two years? No big deal to me. Or is it the first of hundreds of happy meals? In which case I might inwardly judge a bit.

But honestly, some of the outrage here is what I'd expect to see if the OP said the baby was smoking a fag and drinking whiskey shots. It's only a chicken nugget.

Yanbu. 9 months old is way too young for junk like that!

As an occasional thing for an older child then I don't worry too much about fast food, but I suspect my definition of occasional (couple of times a year) is more hardline than lots of other people on Mumsnet! I've seen people argue til they're blue in the face that McDonald's once a week is an occasional "treat".

My definition of a 'treat'. Something you like doing but you don't do it often. Therefore to us, McDonald's is a treat.

I highly doubt that the baby that young munched his way through an entire Happy Meal.

"She won't hear a word against her baby or parenting style, regardless of how valid a point may be."

Firstly, it's a 'valid point' in your opinion only. Clearly, not everyone agrees with you. Secondly, I wonder if she's sick to the back teeth of 'helpful' relatives giving their unwanted opinions.

For the record, you can get fruit/veg (apple&grapes, carrot sticks, pineapple stick) instead of fries. McDonald's isn't giving every child a free ticket on the obesity train.

Does the baby look healthy? If it is a little budda shape then maybe there is an issue but most 9 months old want to pick up a chip and share with the family. They eat all sorts of things as a way of exploring and copying.

Trifle over reactive imo.

Pinkrose1 - I strongly disagree with what you have just said. Most 9 month olds should be covered with chub, it's usually just about the fattest stage for a baby before they start to crawl and walk.

The "badness" in McDonalds is not the calories per se, it's the processed nature of the food, the chemicals in the chicken, the salt etc.

But that "badness" isn't really bad if it's a one off nibble at a meal rather than it being the diet day in day out.

The occasional chicken nugget (whether from mcdonalds, asda or a kids menu at a restaurant) isn't going to cause any lasting damage to a child.

But that "badness" isn't really bad if it's a one off nibble at a meal rather than it being the diet day in day out.

I agree with this. I actually think the hysteria over every chip or nibble of chocolate has a far larger impact on a child. Everything in moderation is my motto.

Ive seen people argue til they're blue in the face that McDonald's once a week is an occasional "treat".

Really, once a week is considered occasional? my view of occasional is clearly extreme. I think having a McDs once a week isn't great. It's not even about the fact its processed junk, its also teaching kids poor eating habits. I also think calling it a treat isn't great. It gives the impression McD is something special when all it is junk.

But that's just me.

Well, its not just you LittlePeaPod, it's also me, as I argued in that post .

Well I call a box of chocolates a treat. Unhealthy, fatty, salty etc. Again, it's sometime I enjoy but I don't have often. Therefore a treat.

I don't think anyone has been hysterical about this, everyone has said in moderation it's fine for an older child, just surprised that the thread seemed be saying it was normal for a baby to have its own happy meal. It's not, is it? I don't think it's over the top to be a bit particular about what your young baby eats.

People saying a lick of chip or nugget is fine, and MacDonalds do serve veg - the op said eating nuggets and fries, so that's neither here nor there! My baby could polish off nuggets and chips no problem, she wouldn't stop at a lick.

My ds isn't restricted anything in terms of food now and has something like this every few months, he quite enjoys it, not a big deal, not a massive treat, just food on the go. He used to get carrots and still gets milk with it. He doesn't feel deprived, never asks to go there.

My niece, who went once every week or so from when she was around 9 months (I didn't start a thread about it) bangs on about it all the time and only ever goes for heavily salted, processed options when she's out. She is slim, but doesn't eat healthily. So it works both ways, it's not limiting this stuff that makes them crave it IMO, unless perhaps taken to the extreme of it being forbidden fruit.

At 9 months they would have no notion of the concept so I was strict, it's easy to not give them this when they are babies and not set them up for problems in later life.

Agree with Mintyy, you can't judge a baby's healthiness by its slimness. My 8 month old is is 12-18 month clothes, that's largely milk and vegetables!

I don't think many if any people thought the child had been bought it's own happy meal.

Most babies are only eating small amounts and bits of things at that age.

Well if there was just one baby, and it was eating chicken nuggets and fries, then it had been bought its own meal hadn't it? That was the impression given by the op so that's what I was responding to, others seemed to turn it into 'sniffing a passing nugget' but the op implied feeding it a meal.

Yes, and it's the fact that babies at that age don't eat much is why most people have a problem with them being given a MacDonalds then, it means that a higher proportion of their overall food intake would be taken up with salty processed stuff.

Yes wrong. On so many levels. Some people are just unfortunately very very ignorant. If you're going to give a baby fast feed by all means fine but McDonald's is shit.

It dosent say anything about the child being bought a happy meal just that it was eating some food.

Even if you bought a 9 month old 20 happy meals, they would probably still only have a chew on a nugget and a few fries in all likelihood so it's a bit of a moot point.

There is a difference between an adult considering a box of chocolates as a treat and teaching kids that junk food should be considered a treat. IMO, telling kids they are having a treat by going to McD is teaching them junk food is somehow more special in comparison to healthier foods.

But I am biased because the thought of eating a greasy, gritty processed McD turns my stomach. I couldn't imagine giving it to DD. Each to their own as the saying goes.

It said chicken nuggets and fries, which is what happy meals are comprised of, I don't think I've inferred something crazy from that. If the op said eating some food I don't think it would have generated such a discussion .

Also I and others have said our babies could do more than gum food at that age.

Well unless we track this woman down with a detailed questionnaire we are never going to know are we, and based on my experience, and the babies I have known, which is not an insignificant amount, my personal opinion is that they probably wouldn't.

And that's all I can say on it really.

Yes that's why I've just gone on what's in the op.