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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU one year olds having happy meals

276 replies

Crazypetlady · 27/09/2015 01:26

Somebody on my Facebook posted that their one year old was having their first happy meal. Which I suppose is not great for a one year old but I don't know the circumstances and I'm a new parent so not my place to judge. I haven't been in her position.
Just wondering would you give a baby that age a happy meal?
And AIBU for finding it a bit odd? I hadn't really considered them eating them before.

OP posts:
Original poster
Crazypetlady · 27/09/2015 18:05

I found it odd because I have no experience of it. There is no point saying wait until your ds is 18 months because I am not judging I was really just curious. 12 Months ish is 13 months.

OP posts:
LadyShirazz · 27/09/2015 18:47

When I was little, we would get taken to McDonalds for a full-blown happy meal experience (one each - plus milkshake) every Saturday - though only if we'd been very very very good.

My mum cooked healthy, home-made food for every other meal.

At the time it was the bees knees, but wouldn't go near these days - don't think have had a McDs in over 20 years.

If it's part of a healthy balanced diet, I can't see that it would do much harm.

One year old though is a bit early to be getting started! That's years of nagging ahead. Better option is to tell little kids that the MaccyD sign means "they serve salad".

That'll do it.

sproketmx · 27/09/2015 19:08

OMG burger and a pint sounds soooo good just now. Why is there no pint thing on the smiley face bit? ??Grin

Stillwishihadabs · 27/09/2015 19:08

I can still remember ds's first happy meal he was three, the nanny took him Shock . Dd was weaned on chips Grin

WorldsBiggestGrotbag · 27/09/2015 21:09

I'm surprised anyone can remember the exact age their child first had a McDonalds, surely it's a pretty insignificant event in a child's life? All I know it was some time after 1, and before now (22 months).

Loungeroomlizard · 27/09/2015 22:38

My 18 month old had McDs a couple of weeks ago on the day I was admitted to hospital with crippling abdominal pains that led to some fairly risky surgery. It's clean, easily available, has high chairs and kept him fed in an emergency. Much better than whatever crap was available from the vending machine in hospital. What the OP would have seen was an overweight Dad taking his 2 young children to McDs. Won't anyone think of the children? Well I do think of them and feed them very healthily 99% of the time. So stop judging.

Psycobabble · 27/09/2015 22:40

Unless A: by McDonald's you mean a bag of crack
Or
B. The child in question is your own who you don't want to be given a happy meal

Then yabu
Biscuit

Original poster
Crazypetlady · 27/09/2015 22:41

I have so many times NOT JUDGING. Please stop projecting.

OP posts:
Psycobabble · 27/09/2015 22:45

But it's a big enough deal to post a thread up and say things like " I haven't been in her position "

What position ?? It's not like a life changing decision ! It's food Confused

Original poster
Crazypetlady · 27/09/2015 22:47

All I meant is my child is not yet one I haven't been in the position of having a year old

OP posts:
BlackeyedSusan · 27/09/2015 22:52

a happy meal could have a whole range of things in.

my children occasionally have a hamburger. it is good as they are all the same and I know and they know what allergens are in their meals. an occasional treat is not going to hurt them.

Psycobabble · 27/09/2015 22:55

Ah ok sorry I sounded mean reading it back it's just I think threads like these can often come across as judgey and I always wonder is someone reading it and thinking shit I put something like that on Facebook and everyone thinks I'm some terrible mother !
though I apreciate you say your not judging so in answer to your original question I guess it's personal choice ! Technically as soon as they can manage solid whole bits of food I guess it's ok . Some parents don't like that sort of stuff personally I think as the odd treat it's fine .

WanderingTrolley1 · 27/09/2015 23:05

A McDonald's here and there isn't going to do too much damage.

greatscott81 · 27/09/2015 23:21

I am by no means a saint when it comes to feeding my 2.5 year old DD. However, when it comes to fast food chains, I wouldn't eat their food if you paid me and I wouldn't feed it to my child. In my mind it isn't the fat or sugar content particularly (although that is a concern), but it's the amount of preservatives they use. I don't like processed food and prefer that my child has a similar diet. Obviously this is my opinion and everyone is entitled to their choice.

Original poster
Crazypetlady · 27/09/2015 23:47

I agree with what someone else said about it being no worse than some of the shop sandwiches. Though people wouldn't thing about all the sugar and salt in those. I don't want anyone to feel judged. It's all the mcdonalds horror stories that made me think it was a bit odd too I think. "Sawdust" milkshakes and the "ten year old cheeseburger" To be fair reading it back it does sound a bit ridiculous.

OP posts:
sproketmx · 28/09/2015 00:07

I'm going to take a flaming here but every month we go swimming I take all the kids for a chippy after it. There's just something about swimming that makes me crave a sausage supper and it was a bit of a tradition when I was a kid too. Mine get takeaway once a week on a Friday night of their choice too and I don't put anything off limits.

Canyouforgiveher · 28/09/2015 00:37

the thing I can't understand is the people who say they bring their children to McDonalds to have a cheese sandwich, water, and apple slices. why on earth would bring your children to McDonalds to have something you could have at home or in a nicer restaurant.

I love mcdonalds (big mac, fries, coke are utter guilty pleasures) but recognise how unhealthy it is so don't indulge more than once or twice a year. kids are the same.

but I certainly don't go to mcds for the ambience so why on earth would you go to the plastic/depressing hell that is mcdonalds to feed your children apple slices and a cheese sandwich? Is it the toy?

TheDowagerCuntess · 28/09/2015 01:19

I know. ^^ God forbid people actually admit to buying standard McDonalds fare at McDonalds... It's always fruit and water.

MidnightDinosaur · 28/09/2015 04:25

Meh, my dc have mcd's occasionally (once a month or 2) and when they do they make the most of it.

Chicken bites or cheeseburger, salty fries, lime milkshake and sometimes even a sundae too.

I'm pretty sure ds2 was under a year old when he first munched his way through a macdonalds fish finger and a couple of chips. They are also quite keen on sausage muffins if we get breakfast there.

I can't get worked up about the occasional fast food meal when they eat healthy home cooked food the rest of the time.

Senpai · 28/09/2015 05:06

the thing I can't understand is the people who say they bring their children to McDonalds to have a cheese sandwich, water, and apple slices. why on earth would bring your children to McDonalds to have something you could have at home or in a nicer restaurant.

I'm not even confused on that. Why are you taking them to McDonald's for apple slices and water? That's like going to a snow cone shop and only ordering ice shavings.

The entire point of going to a fast food place is to indulge, eat shit, hate yourself, swear you'll never do it again, and then go back in a few weeks.

I take DD there because she loves the junk food as any toddler would. She has literally every other meal the rest of the week/month/whenever to drink water and eat whatever healthy morsel I dangle in front of her. Not that I let her drink soda there, but I see nothing wrong with their juice or milkshake options. It's a treat, not a diet plan.

WorldsBiggestGrotbag · 28/09/2015 05:45

Mine has the chicken nuggets with the coating off and the unsalted fries as that's all she'll eat. We go because I want to stuff my face with burger and I need to find something she'll eat too Smile. If we were going out to eat solely for her benefit we wouldn't choose McDonalds.

sproketmx · 28/09/2015 10:08

Wait wait wait... what's a snot cone?

yorkshapudding · 28/09/2015 11:24

My DD (almost 2) has never eaten McDonald's but that's purely because I find it tends to give me a dicky tummy so I avoid it myself. I don't think a Happy Meal (or any other convenience food) as a 'once in a while' treat is going to do a child any harm if they have a healthy diet the rest of the time.

Then again, this is MN, where some people lose sleep over the salt content in Weetabix and think that Raisins should be a classed as a controlled substance. In the real world most people I know seem to subscribe to the view that everything is ok in moderation.

PatrickPolarBear · 28/09/2015 17:04

Don't eat that crap myself so there would be no reason to feed it to my 11 month old. I have had posh burgers and chips from posh places though and she had a bit of my posh burger bun and a couple of chips Grin

GardeningWithDynamite · 29/09/2015 12:24

Ah - we went to McDonalds when DD was little and gave her the fruit and orange juice option with her fish fingers because

  1. it was usually when we were either out and didn't have many other dairy free options
  2. she doesn't like fries
  3. you know what allergens are in them. They - and chain pubs seemed to be the best option for finding something she could eat.

It's not like we could get her a sandwich (always had spread/butter on them even if they were something like ham or chicken) - and some bread has dairy in it.

Interestingly we were stuck at Burger King because there was nothing there that she could/would eat.

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