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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:
tobysmum77 · 27/09/2015 14:58

I have an issue with calling unhealthy foods 'treats'

So imo chocolate bar is a treat, a nice meal out is a treat, Scallops and fillet steak is a treat.

Donuts, MacDonalds and sausage rolls nope. A treat needs to be nice.

goblinhat · 27/09/2015 15:02

Food is very much a treat in our home, I wouldn't deny that at all.

Food that is too expensive to eat regularly, is hard to find or laborious to cook.

I would list things that we all enjoy- including kids:

smoked salmon
langoustines
mangos from pakistan
brambles picked from our local wood
crab caught from a harbour 3 miles from here
any fresh herbs
mussels
fresh warm bread
tom yam cooked from scratch

While I don't use food as a reward I do think there is a place for food as a treat.

Fast food has its place but is never a treat.

MitzyLeFroof · 27/09/2015 15:03

A Big Mac is such a treat when I have a hangover.

goblinhat · 27/09/2015 15:03

*I have an issue with calling unhealthy foods 'treats'

So imo chocolate bar is a treat*

A chocolate bar is healthy?

formerbabe · 27/09/2015 15:03

brambles picked from our local wood
crab caught from a harbour 3 miles from here

Well lucky old you eh?!

MitzyLeFroof · 27/09/2015 15:04

A chocolate bar isn't unhealthy.

27 might be.

EatShitDerek · 27/09/2015 15:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

goblinhat · 27/09/2015 15:06

Why lucky formerbabe?

As far as I know brambles grow all over the UK.

tobysmum77 · 27/09/2015 15:07

No goblin food is food and your favourites are favourites. I find it weird when people only see unhealthy food as a treat. I love chocolate Smile healthy or not.

tobysmum77 · 27/09/2015 15:08

What's nice to you will be grim to others.

Agreed.

TimeToMuskUp · 27/09/2015 15:12

I've always gone with "a little bit of everything" when it comes to the DCs diets. They're active and healthy, they eat a pretty good variety of foods, and mealtimes in our house are pretty positive because of that.

We drove down to spend the weekend with friends this weekend and DH went through the drive-thru for the DCs on the way. We arrived and they ate nothing but home-cooked food so in my head it balanced itself out. Perhaps for others it may be an issue but from what I've seen of friends with DCs who are banned from sweets and chocolates, when those DCs do have access to 'treat' foods, they gorge themselves and go mad. Mine haven't ever. It may not be related. Equally (and I suspect it is) it could be.

Alfieisnoisy · 27/09/2015 15:14

I can outdo the child the OP refers to. My DS had his first Happy Meal at 10 months!

He was at his cousins birthday party held at the local McDs.

He shared it with me as it would have been too much for him but he enjoyed a chicken nugget and a few chips.

Do I win an award for poor parenting decision Grin?

DS is now nearly 13 and doesn't seem to have come to any harm.

EatShitDerek · 27/09/2015 15:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MrsDeVere · 27/09/2015 15:17

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

formerbabe · 27/09/2015 15:18

Why lucky formerbabe?

Because we don't all have local woods and a nearby harbour? Hmm Fast food isn't a treat for me personally but if your skint and living in an urban area I can see why it might be.

MrsDeVere · 27/09/2015 15:19

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

lastqueenofscotland · 27/09/2015 15:22

MrsDeVere this this this *Best thing we can do is keep it simple and teach our kids that some foods need to be eaten in moderation and that we don't reward every bad day, good day, breakup and stress with food and drink.

Oh and that we don't need food within reach 24 hours a day.*

Food is not an emotional crutch, i think its had too much emotional attachment placed on it. Pleasure/guilt/reward etc etc etc.
And agree about not needing in 24 hours a day, there is a girl in our office who cannot get through the day without snacking. Unsurprisingly she's big. You will not starve if you can't snack, and people really need to know the difference between being hungry and wanting food.

Pastamancer · 27/09/2015 15:26

I'm going to sound a bit thick here but this thread has made me confused about what comes in a Happy Meal. Round here it seems to be burger/nuggets/fishfingers/wrap and chips or carrot sticks. Not sure what the drink options are as I usually get water. Some people up the thread seem to be saying you get chips and carrot sticks and fruit?

EatShitDerek · 27/09/2015 15:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

jorahmormont · 27/09/2015 15:29

Yeah when DD was a few weeks old I saw little ones in Maccies and thought god, there's no way I'll ever give my kids that. Fast forward to now (18 months) and she's been a few times. Nuggets, fruit and water - I can think of much worse for her.

2rebecca · 27/09/2015 15:39

Really can't remember when my kids had happy meals but they were far keener on fast food as young kids than they are now.
There's a photo of my son tucking in to a large kebab on a stick before he could walk at a BBQ so I was probably laid back about them eating junk food, not that we eat much of it as a family anyway. I rarely have crisps, cakes or biscuits in the house. I rarely think of buying them and think I'll make cakes and biscuits but never get round to it.

WorraLiberty · 27/09/2015 15:42

Donuts, MacDonalds and sausage rolls nope. A treat needs to be nice.

But surely you get the concept of other people thinking something is nice, when you don't? Confused

I think Sushi is vile for example, but I totally get that other people love it.

Snossidge · 27/09/2015 15:47

Pasta - the basic Happy Meal comes with main thing, side and a drink but you can order whatever you want. So my older ones will have a nuggets each, a drink each, a fruit bag each and chips to share.

Lurkedforever1 · 27/09/2015 15:47

I only object to food being a reward/ treat if it's the actual eating to excess that's the reward. So eg saying 'for doing so well at school we can have mcdonalds for tea' is fine in my book. As presumably you'd be eating a meal anyway. I only disagree with 'for doing well at school have a pack of sweets before tea' type rewards, because presumably you wouldn't normally be eating anything before tea.

For us it's things like smoked salmon and prawns that are treats, as well as dominos or Chinese etc. I find it concerning when very accessible items like biscuits or haribo are used as additional food rewards for minor things, or when parents use them as child comfort food.

PunkAssMoFo · 27/09/2015 16:24

How is the odd chocolate bar any more healthy than the odd chicken nugget served with carrot sticks & water?

Dd has the odd maccies. Mil thinks it's a terrible thing to do, yet evey time dd goes to mils she is given chicken/lemon sole goujons with chips & juice followed by copious cakes & biscuits. She thinks that's healthly as they are from m&s. i think she's an idiot.

Some people just need to unclench.

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