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AIBU?

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Original poster

TO TAKE DS TO MCDONALDS OFTEN?

125 replies

BLUESEAPARADISE · 10/02/2018 10:44

AIBU to take my son to McDonalds often?

DS is 9 and has a wide range of health issues and also autism ( he is developmentally 9-18 months) and only eats a handful of things ( Custard, Chicken fillets from the butchers, chicken nuggets ( not from McDonald's) , Completely plain burger buns from McDonald's and walkers salt and vinegar crisps) That is his full diet... we have a dietitian.
( before has gone for days without eating because his " safe" food wasn't available as we were trying to encourage him to try new things )

For a while he has been refusing food and as a result we are all extremely worried as he has lost a lot of weight and we are at the point may have to take him into hospital and there is talk of a possibly feeding tube ( which he won't keep in / cope with well at all)

However today He has shown some interest in eating some burger buns .. AIBU to take him to McDonald's and just buy him a few burger buns to simply try and get him to put weight on and eat something?Sad I feel awful as I know he doesn't have the best diet and burger buns are far from the best but I really don't want him to loose any more weight( he hasn't had anything to eat since Thursday morning) and end up in hospital but I feel bad giving him just a plate of buns!

Please help .. I want to do what's best for him but feel absolutely awful which ever way I do it SadSad

OP posts:
Flowerfae · 10/02/2018 12:28

Give him what he wants because they can stop eating suddenly, if they decide they don't want it anymore. I keep trying to explain to my stepdad to just put a tablespoon of nutella in DS's porridge because thats how he eats it ( my stepdad give him a t-spoon full because nutella is bad for him) but I'm trying to explain to him that DS could just 'switch off' porridge because of this and that is another food option gone. DS is underweight, and under a dietician who tells us to give him whatever he will eat. He has got a lot better as he's got older though, he only used to have hot chocalate with pediasure (eating out was a nightmare we used to get glared at and tutted at for 'obviously starving our child' by only getting him a hot chocalate. We did consider not going out anymore but we have 2 other children who would be missing out). He is 13 now and will eat, alongside porridge with nutella.. macaroni cheese, chilli con carne, curries (loves indian takeaways), bolognaise not the pasta though. He can't eat anything not anything that isn't soft as he can't chew properly.

So yep.. just give him Mcdonalds, he may change as he gets older and Mcdonalds for the time he wants it.. won't do him any harm.

Sirzy · 10/02/2018 12:36

Be careful stocking up too much. I have made that mistake before and ended up with suprless of a once loved food when tastes changed!

nocoolnamesleft · 10/02/2018 12:42

Better that he eat something than nothing. Beige food is better than no food. Go for it.

DaisyDando · 10/02/2018 12:44

Do what you need to do. I would definitely do it. I hope it works out.

CoffeenoTea · 10/02/2018 12:45

its hard when you know they should be eating other food but won't. This is the key message here, they just won't eat anything that is diffrent. Do what you can to keeo his weight up. im sure you have tried his but just incase not, is there aby way he would drink a high cal drink like a milkshake almost like icecream?

i have a child with a very limited diet.

TammySwansonTwo · 10/02/2018 12:47

You do whatever is needed. My son has a medical condition where he MUST eat something every few hours. If he gets to the phase where he will only eat McDonald’s (he hasn’t had any yet but it could happen!) then I will have to go to McDonald’s. Eating something is better than nothing.

Mulberry72 · 10/02/2018 12:50

Sounds really tough OP Flowers

Do what you need to do for your boy, I wouldn’t hesitate in your shoes xx

EatTheChocolateTeapot · 10/02/2018 12:51

YANBU, in facr you would BU if you didn't take him. He needs to eat, you provide him with suitable food.

pallisers · 10/02/2018 12:52

Would you consider going to McDonalds and explaining the situation and asking the manager if he would let you have/sell you a box of them every now and then. I suspect if you contacted head office they would try to help you too (certainly would in the US).

It might be your boy needs to see the burger coming out of an actual macdonalds but if a box of them would work, might be easier for you.

ShowMePotatoSalad · 10/02/2018 12:57

There is snobbery about it but it’s no different than him eating a brioche roll from a posh supermarket, nutritionally.

Flowerfae · 10/02/2018 12:59

Hi timeisnotaline I tried that with DS. They didn't have Green and Black's chocalate at the shop, which is the one he drinks. I got him the shops own brand of dark hot chocalate, I tried it and to me it looked exactly the same and to me it tasted the same. DS had a mouthful of it and said 'ewwwww thats not green and blacks!!!' so it didn't work :D

AttilaTheMeerkat · 10/02/2018 13:00

You do whatever is needed here and you are not being unreasonable. I have no problem at all with what you are suggesting as a fellow mother of such an eater.

BTW my son also started out eating plain McDs buns and over time he has progressed to eating these with the meat in.

NotMeNoNo · 10/02/2018 13:04

DS (12) has mcdonalds twice a week. He is a very anxious eater and it's the only meat he really wants. Not the organic parenting dream but, hey.

foodiefil · 10/02/2018 13:10

Don't feel bad at all. In this situation give him anything at all you think he might eat!

What a tough situation Thanks

needtogiveitablow · 10/02/2018 13:38

Our role as parents is first and foremost to keep our children alive and healthy. To be healthy he needs to eat. Take him to McDonald’s as many times a day as he needs to. And get yourself a treat every time too, you deserve it Flowers

needtogiveitablow · 10/02/2018 13:39

Sorry, that should say where possible - obviously some things are out of our control Sad

Reddlion · 10/02/2018 13:39

would he not accept if you make them yourself then you can cut out the sugar and salt

Reddlion · 10/02/2018 13:41

also McDonalds will sell you large portions of food I once brought 100 chicken nuggets so if you need to do that they likely will

kaytee87 · 10/02/2018 13:41

If I were you I’d be at McDonald’s every day for at least one meal YANBU

^ this and I wouldn't feel bad about it at all Thanks
I'd actually explain to McDonald's, they'd probably give you a big bag away.

DeleteOrDecay · 10/02/2018 13:52

YANBU, as a pp said I would be taking him there every day under your circumstances, he needs to eatThanks

theHitcher · 10/02/2018 13:58

You would be unreasonable not to do this. Food is food. Long may his interest in McDonalds last OP

Scoose · 10/02/2018 14:35

Are you taking the piss redlion? Do you know anything about autism?

angelnix · 10/02/2018 14:41

Go for it, and if you're local to me, I'll go halves on the burgers because I have a child that only likes the burger part, not the bread bit!

You know your son best, eating something is better than eating nothing. A restriction now may lead to it being another off limits food.

Good luck xx

x2boys · 10/02/2018 14:44

Yanbu I have a severly autistic son too who has a limited diet although not quite as limited as your ds there's a freezer shop near us that sell frozen McDonalds chicken nuggets and burgers Shock

BlossomRussoAndSixLemeure · 10/02/2018 14:53

I haven’t read everything so sorry if someone has said this but you can order Macdonalds online (to some areas) you could customise the burger so it’s just lots of buns Smile. Might be easier if trips out are difficult.

TO TAKE DS TO MCDONALDS OFTEN?
TO TAKE DS TO MCDONALDS OFTEN?
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