To get an 8.5 yr old a happy meal?

[QuickSloeGo]

Obviously irrelevant if you don’t eat McDonald’s...

Twice recently I’ve had friends kids out and about and for ease I’ve resorted to McDonald’s. Not the days main meal.

I still buy my 8 yr old a happy meal, even I rarely buy an adult full meal unless I’m starving or I’ve eaten little else. For lunch I’ll happily get a wrap.

Both times his friends have been incredulous at the happy meal, I’ve bought them full meals and their parents have confirmed they always have a full meal. One laughed and said she lets him make it large.

I will always follow rules for other people’s kids, but am I out of step with 8 yr old boy portions? It seems plenty to me for lunch. He doesn’t complain, his 6 yr old sister doesn’t finish them. They are slim but a healthy slim and full of energy. I’m a very normal about 22ish bmi so mid range healthy and I don’t diet.

My small, slim 8 year old eats an adult meal. It's not her standard portion size but she does love a McDonald's and as it's a treat i get her the adult meal.

I normally ask her friends the same age what they would like and check if happy meal or not.

Why would anyone feed their children the muck from McDonalds? Full of all sorts of rubbish - same with KFC.

Sometimes we deviate from homemade quinoa salad and sundried tomatoes and glasses of organic milk and let them have a range of different things?
As in it's a much more healthy attitude to learn everything in moderation and not see food as "bad"
Mine have bags of carrot sticks when they go weirdos and always choose the organic bottles of milk to drink by choice themselves so it's not all OMG yak even though it's not yak in the first place

Ds only has McDonald's a couple times a year as their fries are shit
He's 7 and I've offered to take him tomorrow as it's been shit week and he seems to think LEGO movie toys are in. he will have a happy meal of nuggets chips and milk. His 2yo brother would have fish fingers and I'd share his chips

@LyingWitchInTheWardrobe if you are in a city explore the local Eastern European shops now you know what to ask for. They are hard work. Tbh I buy a lot of mine from a local women who’ll cook to order nowadays. Perogi/ Perohyi are potato and good, but beware of some weird ones! I saw cherry and cottage cheese once

My DS has only just stopped having Happy Meal aged 11. Sometimes I have one too.

I do t think there's a need for anyone to have more chips than the small portion in the Happy Meal, nor a bigger drink a both the fries and drinks in other meals seem ridiculous. A Happy a Meal burger is pete try small, but okay id say.

If I were to order from the adult menu for myself or DS or DH we might have a wrap or bigger burger but would all have a small drink (same as Happy Meal) and small fries.

Some kids feel it's beneath them to have Happy Meal regardless of the food itself. Others still like the toy.

Whatever is right for your children - mine did stop having happy meals at probably 5 years old, but I've always given largeish portions of food .. my SIL used to feed my kids and hers the tiniest portions of food even at age 10 and I used to have to feed mine again when they got home - everyone's different

My kids (7 & 4) have a BK happy meal (no McDonalds in our country!) at least once a week.

Generally they'll both eat a burger meal or a nuggets meal but will leave some fries mainly because they don't really like them. It does fill them up, they don't have particularly big appetites really but it depends on how much I've starved them and how much sport they've been doing.

I miss McDonald's. Last time I was back in the UK, one of my happiest memories was stopping at Fleet services on the M3 absolutely hungover to shit after a wedding with my SIL and smashing an extra large Big Mac Meal with a chocolate milkshake and apple pie. I was so happy.

My dd is 21 and I'm 49 and we had a happy meal each last time we were at McD's

Totally depends on the child. Ds is like me and can eat like a horse and stay like a pencil. He ate adult mcdonalds meals from about 8 (rarely, as a treat of course!) He will out eat me quite regularly at home.

Husband just looks at a McDonald's and put a on weight.

For a 9th party every child had a large meal and said that was standard practice when they went there.

If your child is happy with a smaller meal, keep them with a smaller meal though, why change if it's not an issue.

QuickSloeGin, I know Perogi and think I might have a try at making the meat dumplings - also the bacon, potato and fried onion ones. My mum would love these, and I know I would. Baltic/Ukraine cuisine is unlike any other but yet so comparable as every country seems to have their own special variation of it.

Thanks so much for the info, the recipe list is also quite staggering.

... and sorry for hijacking your McD thread...

it in moderation.i was waiting for the "no wonder we have obesity problem" comment.no ffs you can go mcdonalds and have full meal without becoming overweight.

again for us like pp it was more of a treat or every now and then.or holiday and service station lookout food of course!the elation of those arches and not horrid burger king was intense in those car journeys...

my sisters bf skips the chip and has 2 big macs.

still fanta all the way though people

Yes this gas happened to me 3 times over the last couple of years with oldest ds's friends. He is 10 now and still gets a happy meal or just some chips but they want bug mac meals with a milk shake or whatever the latest limited addition meal is. I find it strange.

My stepdaughter loves a happy meal. She is occasionally allowed to have this as a treat for her birthday or other special occasion. I don’t want her getting fat.
When we are at a restaurant or pub we always order from the adult menu but ask politely for a child portion. There is nothing wrong with a five year old child ordering a so called inappropriate meal. Again this is about looking at the bigger picture here.
Today we went to Creams for lunch. My 2 year old girl and boy ate some of my cake. My 5 year old step child had a hot drink.

My dd doesn’t eat chips. When she was 7 1/2 or so she progressed from the 4 nuggets plus fruit bag to 6 nuggets. She’s 10. To fill her up now she needs 3 chicken selects or 9 nuggets. Some of the time I will buy her pudding on top. But that plus a McFlurry really is a lot and she then probably wouldn’t eat all the chicken to save some space. Also depends which meal. She doesn’t eat much at lunchtime.

It does depend on the child. My 9 year old always has chicken nugget happy meal. He could eat a lot more than 4 nuggets and chips. He's always still hungry. Dd is 7 and has the same meal but always has loads of chips left

DrogosNextWife
Surely you can’t expect all of his friends to eat a happy meal now at 10. Some children eat adult portions at this age. Appetite is a very individual thing. And I’m not talking about children, who are overweight. My dds friend is tiny. The same size as dd was at 7 - and eating 4 nuggets and a fruit bag. Her mother is not much taller than my dd. She serves my dd the tiniest portions. I then need to feed her again.

My DS is 5 and won't have a happy meal but that's because he doesn't like the contents. He likes burgers with bacon in. So I buy him a full meal and eats a third of it and leaves the rest. Drives me up the wall.

My seven year old is happy with a happy meal, he’s tall and ridiculously skinny. He likes the new miniflurries too, as apparently they’re just right.

The older two like to pick and choose. The 11 year old likes a chicken legend, the 16 year old prefers a wrap.

Frankly, they’re all wrong, as a coffee and a bagel first thing when it’s quiet is a thing of perfection. :o

I think dd1 was around 11, mind she doesn't eat all the chips. DS just 11 will be a happy meal for a long time yet as he only eats fish fingers and drinks milk.

Mummyoflittledragon she can if shes paying for it.

Mumshappy
So you’re saying it’s ok to leave a child hungry. Pretty miserable for the child. Better to take a packed lunch or feed them at home if money is the issue.

Our usual order -H medium quarter pounder with Diet Coke
Me- wrap
8yr- happy meal - plain cheese burger fries and milk
4yr old plain cheeseburger, carrot and milk as he won’t eat chips.
Am losing no sleep over this

Mummyoflittledragon they are 8 year olds and its not a main meal.

My 14 year olds had a double cheeseburger meal since about 11. My nine year old is happy with a happy meal still and I often just have a cheeseburger happy meal.