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 10 year old has been having full size meals for about a year, usually a chicken select meal.

15 year old ds usually has a chicken select meal with double cheeseburger on the side and a milkshake, but he's very thin and healthy.

I don't find McDonalds very filling at all and always fancy more, maybe I'm just greedy but none of us are overweight.

Happy meals became too small for DD at 10. DS 7 still feels full on them.

My 8 year old is happy with a Happy Meal. My 11 year old wants a Big Mac, but without fries.

I often have a happy meal if I have McDonalds

I don't like McD's because I don't find it very filling despite the high-calorie count so I'm a bit agog at all the people who struggle to eat it all! I think my children were around 7 or 8 when they switched to the full meals. They are very active and slim, and we very rarely go to McD's, so I don't think we have a problem.

We don't go that often so when we do we are eating
I have a big Mac, large fries, nine nuggets and an apple pie, maybe a filet o fish on the side.
Dd 17 will have similar.
I regret it for 6 months, then forget and repeat.

My rule is 11 for a full meal. That's when dd1 started having and that's when DD2 will too. I think it's perfectly sufficient.

@LyingWitchInTheWardrobe it’s a boring thread tbh isn’t it so hijacking is fine! I’d rather talk dumplings. The bacon I personally don’t think works, the potato with either fried onion or cream is heaven.

Ignoring the amount of food, aren't all the 7+ year olds embarrassed about getting a happy meal and even more embarrassed and disgusted at the plastic waste junk they get?

And no, I can't really imagine it as a "treat", it's just somewhere with consistent, quick, cheap food when out and about (although happy meals don't really come under that, but a chicken mayo and fries from the saver menu will deliver the same calories at a lower cost)

I'm very excited to try the new Mac Jnr.

My slim but with a big appetite DS stopped having Happy Meals at 7. To him they're more of a snack

6 year old DS has 4 nuggets and a cheeseburger but he doesn't like chips

Well my Dd is tall, skinny, stocky, can see all her ribs, v muscley, studious, and plays all the sports, whilst never being out of the library.
Same as most MN kids right?

My 10 year old would have an adult meal but tends not to be bothered about the fries, so a happy meal wouldn't fill him up

We rarely had McDonald's as kids but when we did I always had a big Mac meal with a milkshake. Can't remember ever having a happy meal. I would have been about 8 I think. Strange really as my mum and dad were quite tight usually which is why it was a massive treat to go there.

My DS13 still chooses a happy meal. Me, 46, also has one :-)

@QuickSloeGin, now that surprises me - I would have thought that bacon would be a delicious flavouring alongside the potatoes but what I might do is make the dumplings vegetarian as you suggest - and fry small cubes of bacon 'on the side' for my meat-loving Mum.

She's Austrian and she adores Farmhouse style food, very heavy and carb-loaded. Her favourite thing is like a rosti/hash brown, it's a simple pancake of potato, onion with a bit of flour. I can't stand them but she's obsessed with them.

However, she does make 'mince and potato' dumplings (Knoedln); which is mashed potato, scoop out onto floured surface in a rectangle shape, add seasoned raw mince with onions and make it like a 'sausage roll' into dumplings then gently boil them. She makes a thick tomato sauce with that.

Also a vegetarian version which I like a lot - same 'mashed potato roll' but cut into slices and fried - served with a thick onion sauce.

I think it's along the same lines as the Russian/Ukraine dumplings. Quite labour-intensive but utterly delicious.

.. and yes, it is a boring (and predictable) thread. No obesity on this thread, no siree... every child sinewy, growing like a weed and has all their own teeth. I like a McD muffin every now and again but as for burgers? Only Wimpy for me!

My 4 year old can barely eat one, he'll definitely still be having them at 8! Kills me wasting £2.79 now let alone a full meal!!

I used to order happy meals as a teen

Everyone is different though - my sister moved on to adult meals from about 9 as she has a bigger appetite.

Neither of us is overweight and when we are kids, McDonald's was a rare treat.

I take my son very occasionally but he's only 5 so definitely still in the happy meal camp! He does usually finish it all plus a fruit bag. Doesn't usually have the chips though as he isn't keen so he has carrots which might be less filling.

I do see a lot of kids in the one we go to with adult meals and large drinks though!

Gosh pages of tiny portions . My Ds has not ate happy meals since he was about 9 . I don’t like McDonald’s so rarely go.

He is low side of healthy weight so can have what he wants on the rare occasions we go.

Last time wason return from late night trip to a&e

Ah mumsnet, home of competitive small portions.

Me and my DS share a happy meal and we still can't finish it, incidentally. Eat less, move more, etc.

I have a MN cliché leggy twiglet of an 8yo (although not tall). He began moving away from Happy Meals at 7.5 although had always polished those off from being a toddler. Multiple food allergies meant that McDonalds was a safe, reliable option that would allow him to continue opening his eyes for the next few days!

I ask him to consider how hungry he is and think about how active he's been. Happy Meal is a lighter option. Chicken wrap for a mid-hungry option. Big Mac or Cheese quarter pounder if he's burned a lot of energy. He can easily demolish a Big Mac meal and polish off my fries. He usually drinks water, and has no interest in things like McFlurries. DS(5) still happy with a Happy Meal.

He can run 5k in 33 minutes so I have no concerns other than keeping up as he's getting uncomfortably close to my maximum pace at parkrun DH is a tall, lean, bottomless pit type, and I've always maintained a healthy size. It's the big picture that matters and we generally eat decently and stop when comfortably full.

@LyingWitchInTheWardrobe ah, Austrian food. I really really struggled when I worked there for a bit! The meats and salt, I was actually dreaming of thin vegetable soup after a few days. We may have different taste buds! I was in a lovely town near the Hungarian border with wonderful hosts but I struggled with the diet.
I went full vegetarian for a bit afterwards

I dunno if it’s bad, but I’ve dreamed with each child they’ll be my beautiful squishy one. They all sadly disappointed me

My kids have never been to McDonalds (wait.. don’t flame me yet) nor asked, but boy have they discovered Five Guys! Now THATS a good burger and worth the treat (as long as no peanut allergy!)