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.

QuickSloeGo, that looks right up my mum's street. I've looked at the recipe and I think, with practice, I could make these as well. I've added that website to my favourites too.

Possibly a daft question but you know where it says about the dumplings being able to be frozen; is that pre-cooking or after you've boiled/fried them?

DD is 9yo and moved on a while ago to 3x chicken selects. She rarely eats all the fries, doesn't really like burgers, but likes a milkshake. TBH although more expensive than a Happy Meal, I don't mind if she eats it. DH and I tend to mop up her chips

We had DD's 9th birthday meal/meet up at McDs before going to the cinema and I asked all the children to choose what they would usually have, whether a Happy Meal or an adult meal. None of it is hugely expensive. Some kids had a Happy Meal, some had saver menu stuff and some had adult meals. A real mix and surprisingly I wouldn't have guessed correctly who was going to choose what.

I like a saver menu combo with a double cheeseburger and fries

DS still has a Mandeville London Paralympics 2012 mascot toy. They're indestructible.

Alice

I'm the other Filet o Fish eater, although I'll have mine with fries and coke zero or a latte. I do like it that they come quite quickly now. You used to have to wait an age and a half for them to appear.

I haven't actually had a McDs for ages as it happens, since before Christmas, as the opportunity hasn't arisen. I don't think I've ever had a beef burger there. It's either nuggets, filet o fish, a wrap (I do want to try the new veggie wrap) or sausage bagel breakfast without cheese. I do eat beef, I just don't like burgers very much.

It would appear that I've replied on the wrong McDs thread

Still buy my 18 year old daughter a happy meal. She doesn't like the 'gunk' on adult burgers. And we still have to scrape off the onions!

@LyingWitchInTheWardrobe pre-cooking, they boil well from frozen

My 6 year old doesn’t even finish a happy meal, two chicken nuggets ave half the chips generally or a whole cheeseburger and no chips. And she has a great appetite!

I was eating happy meals until I was 16/17🙈

Portion sizes are way to big now .

Now I want a Big Mac meal

I stilk eat happy meals, I dont see the need to get a load of rubbish when out. Its more than enough for me. My 6 year old DS gets happy meals, albiet he sometimes finishes my chips. At 8 a happy meal is more than enough, fair enuff if it was all they were eating all day or they were eating it every day then Id worried. Id be more worried about an 8 year old going large with a macdonakds meal cos they are getting about 4 times their recommended salt content even before you start on fat and other nasties.

When we last had my step children my step son was 9.5yo and I brought him a happy meal. It clearly wasn’t enough for him and made a mental note that the next time we go to McDonalds to make sure he has an adults portion.

Isn't it curious that MN kids are "fruit bats", "milk monsters", have huge appetites for olives, hummous, asparagus and such like, yet can not manage more than half a happy meal age 12 because of their tiny appetite.
Quite puzzling

When McDonald’s first opened the size of a burger and fries is now the size of what you get in a happy meal. Shocking I know but maybe some facts you could use if it gets questioned again. Perfectly fine for a 8.5 year old

My 8 year old ds is still ok with a happy meal. My dds were around 10 when they started to have an adult meal. They never go large though.

My 9 and 11 year olds have happy meals although do usually have a McFlurry afterwards!

Well a happy meal burger and chips has 360 calories. And an 8 year old needs 1400. So it is under what I’d expect a kid to eat on a normal day, setting aside that you’d usually eat more as a treat. If I was taking them there I wouldn’t be that fussed about calories tbh. It’s not like it’s a healthy dinner anyway. I don’t think the food is that filling or satisfying to a kid that is just eating meals, not loads of snacks. My DS would eat that and a pudding and not be full. for sure.

My now 9 year old old dd would still have a happy meal but she’d have a snack wrap on top. She’s been having this since she turned 8. She has a big appetite but isn’t a huge fan of chips so works well

Some of these replies are hilarious! My seven children and I usually share half a happy meal every January 1st and that keeps us full all year

my 8 year old DS has an adult meal when we go out to eat to cafes/restaurants ( he normally wants an 8oz steak and chips..but doesn't always get it!) but he can't finish a Macdonalds burger!

Shit
This is very serious.
I hope you also share with your neighbours as that sounds quite indulgent otherwise.

I’m 41 and I still love a chicken nugget happy meal 🙈🙈

Why on earth does it matter to anyone else?

Choose and buy however many Happy Meals you wish for

My 11.5 year old will and can eat a whole 'signature' meal - he will also finish his sister's chips who is nearly 8 as she is an overorderer and every single time eats 4/5 chicken nuggets and 3 chips. Despite this my eldest is very thin under 5 percentile so it's not always the case as PP said that big portions mean big child. I don't think MacDonalds is great though mainly due to the environment so it's not something I'd be happy to admit. I wouldn't expect my children to complain about Happy Meals bought for them by others but neither of them would, my youngest would probably be anxious about not wanting to finish it and what you would think.

I’m a bit confused by the Q - are you asking if it’s unreasonable to buy them just a happy meal or whether their parents are unreasonable for buying more?

My children are 4 & 6 & have been to McDonald’s maybe 4x in their lives so probably not the best person to answer but my son has incredibly healthy taste & will stash a treat given to him in the fridge with his name on for weeks - so when we went last time in the summer & he said he didn’t like the sound of a happy meal and wanted a mcchicken sandwich meal - was I going to refuse on the basis of healthiness?
In fact I do think it’s slightly ridiculous to be comparing the healthiness of a happy meal and a normal meal given how unhealthy they’d be as meals eaten regularly anyway

My 13 & 7 yrs old have happy meals 10 yr old won’t touch McDonald’s! they are very sporty burn loads of calories but wouldn’t eat an adult meal.

My eldest is 10 and she's just started asking to have something different other than a happy meal. But I think it's the variety more than the size that she's after. She likes the wraps and the chicken burgers. I also think she feels she's too old (or too cool) for the toys.

Did the boys you bought for indicate that portion size was the issue or could it have been an 'I'm not a baby' thing?