How much of these things do you consider a treat?

[LajesticVantrashell]

Person A has done/given/bought her DC the following this weekend. Person B thinks this is excessive and that they're all treats which should be given rarely and sporadically.

1. McDonald's
2. Soft play
3. Swimming
4. A new book
5. A small bag of jelly sweets
6. A magazine

This is in between an afternoon in the park, a walk up a hill and some down time playing at home.

How often do your DCs do/have the above?

Not*

I have to wonder why Mc Donalds is always heaving and yet so many posters on this thread are saying it's a once in a while treat . Others are expressing a real dislike for it and a sense of disdain.Yet every time I go to McDonald's I have to queue - I take it no mumsnet users are in that waiting line. ??????

@Ladybirdbookworm it is true vast amount of people now are eating way too much fast food, doesn’t mean u should come on here and call us liars just because u are one of them.

It's MN, Lady. They have certain belief that McDonald's is the poison.
I cook meals from scratch everyday. I don't think having it every now and then would hurt our health at all.

I find it odd and defensive why it bothers people who go to McD why others don’t go? Your kids, your decisions.

Other people do loads of things id never do. Wear pjs in public, put pjs on kids after swimming lessons, have kids stay up late. None of it affects me.

Because it smells fake, theschoolonthehill.

As far as I'm concerned anything that costs money outside of the monthly budget is a treat yes. So all of those would be classed as a treat here unless the swimming was actually lessons in which case that's a necessity. If the kids can already swim and have done lessons and it's just a few hours as the local pool then yes I'd consider it a treat. We do have 4 kids between us though so everything costs a lot of money. We still try to do them all regularly but all in one weekend is a lot. Most weekends it's just out for long walks/scoots/bike rides/at the park for exercise and being at home for chill time.

It's not whether people go or not go that bothers people. It's the avalanche of 'I'd never feed my DC that muck' type comments that any mention of McDonalds seems to trigger.

Like I said in a previous post, do you think if the OP had instead said pretty much any other type of eating out, that could be nutritionally similar or worse than McDonalds, do you really think that there would have been so many comments like these?

Meal 1 - 866 cals, 2.4 g salt
Meal 2 - 1076 cals 1.9 g salt
Meal 3 - 700 cals, 2.5 g salt

One of these is a chicken burger and medium fries from McDonalds, one is Wagamama chicken katsu curry and one is a chicken sandwich and bag of crisps from Waitrose. Which is the shit food from McDonalds?

1. McDonald's - occasional treat for long motorway journey/hospital trip - maybe 3 times in a year

1. Soft play - would have gone more often if closer, it's great for

children to move/exercise. In reality we went maybe 5 times in a year and used the park instead.

1. Swimming - as above, it's exercise.

1. A new book - every week, but then we get ours from local charity shops so they are 5 for £1 (Up North)

1. A small bag of jelly sweets - every two weeks/once a month maybe. DS not wildly into sugar though, he'd prefer a little toy.

1. A magazine - once a month max as a reward for good effort with homework - lego ones are a fiver!

I think all of these over one weekend is excessive. The problem is that if these are every days things your 'treats' become ever more expensive.

Being happy with little treats less often makes for greater happiness I think. We take too much for granted otherwise.

@BarbaraofSeville

Exactly that.
Thank heavens for people with common sense!

Second the opinion of daisyjgrey about how insightful BarbaraofSeville is. I cook daily.
I know how much salt or sugar they have in regular recipe. I adjust it myself.
And I really don't think having McDonald's is any worse than having shop bought cup cake.

Yes, I agree with Barbaraofseville too

We don’t go to McDonalds very often because the nearest one is miles away - we don’t have a Burger King/KFC or anything like that nearby either. Tends to be a motorway services thing for us

We get fish and chips from the chippy, the odd ready meal, Chinese/Indian takeaway etc, etc - I don’t think that’s any better or worse than McDonald’s

Life's too short. I'm with A. We have weekends with lots of small trests and weekends without. If we are away on holiday we have as much fun as possible. You never know when you may be hit by a bus, live your life. As long as kids don't expect it and start acting spoilt why not? Nothing better than seeing their wee faces light up. You sound a wee bit mean TBH, sorry.

Personally I dislike McDonalds/Burger King because of how they market ‘happy meals’ for kids. I also don’t like how they market at kids by including a toy/collectible. If my kids want something with a toy, I will buy them a toy or even a kinder egg. I will not dress it up as a meal replacement.

For the same reason I dislike buying kid’s magazines when it is marketed by the free toy on the front instead of the reading/content of the magazine itself.

What others do and why is completely irrelevant to me. My eldest is almost nine and has never eaten in McDonalds etc but has eaten maybe five times from the local fish and chips takeaway and we regularly go out for pizza to a couple of places where we learn how to behave in restaurants and where I can enjoy a glass of wine with my food.

My kids eat plenty of rubbish. I try to reduce their salt and sugar intake but regularly fail.

"We regularly go out to pizza to a couple places where we can learn how to behave in restaurants".

That's actually cringe worthy fake. Why would any parent take their children to Pizza place to let them learn how to behave? It can be anywhere. Local cafe, restaurant in supermarket, restaurant at shopping centre or service station, anywhere which allows kids, to teach them how to behave in public.

God I'd love a sausage and egg McMuffin right now.

McDonalds. Not MacDonalds.

So annoying!

Probably don't know they correct spelling and pronunciation since you all never go there.

We don’t go to a restaurant as part of our normal day. When we go out to eat it’s a big deal. We sit at a table, the kids look at a menu, they order what they like, they learn to wait until the food arrives, they use cutlery, they speak in low voices. A service station stop is not the same thing.

And finally the taste of McDonalds good isn’t good. Personally I don’t like it. As I’m the one paying, where we eat is my decision.

My eldest is almost nine and has never eaten in McDonalds etc but has eaten maybe five times from the local fish and chips takeaway and we regularly go out for pizza to a couple of places where we learn how to behave in restaurants and where I can enjoy a glass of wine with my food. You win the thread!

Does anyone remember McDonalds birthday parties as a kid? I was so jealous of kids who got a McDonalds party. Or a Wimpy party (showing my age).

I would gladly accept except I really don’t care enough where others eat to care. You raise your children your way and I will do the same with mine. But thanks for caring enough to make me the winner. Cheers 🍸

McDonald's should be a treat because of health!

All treats except the book and swimming.
MCDonalds is punishment, not treat.

1. McDonald's - few and far between
2. Soft play - activity depending on funds. I like to do one a week
3. Swimming - again depends on funds would go several times a week if I could afford it.
4. A new book - we have loads of books. We pick them up for pennies at charity shops and go to the local library once a week. So this would be a treat
5. A small bag of jelly sweets - very rare treat I never buy him sweets. He's allowed to pick fruit when we go into a shop. Only gets them off other people
6. A magazine - a treat never bought him one. Would rather not encourage the habit

Please someone tell me what is so bad about McDonalds?