AIBU - Child friendly kids menu...

[Blearymorningeyes]

Is there such a thing as a "child friendly" kids menu? Surely all kids menus are child friendly?!

I invited my SIL to my favourite Mexican restaurant for my birthday. She has 2 DC, ages 4 and 7.

I sent her the kids menu to look at, which has mini versions of Mexican fare such as fajitas, nachos and enchiladas, plus some "plainer" things too, such as chicken breast with mash. She just messaged me saying "Hi Bleary, can we please choose a different restaurant, because the kids menu doesn't really look very child friendly?". I feel sad as I and was so looking forward to going to this particular restaurant for my birthday and I don't see why her kids wouldn't like at least one thing on the menu - it's pretty standard, isn't it?! By "child friendly" does that translate to "It doesn't have sausages/fish fingers and chips"?

AIBU in thinking that my birthday restaurant choice shouldn't be changed because of this?

I hate confrontation... Help!

We had enchiladas last night because of this thread

I have a frustratingly fussy 6 year old, and even she would find something she likes on any kids menu,

I’ve quoted this for ease, (apols for singling you out) but there are multiple posts basically saying ‘all/my children can find something on this/any menu’. I really don’t understand what posts like that are meant to achieve. Is it an inability to comprehend that there may be some kids who can’t? What relevance is it that yours would eat it? Sil has said her dc won’t. Does it mean you think she may be lying? To what end? To cause a fuss? If, as op says they get on well then I’d find it weird she would try to disrupt ops birthday.

Also, from my experience it’s embarrassing to say your kids won’t eat anything. It’s the complete opposite of what most people would like. I’d hazard most would love to be able to take their kids anywhere where they could at least find something they’d eat. Rightly or wrongly it does reflect badly on a parent if their kids are fussy. (as you see on posts on this thread)

And really, if your child could find something to eat on most kids menus then I wouldn’t describe them as particularly fussy. Just normal kids who like most people have likes and dislikes.

I find parents who say their kids wont eat anything are usually the kids that will eat it.Its usually the parents dont like that food,and try and blame the kids.

Tell her there is a children's menu and possibly she missed it. I would not change. If the children are v fussy, perhaps they could eat before they come and then pick off their parents' plate and then have a pudding. They have got to learn they can't dictate and neither can she.

YANBU, it's YOUR birthday. She can suck it up and the kids can have a kids' dish or one of the less spicy items. I mean, I liked it as a child when restaurants had a kids' menu that isn't all beans and chips. It was nice to have something different for a change. Loads of Italian places do mini pasta dishes and stuff.

This thread is hilarious.
Parents of non-fussy children always seem to think that it's down to their superior parenting. It's not. They have been lucky.
My first child was fussy until about 8, my second is ridiculously fussy even at 16 (she is, autistic) and my youngest would eat anything from being about 2. Before then, he would eat nothing.
It is the luck of the draw, but how mn posters enjoy showing off about their 'difficult' children who won't eat chips or kids foods and sneer at children's menus.
In my experience anyway, it doesn't matter how varied a diet you offer, how much you involve your child in cooking or how laid-back you are. If your child is fussy there is not much in reality you can do about it.
OP, as I am sure you already knew, your relative was being rude and has no right to dictate the venue for your birthday. But at least your post has given us 15 pages worth of stealth boasting and not-so-stealth boasting about children who will eat ANYTHING and lots of judginess about children who won't.

@cathf could not agree more!

*In my view a child friendly menu should offer smaller versions of the adult meals.

Not shite consisting of chips, beans, nuggets and sausages. Why should children be offered the same five crap meals when eating out?*

It drives me mad that people can even think there is such a thing as children's food. Food is good and children just eat smaller portions of it. I find it appalling that people only feed children fish fingers chips and beans type foods.

I'm willing to bet most people with fussy children have limited palates themselves and so children are used to blander foods.

Children should be eating a wide variety of normal foods. We all like a treat, it's the point of eating out. I go out to eat things that are better than I cook at home, I wouldn't do that for myself then shove nuggets and chips in front of my children.

Someone in her party is a fussy eater and they need to suck it up for your birthday restaurant choice I say.

You have to ask with parents of fussy eaters how they came to start eating Nutella on toast, fish fingers, waffles, Cheerios, frubes etc in the first place.

You must have given them that crap in the first place for them to think it was a food. If they had oy ever been fed fresh home cooked food from weaning they wouldn't know there was food like junk out there to prefer.

Malbecblooms. A, wide variety of foods you say? What a revelation. I am sure no-one with fussy children ever thought of that.

None of my children ever had bought baby food. Ever.
Still, if it makes you feel superior, carry on thinking it's down to your brilliant parenting

It’s interesting and brave to come onto a parenting forum when you aren’t a parent to ask about your SILs kids and be critical of that SIL in most of your subsequent posts- are you sure she doesn’t use this forum?

It’s a very identifiable post and if I was your SIL I’d be so upset to read this and it would cause havoc in the relationship.

And one last thing, speaking as someone who used to write recipes for a living, I can assure you I do not have a limited palate. What a cheek.

Tell her to leave the kids at home if they can't eat food at a restaurant.

@cathf I wish I could ‘like’ your post.

*You have to ask with parents of fussy eaters how they came to start eating Nutella on toast, fish fingers, waffles, Cheerios, frubes etc in the first place.

You must have given them that crap in the first place for them to think it was a food. If they had oy ever been fed fresh home cooked food from weaning they wouldn't know there was food like junk out there to prefer*.

Agreed how come these "fussy" children never decided they never want home cooked food and not the crap...... don't offer the junk until food habits are firmly established!

Haha limited palate. You’ve got to be on a wind up. We eat varied food at home. All freshly made. In fact my fussy eater only eats my homemade pizza, every night. I make the dough and hidden veg tomato sauce. When he was 1 his favourite meals were fish and spinach pie, chicken liver and mashed root veg and spanish chorizo, butter bean and green pepper stew.

I love fish finger sandwiches.

Me too. Toasted bread, smear of tartare sauce, crunchy lettuce.

Delish.

is she always that off with you op-i thin the reply you gave was great puts the ball in her court

how rude to ask you to rearrange your birthday meal

My extremely fussy eater has never set foot in a fast food restaurant as it happens, won’t eat pizza, chicken nuggets or fish fingers. He has a very small range of food that is acceptable and things disappear off the list overnight without warning. He loves olives, prawns, gnocchi and squid alongside hot dogs, cheese burgers and chips (although he won’t eat chips that look ‘wrong’ in any way). My husband and I eat pretty much everything, love a tasting menu in a posh restaurant, and cook from scratch every day - tonight for dinner we had sweet potato and spinach curry. So go figure, judgey people.

You must have given them that crap in the first place for them to think it was a food. If they had oy ever been fed fresh home cooked food from weaning they wouldn't know there was food like junk out there to prefer.

I'm guessing many parents of fussy eaters get to a point where it's try the junk or the kid will starve maybe?

Still, this thread has been very entertaining and made me glad we didn't get our kids till they were teenagers (and able to live on pizza 🤣)

I know it sounds odd, but when our local pub did grilled chicken, it comes out with black stripes on from the grill. My son will not eat it, with in his words burnt bits on. He will eat grilled chicken at home, but not black bits, he will not eat it at any other places, incase its cooked the same, I know its crazy, it could be similar, is either child autistic, as they like certain foods, if she has looked and found their is nothing her autistic child will eat, might be why she is asking for a more child friendly menu. It could be, if she makes fijits at home, she may be doesn't use something the restaurant does when making them, if one child is autistic, all it could take is for tomato to be in their food and its melt down time.

@Morgysmum the op never mentioned autism.