To give my 18 month old Macdonalds?

[Benji4ever]

Twice a month I take my two DS swimming all afternoon. On way home we get a drive through Macdonalds

The 3 year old has a happy meal. The 18 month old has a few of the chips. That's it.

I saw a mum give me one of those looks as I took some chips from the happy meal and gave them to the little one.

Is this awful? Its only twice a month and only a few chips. Also the 18 month old drink diluted squash regularly.

Aibu to think in the grand scheme of things its not that bad?

[Sunnyqueen]

Not to mention the trauma for them of going through extensive, avoidable dental work. When they’re absolutely screaming the house down in a dentist’s chair, as so many children under the age of 10 do, they won’t be saying, “Oh yes, this is worth it because I so enjoy squash.”

Im sorry but how dramatic can you actually be?? 🤣🤦‍♀️

[BigSandyBalls2015]

So much angst to being a parent these days. A maccies twice a month is not going to do them any harm.

Christ knows what things will be like when my early 20s DDs have their kids 🤦‍♀️

[chinuptitsoutonwards]

The most unreasonable thing is only giving her chips.

DD and DS could both demolish a happy meal by that age. Again, probably only once a month or so but food is food at the end of the day. I would happily feed a happy meal than let them go hungry.

Their food is no worse than a good deal of supermarket food. At the end of the day a chicken nugget is a chicken nugget. They do fish fingers which used to be DS' pick of choice.

[Simonjt]

I drank sugared tea in a bottle until I was four, I the drank sugared tea in a cup until I was about 13 and discovered cola, not only did it not kill me (type 1 diabetic), I’m now 34 and I’ve never had a filling, gum disease etc.

A few Mcdonalds are fine, we have them sometimes, they’re great at the moment as its a pokémon happy meal.

[Caspianberg]

We really did is shite growing up In the 80/90s
breakfast: coco pops and pop tarts
lunch: panda pop drink, marmite sandwich, penguin bar, skip crisps
dinner: something that went in microwave, or beige oven food
could go weeks without seeing a fruit or vegetable

Yes healthy food is very important to me now. Yes I’m concerned about my child and family eating unprocessed and healthy food daily. We don’t eat anything like I did as a child.

Im not concerned at all all about a Mac Donald’s or fast food a few times a year. It’s like less than 0.5% of what they eat

Op - maybe drop down to once a month rather than 2.

[Benji4ever]

I'm really worried about the squash now @5YearsLeft I've never taken DS to the dentist as covid was for the first 2 years of his life and now I can't find a single NHS dentist to take any of us. I can't afford private. Now I'm scared of going anyway. God. And he's terrible at brushing his teeth. I mean I make him obviously but he clamps his mouth quite often. Fuck!

[UndertheCedartree]

@GoAround

I don’t see anything wrong with a happy meal on occasion especially if their every day diet is good and varied. I’d never seek out one but we eat there probably every few months when we happen to stop at a services on a long trip. Bit weird that your 18MO only gets a few chips whilst the 3YO gets a full meal though, aren’t they properly hungry after swimming? My 18MO would be raging if we tried to fob him off with only a few chips! There’s zero need for squash though, especially as it’s a salty meal, I’d only give water.

The poster said it is a snack not their dinner. But my DC at 18 months old would never have been able to eat the amount in a Happy Meal even as their dinner. By 3, yes, but not at 18 months old - DC have different appetites, it's not wierd.

[Disneyblueeyes]

I'm laughing at this.

People saying you should never give McDonald's to a 3 year old, never mind 18months old.

Of course you can, they'll be fine. Get a life.

It's not like the oP is giving it for tea every night.

[lemmein]

@WhiskerPatrol

I wouldn't give a dog McDonalds and I wouldn't want to instil a taste for it in toddlers. I'd judge you too.

The hamburger is for my dog!

[Disneyblueeyes]

@Benji4ever

I'm really worried about the squash now @5YearsLeft I've never taken DS to the dentist as covid was for the first 2 years of his life and now I can't find a single NHS dentist to take any of us. I can't afford private. Now I'm scared of going anyway. God. And he's terrible at brushing his teeth. I mean I make him obviously but he clamps his mouth quite often. Fuck!

Don't be. It won't do your child any harm. Ignore the mumsnet parent police.

[Johnnysgirl]

@Benji4ever

I'm really worried about the squash now @5YearsLeft I've never taken DS to the dentist as covid was for the first 2 years of his life and now I can't find a single NHS dentist to take any of us. I can't afford private. Now I'm scared of going anyway. God. And he's terrible at brushing his teeth. I mean I make him obviously but he clamps his mouth quite often. Fuck!

Did it really not occur to you that a 3 year old constantly drinking sugary drinks and not brushing teeth might be storing up dental problems?

[LydiaBennetsUglyBonnet]

@Sunnyqueen

Not to mention the trauma for them of going through extensive, avoidable dental work. When they’re absolutely screaming the house down in a dentist’s chair, as so many children under the age of 10 do, they won’t be saying, “Oh yes, this is worth it because I so enjoy squash.”

Im sorry but how dramatic can you actually be?? 🤣🤦‍♀️

I know 😂

Picturing some sort of demon dentist stabbing a child’s mouth with no anaesthetic 😂 why would a child be screaming?! Not to mention, baby teeth fall out anyone sometimes not until they’re teenagers, no screaming surgery necessary

[LydiaBennetsUglyBonnet]

@Benji4ever

I'm really worried about the squash now @5YearsLeft I've never taken DS to the dentist as covid was for the first 2 years of his life and now I can't find a single NHS dentist to take any of us. I can't afford private. Now I'm scared of going anyway. God. And he's terrible at brushing his teeth. I mean I make him obviously but he clamps his mouth quite often. Fuck!

You don’t pay for children at private dentists - or is that just mine?!

[Disneyblueeyes]

@BigSandyBalls2015

So much angst to being a parent these days. A maccies twice a month is not going to do them any harm.

Christ knows what things will be like when my early 20s DDs have their kids 🤦‍♀️

I know right?

[UndertheCedartree]

@GiltEdges

If DS1 gets hardly any chips then presumably the 18mo is actually getting near enough a full portion then, rather than just a couple…

I’d recommend watching the Chris van Tulleken documentary on ultra processed food and then seriously consider breaking the McDonald’s habit.

Yes, that documentary is eye opening.

[Notplayingball]

@LilacPoppy

Why squash and not water? That's more odd than a few fries.

Why odd??? What a misuse of this word on MN!

It's not healthy, fair enough. Water would be healthier.

[Turtleshell01]

I think it’s nice. A few chips twice a month surely is fine. Also for them to know moderation, is a good thing.

Can’t get worked up about weak squash, not like it’s pop? I don’t think what you’ve described is awful at all.

[VacayingInTheHamptons]

@Benji4ever

@BryceQuinlanTheFirst @VacayingInTheHamptons that's more like it! 👍

😂

But genuinely, if you didn’t ask for total honesty, I would be polite, like in my first post and say I wouldn’t do it, but it’s your choice. And if I see kids eating rubbish food, I don’t really think about it. My kids are teens now and eat rubbish sometimes.

There are real reasons people have poor diets or give this food to their kids, from lack of money or time to not caring, trying to keep them happy or lack of knowledge. We are allowed to make decisions for our children.

I feed my kids vegan food if I cook, their dad gives them non vegan foods if they want it. I’m sure lots of people would judge me, the difference is, I don’t actually care what people think. 😂

[ChocolateTea]

I wouldn’t be able to get worked up about it. My DC had similar, in fact far more McDonald’s than anyone on mumsnet would admit to 😂

but now DC1 won’t touch it and DC2 would prefer elsewhere. They prefer as teens places like wasabi or wagamamas and are both healthy weights/sizes

[roarfeckingroarr]

@Thesearmsofmine as a rare treat yes - 2 or 3 times a year. Not every fortnight.

[LydiaBennetsUglyBonnet]

@Benji4ever

@5YearsLeft woah. You're not messing about. Two very diluted squashes a day = dental work?? Bloody hell. I didn't even know they would do dental work on baby teeth. I mean my 18 month old only has about 3 little teeth. Maybe he'd have more if it wasn't for the squash.

I was surprised too how bad squash is for teeth but TBH I haven’t given my kids it since DD was 3 and DS never had it and they have v healthy teeth. Don’t stress, you don’t know what you don’t know! But you do now!

Also I think what people on MN Miss is that whilst their kids will have great teeth they will be anxiety ridden from their anxious food obsessed parents. I’ve worked with children and the only hard and fast rule I came across on how parents are with their kids is that parents’ anxieties ALWAYS rub off onto kids. So IMO freaking out about squash or salt or choking is far more damaging in the long run than the odd glass of squash.

[Rowen32]

@Benji4ever

I'm really worried about the squash now @5YearsLeft I've never taken DS to the dentist as covid was for the first 2 years of his life and now I can't find a single NHS dentist to take any of us. I can't afford private. Now I'm scared of going anyway. God. And he's terrible at brushing his teeth. I mean I make him obviously but he clamps his mouth quite often. Fuck!

There's no point in worrying, just stop giving it to them and let it go. As far as know squash etc is worse now than it used to be because it's got artifical sweeteners (check the ingredients).
I'd be looking for other things I could give as treats, like there's lovely gingerbread men snacks, that kind of thing. So say today, we're having a little picnic instead of McDonald's so it doesn't become this amazing thing in their minds, it's just another type of food.
I read the whole concept of giving treats isn't great as it makes sweet/'bad' food more desirable whereas its better if children enjoy all types of food and have them all in moderation so they never start seeing certain foods as treats which makes them want them more apparently!

[ChocolateTea]

And to add to that, both of them have water as their preferred drink of choice (DC2 has one fizzy or squash or juice a day with dinner) despite drinking fruit shoots as 4 year olds.

[dolphinsarentcommon]

I'd buy an 18 month a happy meal so long as the rest of their diet was good.

[AppleBottomRats]

There’s a lot of people saying it didn’t do them/their kids any harm. Well, I was brought up in the 90s drinking squash and eating a McDonald’s once a week after my swimming lesson and I think it did do me harm. Even though most of my meals were healthy home cooked food and I was active, I became overweight around 9 years old and I’m pretty sure that’s one of the main reasons I have PCOS as an adult. I’ve struggled with my weight ever since, even though I don’t consume that stuff any more. My teeth are fine though if that’s any reassurance!