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?

I ate nowhere near as much as people say they feed their kids on here. And exercised daily. By the time I was a teen I was competing in sport at a county level but still couldn’t shift the weight because my metabolism had already been fucked up, which we now know ultra-processed food can do. Eventually I developed an eating disorder as a result of being overweight (so PPs - you can’t avoid that by having a relaxed attitude to McDonald’s, sorry).

Ahh it's fine, it's once in a blue moon, it won't harm them.

No issue with the squash either, mine have no added sugar squash as i'd rather they drink that than nothing at all which would be the other option!

Well that’s obviously not what I’m saying - but being over anxious about food to the point where you believe that your children will just about explode if they so much look a a McDonald’s sign, is extremely damaging. And don’t think your kids aren’t picking up on it - they are. To dangle the carrot of a McDonald’s treat and giving them boring old banana bread is an anxiety they will pick up on.

Plus if it was the McDs then the weight would be lost when the poster stopped eating it. Its much more likely that the weight gain was a symptom of PCOS.

I really hope people aren’t expressing these opinions in front of their kids about vascular systems and trans fats. I don’t think people really realise how easily eating disorders and food issues can come about. And talking in such scary and negative terms about food is a huge part of that! It’s a big mistake to think your child can’t have an eating disorder if you only feed them healthy food

Nope. A happy meal. And the rest of my diet was all normal food like spag bol, stew, fajitas, chicken curry, etc in appropriate portions - we had child sized plates. I didn’t eat breakfast and had a sandwich, flapjack and apple for lunch.

I didn’t develop PCOS when I was 9 years old. I didn’t even hit puberty for 4-5 years after that. Being overweight as a child is a strong risk factor for PCOS.

Anyway I don’t want to derail the thread with my problems. My point is just that a lot more people are going to post to say it’s harmless and they/their kids are fine than the ones who/whose kids ended up with dental or metabolic problems, and the latter group does exist. So just weigh it up.

Crack on.

I took my two along with my DM as a treat after a show. She was horrified that they shared a nugget happy meal and I…….gasp…….had a Big Mac. They eat healthily most of the time and love going to ‘Old McDonalds’ as an occasional treat.

Im all for teaching them how to eat this stuff as part of their normal diet.

Apple I'm sorry for your experiences but no, your weekly McD's meal did not affect your metabolism, cause obesity or give you PCOS.

The information you are posting here is inaccurate in the extreme.

Ohhh god you will have the "no way only organic for my cherub" gang out soon🙈yes it's fine. I mean probably not every day😂 but every couple of weeks I wouldn't even think twice about it. We have once a week takeaway night that my one year old participates in🙊

@AppleBottomRats don't worry about derailing the thread. I hope you're OK. Sorry to ask but what is PCOS? I've been trying to work out the acronym but can't!

I agree your PCOS will have contributed to weight gain. No way a McDonald’s a week would make you that overweight

Poly-cystic ovary syndrome. Not linked with eating McD's

Polycystic ovary syndrome I think (PCOS)

I do have a 10 year old godson who is overweight. He dad doesn't let him eat hardly anything bad for him. Will often say to him "put that back" etc and force him to go for runs.

When the godson comes to stay with me he eats like a boy possessed. He had an ice cream and then snuck another two into his room and ate them all. Was constantly hiding food up his jumper.

Honestly, I'm sorry for what you've been through but a weekly, normal sized meal at McDonald's is not the reason you've struggled with your weight as a teen and an adult.

Your PCOS is far more likely to be the reason you struggle to lose weight, and honestly, that has nothing to do with a weekly trip to McDonald's as a kid.

Hahahhahahaaa

so happy I never meet people like you in real life.

Also that aside it is annoying that so many people call it Macdonalds - if you think that’s how it’s spelt then you’re pronouncing it wrong too.

@UndertheCedartree Headline of article I’ve attached says it all. “Drinking fruit squash can wear away teeth, says study.” Your personal anecdote simply doesn’t change the overwhelming data. Currently, 23% of five year olds in the UK have tooth decay. It’s both the sugar and the acid in squash that causes issues, so even sugar-free squash will not be enough. It’s still acidic. It’s been made stronger in both those (sugar and acid) categories since you were young, there’s a lowering of the amount of toothbrushing, people are not drinking as much water between drinking squash so the teeth aren’t incidentally “rinsed,”and when it comes to whether an individual will develop tooth decay, there’s also a built-in component - you may simply be born with strong teeth or weak teeth, so you and a friend could both drink the same diluted squash as children and she’d get six carries and you none. Strong teeth can cover a multitude of sins. It doesn’t mean squash doesn’t cause damage, just that you may have been lucky and a majority (according to an actual scientific study) won’t be. Here’s the article on the study:
www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/43167086.amp

@Benji4ever in my area dentists have to see children so ask for a place just for your child. We moved area during lockdown and I don't have a dentist for myself yet either, I've been told 2 years waiting list.
I'm also a shitty single mum and have come to terms with it. Some of us are dealt cards which others never even know exist and we just have to make the best of it. Please don't feel bad about yourself.

That's interesting. I mean I thought sugar free squash wasn't great for my teeth (I drink it pretty weak)
But then I was at the dentist a couple of weeks ago and it was a new hygienist who was brutal quizzing me about drinks/flossing etc and I said no sugar squash and she said ah that's fine no problem

@Mahanii im sure you didn’t mean to say the OP is a shit mum but that’s how I’ve read it?

Stop the squash.

Don't worry about the McD's.

@AppleBottomRats

sounds like your weight gain was hormone related then

due to your pcos rather than the weekly McDonald’s

@LampLighter414

you only ever eat homemade? Really? Are you boring with no life ?