To take DD 5 to McDonald's every other weekend?

[quincyquince]

She's gluten free, so has a portion of small chips and either a small mcflurry or orange juice or sauce with the chips.

We go after swimming.

This is ok, right? My friend thinks it's awful that she goes twice a month. But it's not like she's having the processed bread and cheese and stuff all the time?

For a child that can’t eat gluten?

Oops. That should have been quorn burgers!

I think OP should mix it up, to me it's more about making MDs the norm.

😂I did think I don’t remember the quote burger.

my last time in a wimpy was about 15 years ago in Taunton. I don’t know if it’s still there but they still served lime milkshakes. Delicious.

Would you like to educate us on what is considered better?

Child goes swimming, has a carby snack afterwards. Not terrible.

My kid can choose what her snack is after swimming. Some weeks she wants a pack of pom bears, some weeks she wants apple, sometimes banana (which I've seen MN say is as bad as a mars bar), sometimes cheese. Always a little smoothie.

The other kids all go to the cafe afterwards and have a cake or a cookie with a fruit shoot. She never wants to. She would choose fruit over cake/cookie 99% of the time.

Two weeks running she's wanted pom bears. I must be setting her up for terrible habits.

I wouldn’t personally give my children chips or ice cream, but I accept that I’m probably the unusual one, and I think it’s odd for your friend to comment.

Why not?

It’s the marketing of it as a ‘treat’ which I don’t agree with, as so many people have done here. I would say a steak is a treat, thats both delicious and nutritious. Same price.

Where are you getting decent steak for the same price as a small McDonalds fries?

Not unusual @Glovescarf

Heres a list of post swim snacks OP
Unless dd is doing several mega sessions a day she won’t need the meal, but I’ve included it anyway.

So you could mix it up a bit OP, if you like.

I would just prefer to give them healthier options whilst I’m in control of what they eat. I accept that they will eat this stuff as they get older, though.

That’s true @IpsyUpsyDaisyDoos. I was more thinking it’s the same price as the whole meal.

I just find it an interesting way of doing things as my parents were like this, I went totally off the rails with my diet as soon as I had my own access to money.

Where are you buying steaks for £2?

@arethereanyleftatall I was hoping you'd let me in on a secret for good steak on the cheap!

I was recently told I was giving my 2 year old a horrendous diet because I give him alpha bites cereal (with coconut blossom instead of sugar), fruit and yoghurt for breakfast... Some people are always going to have something negative to say 🤷🏻‍♀️ just got to have confidence in your decisions and let it go in one ear and out the other

This unlocked a really happy memory for me that I haven't thought of in years! Thank you for sharing.

I used to do an instrument lesson and then about an hour later a choir lesson on Saturdays. My old dad used to take me and get me a portion of chips from the leisure centre during the wait, and we'd eat them in this cool big stairwell. Best part of the week 😊

I suspect there is very little potato in McDonald's chips but we eat them still 😋

I’m so sorry you have such a joy sucker as a friend. Well done for being a great mum and having a clearly considered diet for your daughter while making great memories of swimming and fun snacks. My DD went through a stage of sometimes having those Nutella dip pots with biscuit sticks after swimming. Guarantee that was full of eleventy billion more additives and crap than your chips and McFlurry but it was once in a blue moon and she was so excited.
Some people are dicks! Please carry on your lovely times treating your daughter.

We personally used to have McDonalds as a treat v occasionally eg I had a birthday party there - but now I’m a total slob by Mumsnet standards and this moderation didn’t do me much good! So I don’t see the issue. Every other week for a tiny portion of fried potato with some salt and an icecream with a scattering of chocolate etc after exercise is hardly going to ruin her attitude towards food, imo.

I probably wouldn’t take mine there more than once every few months as I just don’t think it’s filling - and it’s hard to get veg there. (I appreciate a meal/snack void of veg is fine sometimes when the rest of their diet is balanced.) But it’s great she likes a salad. Mine are too young to appreciate a salad much so still at the age when I’m trying to get as many vegetables into them as possible. But mine love Nando’s, Wagamama, Franco Manca etc occasionally where I’m pretty happy with the kids’ menus and they seem full afterwards.

Yes, that’s something I’m really conscious of. I never talk about good or bad food, or make a big deal of things. My eldest is at the age where he will go to birthday parties and be given chips and nuggets, and I know that I just have to let him get on with it. But I’m still never going to make it at home!

Some people do some don’t.
This ‘idea’ is not set in stone.

None of my three have gone off the rails and in fact one sent me a pic today of sushi that he made ( special kits at Lidl )
They all ( three now adult sons ) hate crappy burger bars.

I didn’t drum it down their throats though. Who needs to discuss it We just never went. No big deal.

@faerietales
these threads always go the same way. The op asks for ALL opinions. Most think it’s fine. Some don’t think it’s fine. Then the most round on the some hurling various insults in their direction, making stuff up about kale and lentils etc. I’m never sure why - guilt? Don’t know. When the reality is that there’s quite a large gap in between giving a 5 year old a mcds every fortnight, and never ever allowing them a single bit of junk ever. Which absolutely no one here has said. They have simply said they wouldn’t give it every fortnight because it then becomes a habit.

They’ve never even had an ice cream at the park or on a day out? Really?

It was KFC after swimming for us. We're a pretty healthy eating household generally. All things in moderation (including moderation).