Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Food/recipes

For related content, visit our food content hub.

How many takeaways a week do your kids have?

104 replies

summersbysea · 03/07/2022 23:16

My ex spoils them rotten each time they visit him. My children are 5 and 7 and now after school keep asking me for takeaways!
They refuse to cook food I've made and will ask for kebabs, chips, Macdonald's blimin big Mac !
He's got them addicted and I feel it will make them really unhealthy.
Right now both aren't overweight but If they carry this on into teens this can't be good for their health and also their wallet.
I have to keep forking out and costs me a fortune.

OP posts:
savehannah · 04/07/2022 11:26

Very rarely maybe once every couple of months.

Hoppinggreen · 04/07/2022 11:26

Probably one every couple of weeks.
We don’t have them often at home but DS likes a Subway or McD if he is out with friends. DD doesn’t eat at either of those places by choice

icelolly12 · 04/07/2022 11:26

It's irrelevant how often other children have takeaways. What's relevant is your ability/willingness to set boundaries.

MiniMoosey · 04/07/2022 11:26

Bettyboop3 · 04/07/2022 11:25

Why?!

Child abuse giving your kid McDonald’s. Honestly. This site gets more and more fucking ridiculous everyday.

diamondpony80 · 04/07/2022 11:27

Once or twice a month we might order in pizza or Chinese. Or go to McDonalds. I have a 7 year old, and I'd struggle to get her to eat real food too if she was getting takeaways all the time. You don't HAVE TO keep forking out for takeaways. Just be the parent and say no!

liveforsummer · 04/07/2022 11:29

Lesserspottedmama · 04/07/2022 11:22

Macdonalds is horrendous, my children (10,7,4,3) have only ever been once - we did drive through - and I was so appalled that we’ve never been again. They honestly found the food bizarre and have never asked to go back. We have fish and chips maybe twice a year.

Appalled and bizarre are strange words to use about a straightforward burger and fries 😆

StClare101 · 04/07/2022 11:31

Probably once a month. Generally it’s fish and chips.

Goldfishmountainclimber · 04/07/2022 11:33

Once a year for a treat

Penfelyn · 04/07/2022 11:35

Fast food ? Virtually never. Maybe a handful of times a year tops when convenience wins out but that's definitely not a "once every..." thing, it's a "we're stuck in the airport and there's nothing else" scenario. Well, we did have fast food last week because my brother was visiting (extremely rare occurrence) and he fancied some but that was the first time in at least six months, possibly more. Though to be fair they're very young still so this may change in the future I suppose. Over my dead body.

You need to be firm and say no. If they won't eat what you serve them, there's nothing else. That's the rule in my house. You don't control what the kids eat but you do control what you offer them. One skipped meal won't hurt them, I promise. Fastfood every day, on the other hand, might.

If school asks (though it's none of their business) why you didn't feed them, say that you did feed them, they refused to eat. What were you supposed to do, stuff it down their throats ? If exH complains takes this opportunity to remind him that regular fastfood is unhealthy and doesn't replace regular parenting.

If the kids make a scene, so what ? Let them. Because right now you're teaching them that with enough whining and making a scene they can get whatever they want and they're in charge, not you.

You need to break this dynamic now.

INeedNewShoes · 04/07/2022 11:42

You've taught your children that if they make a scene, you will give in.

You're making your life so much harder than it needs to be. A few tough weeks of you saying no and sticking to it would be a good investment.

If your kids tell school that they didn't have any dinner because they wanted a take away and you refused and they wouldn't eat the meal you'd prepared, school would not bat an eyelid! This is normal parenting territory - most kids go through a phase of wanting stuff the parent won't give in to.

We don't get takeaways because I can't afford them and because I like cooking. DD has had McDonald's once and fish & chips a few times.

confusedlots · 04/07/2022 11:42

My DD has had McDonald's at a few birthday parties where they've been in soft play places and they bring in McDonald's. So maybe around 4 times. Come to think of it DS has never had a McDonald's, but that will probably change when he starts being asked to parties etc. I've nothing particularly against it every now and then, but we would tend to go to a cafe if we were out and wanted something to eat. Although I do get a craving for KFC about once every 6 months and treat myself to a drive through KFC on my lunch break!

Bakedpotatoesfortea · 04/07/2022 11:48

Depends, during time time once or twice a month, in the school holidays a fair bit more

MrsReeves · 04/07/2022 11:54

liveforsummer · 04/07/2022 11:29

Appalled and bizarre are strange words to use about a straightforward burger and fries 😆

I thought this 🤣 chicken nuggets and chips, what a bizarre meal Confused

daffodilandtulip · 04/07/2022 12:00

We either get a takeaway or eat out once a week (because I'm a single parent and cook meals for work too so I need a break!!). DD and I both hate McDonald's but DS loves it so I'll treat him to one every couple of months. They are teens though. When younger I tended to put them to bed after a normal tea before I would order takeaway.

Fayekrista · 04/07/2022 12:09

Roughly once a month but if in town shopping & fancy a snack we'll get a greggs sausage roll/subway etc
Once a week we have treat night too. Sweets/fizzy/popcorn etc or I'll cook a pizza/hot dogs.

SunThroughTheCloudsAt6am · 04/07/2022 12:09

Once a week we get a takeaway or go to a restaurant. Little one always picks Mcdonalds, older one always picks Sushi. Occasionally I decide I'm picking and we have a pub lunch or Chinese.

I can say that if there was any fuss made about it then there wouldn't be any takeaway though! My rule is always that I will be as reasonable as them - if they stop being reasonable (about anything) then I will also stop being reasonable.

maddiemookins16mum · 04/07/2022 12:26

Garman · 03/07/2022 23:38

Probably once or twice a month. You just say no, if they don't eat the dinner made for them they don't get anything else.

Yeah but it’s MN, they’ll get fruit, yoghurt and toast instead.

GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 04/07/2022 12:29

Kids have this power of the nag and creating a big scene in public when they don't get what they want.

You are the parent. It's up to you to stop this spoilt brat behaviour.

And you need to talk to exDH to get support from him too.

Missing a dinner won't kill them, FGS.

NC12345665 · 04/07/2022 12:39

icelolly12 · 04/07/2022 11:26

It's irrelevant how often other children have takeaways. What's relevant is your ability/willingness to set boundaries.

This. It doesn't matter how often we all feed our children crap, op. It's your inability to put your foot down and actually be a parent that's the issue.

Although something tells me op isn't coming back 🤔

NC12345665 · 04/07/2022 12:44

MrsReeves · 04/07/2022 11:54

I thought this 🤣 chicken nuggets and chips, what a bizarre meal Confused

Perhaps they are from a remote Amazon tribe and just visited a city for the first time. It's a long shot but I could understand why a burger and fries would be bizarre food to them then.

Enko · 04/07/2022 12:57

No dinner? Shock horror. I would instantly get a call from the school and my ex asking me why they weren't fed.
Because they're so used to it they nag and create a scene bawling their eyes out in public if I don't stop in the chippy

They were fed they chose to not eat it

Let them make a scene most onlookers will feel you are doing good in keeping boundaries by saying no to your children.

Seriously take charge "no today is NOT a treat day I have dinner ready"
"I know you want chips but thats not on the menu today"

If dad gets involved simply state I feed them I dont force them to eat that is their choice. and dont engage further

parent your children as you want not as your x wants

Glitterspy · 04/07/2022 13:00

I am of the opinion that feeding them this shit so frequently (which is going to make them fat very fast) is worse than not feeding them until you get home. Let them scream their heads off, it doesn't matter. Feeding them good nutritious food matters. Why do you care more about how you look (with kids screaming) than your children's wellbeing?

Glitterspy · 04/07/2022 13:03

My children have been brought up to believe McDonalds is disgusting, because it is. My DS6 has it maybe once a year. DD9 chooses better and never has it. We occasionally (maybe a few times a year) have fish and chips or Indian with them. We eat at restaurants frequently, they have pizza or pasta generally, we order sides of veg. Having several takeaways a week is not 'spoiling them rotten' OP, it's literally spoiling their growing brains and bodies for real. You need to stop this now and re-educate yourself about food.

NiqueNique · 04/07/2022 13:56

My children were brought up to think that it’s perfectly okay to like McDonald’s, that it’s not ‘disgusting’ (and neither were they for liking it), but that foods like that are best had in moderation within a healthy, balanced approach to food. There’s no need to get fanatical about the evils of a burger and fries and/or turn having a bit of junk food once in a while into some kind of moral issue.

Gracelynn · 04/07/2022 14:04

Four to six times a year, they have the option to have one on their birthday, there is four of them. They sometimes chose to do something else insted, for example sea life center, cinima, trampoline park, having freinds for a party or the beach, its either or though!

but then we may very have occasionally one for another occassion such as my birthday or their Dad's.

Swipe left for the next trending thread