Who would give a two year old a McDonalds?

[Rollcage]

Being a little pressed for time this evening I decided to pop into McDonalds for a quick bite, before dropping my daughter off at the school disco.

Sat in front of us was a perfectly respectable looking young couple - sensibly dressed, speaking well, etc etc. Not chavvy in the slightest you understand, so I was a little at a loss to understand why they chose to feed their young child, who could not have been more than two, a Chicken McNugget Happy Meal, or whatever it is called.

Sat in her little chair, with the contents of Happy Meal box spread out on her little plate in front of her, I could only wonder what on earth possessed her parents to inflict such culinary tat on her at such an early age.

Am I being harsh, or is this the norm these days?

[miniman]

Is it really any different from a kids meal at a Brewer's Fayre or any other generic chain pub?

[adycav]

It's not going to hurt every now and then.

[Penny-lope]

Mt son did not get his first McD's till he was 4....and that was only because his grandparents bought it.

He still only gets one once a month if he's 'lucky' and that is aged 7

[XDA]

I see all the chav families doing it all the time in kfc. Dont think it does much harm?

[Rollcage]

miniman said:

Is it really any different from a kids meal at a Brewer's Fayre or any other generic chain pub?

Probably not, but at two?

Starting a kid on chips and greasy stuff at that age just cant be right, surely?

Not too mention the salt content of their fries I imagine.

[miniman]

Rollcage said:

miniman said:

Is it really any different from a kids meal at a Brewer's Fayre or any other generic chain pub?

Probably not, but at two?

Starting a kid on chips and greasy stuff at that age just cant be right, surely?

Not too mention the salt content of their fries I imagine.

My daughter (two and 2 months) has had plenty of chips, nuggets and so forth. If it was every day, that would be wrong, I agree, but every once in a while, i really don't see the problem.

[joewilliams]

miniman said:

Rollcage said:

miniman said:

Is it really any different from a kids meal at a Brewer's Fayre or any other generic chain pub?

Probably not, but at two?

Starting a kid on chips and greasy stuff at that age just cant be right, surely?

Not too mention the salt content of their fries I imagine.

My daughter (two and 2 months) has had plenty of chips, nuggets and so forth. If it was every day, that would be wrong, I agree, but every once in a while, i really don't see the problem.

Agreed.

My son eats healthily three times a day; the occasional cheeseburger when traveling won't kill him.

[ymwoods]

I think as a once in a blue moon occasion then it is not too bad...of course at two I would not be expecting them to eat all of the Happy meal of course.

It's the same for a two year old as it is for everyone. Having a McDonalds every day is bad but as a once in a blue moon experience it is just part of living a little every so often.

[peterbredde]

Before I had kids I felt pretty much the same way as you do (they are 4 and 3). I still think the food in McDonalds is st. But then it's no worse than the other st you get dropped in front of you in most pub chains. It is no more st than crisps, chocolate, sweets and many of the st-ridden kids cereals you see advertised on TV.

But the reason I take them there is as follows (and you will understand one day). They sit there with their ketchup rubbed into the table. They drop their drink on the floor. They drop chips on the floor. They can make as much mess and noise as they like. They fuss. They cry. They nag me. But, and its a big but, at least they eat all the st. And then, when they have filled their little tummies with st I get up, gather them together, empty the remains of the st into the very large bins and we all walk out with not a moments thought for the poor bd on minimum wage who is about to clean up my lovely family's stinking st-pile mess.

That, my friend is the beauty of McDonalds.

[Slyjoe]

I told my children the burgers were made from worms.... we don't eat there, they don't ask.
They are so easily moulded.

[fido]

XDA said:

I see all the chav families doing it all the time in kfc. Dont think it does much harm?

There is so much contradiction in those statements!
As above, besides from the physical damage, i wonder if gets kids into a bad diet from an early age. I didn't have a Big Mac until i was 14 and even nowadays it's not a particularly attractive meal (though i will eat one now and again).

Edited by fido on Wednesday 23 June 23:19

[Deva Link]

Rollcage said:

I was a little at a loss to understand why they chose to feed their young child, who could not have been more than two, a Chicken McNugget Happy Meal, or whatever it is called.

Next thing you'll be telling us they took her outside...into the sunshine.

[peterbredde]

TVR Moneypit said:

peterbredde said:

Before I had kids I felt pretty much the same way as you do (they are 4 and 3). I still think the food in McDonalds is st. But then it's no worse than the other st you get dropped in front of you in most pub chains. It is no more st than crisps, chocolate, sweets and many of the st-ridden kids cereals you see advertised on TV.

But the reason I take them there is as follows (and you will understand one day). They sit there with their ketchup rubbed into the table. They drop their drink on the floor. They drop chips on the floor. They can make as much mess and noise as they like. They fuss. They cry. They nag me. But, and its a big but, at least they eat all the st. And then, when they have filled their little tummies with st I get up, gather them together, empty the remains of the st into the very large bins and we all walk out with not a moments thought for the poor bd on minimum wage who is about to clean up my lovely family's stinking st-pile mess.

That, my friend is the beauty of McDonalds.

I ain't looking for an argument Pete. Nor am I suggesting how you should bring up your kids. But I hope I never end up like that.

Sorry.

No worries man. My kids have a very varied and healthy diet. We work very hard at making sure that this happens. They get tons of fruit and so on. But, sometimes its just nice to not have try to get them to eat. And it's nice not to ahev to clean the floor, the table and the walls.

McDonalds is just easy.

[El Guapo]

Food at McDonalds may not be haute cuisine, but you make it sound like eating radioactive waste. Perhaps you should pay a little less attention to the twaddle emanating from organisations such as NICE.

[Rollcage]

Deva Link said:

Rollcage said:

I was a little at a loss to understand why they chose to feed their young child, who could not have been more than two, a Chicken McNugget Happy Meal, or whatever it is called.

Next thing you'll be telling us they took her outside...into the sunshine.

Hardly the same thing, is it?



I know many will be saying once in a while wont do any harm, and I would agree to an extent, but I wouldnt dream of giving a child of that age any form of fast food.

My daughter, who is 11, sees a McD as a treat every once in a while. She was pretty scathing about the parents, and it is rare we agree on much these days!

[Deva Link]

Rollcage said:

My daughter, who is 11, sees a McD as a treat every once in a while. She was pretty scathing about the parents,

Buy her a subscription to the Daily Mail for her birthday - plenty in there for her scathe about.

[talkssense]

My son is four. There are plenty of crisps and biscuits in the house which he eats sometimes. There is also loads of fresh fruit and veg and home cooked meals. Given the choice of a meal his two favourites would be a vegetable stir fry or a sausage bap. Given a choice of snacks he would choose either a raw peppers/cucumber, or ice cream.

He has a very balanced and generally healthy diet, but sometimes he asks for a sausage bap, sometimes if really pushed for time we will make him a meal that many might consider junk food, and sometimes we take him to mcd's if we are really pushed for time and he wants or deserves a little treat.

What's the issue occasionally? Neither I or my wife would take him there regularly but he enjoys it, it's easy for us if we really need to get somewhere and are pushed for time, and he does loads of exercise.

The idea that some pompous t**t is stood behind us in the queue the odd time we visit is judging us boils my piss. Personally I'd be more worried about the kids who's parents forbid them from this kind of stuff rather than teach them about balance and moderation.

I have a cousin about 15 years older than me who only allowed his kids to eat "healthy" food". They weren't even allowed to go to other kids birthday partys if they didn't think the food would be up to scratch.

Now aged 18 and 19 they have both moved out of home to go to uni and are HUGE. As soon as they got a bit of freedom they have spent all day everyday eating sweets, pizza, butrgers etc.

I'm not suggesting it's a good idea to take kids there regularly, but I believe that exposing them to all types of food, and educting them, lets them understand that a generally healthy diet and lots of activity allows the odd treat and bit of junk food.

[Rollcage]

Deva Link said:

Rollcage said:

My daughter, who is 11, sees a McD as a treat every once in a while. She was pretty scathing about the parents,

Buy her a subscription to the Daily Mail for her birthday - plenty in there for her scathe about.

Not until she goes to Big School - I'll get one for her next birthday.

[peterbredde]

One other thing to bare in mind with all of this is that McDonalds have taken some pretty heavy bad press over the years and they know damn well that the content of their food is constantly under scrutiny. I suspect that as a result of this the food, and I'm not advocating it here, is probably better than lots of the other nonsense you'd find on supermarket shelves.

You'd have to be a numpty to feed your kids this stuff continually. But now and again 'aint gonna do 'em any harm.