Baby eating McDonalds - would you say anything?

[lindseymw]

As others said, it's no one elses business.

We have a takeaway night every week & Joshua eats it with us, always has done since he was 18months+. I'd be pretty pissed off if someone told me off! He's a very active little boy & eats loads of fruit & veg through the week, there isn't an ounce of fat on him! Obesity isn't caused by McDs or takeaway once a week!

 

[OmarsMum]

I wouldn't. At home Omar gets healthy food. When we go out & he asks for a happy meal with nuggets he gets it. He goes off food for weeks, & if it's a happy meal that will make him eat something then he will get one. He only eats 2 nuggets & never showed interest in sandwiches.

He doesn't eat any junk at home or ask for it, the only junk he'd eat is a happy meal. He gets one every 1-2 weeks esp when he goes off food.

 

[vaniilla]

I wouldn't say anything mainly because its got nothing to do with me but also as the parent the choice is theirs and I'm sure they've thought about it before they did it so anything you say will go in one ear and out of the other, I would never dream of giving my child McDonald's but I would never intervene or say anything unless somebody was trying to give it to my child as only then would it concern me.

 

[Foogirl]

Yeah I guess you're right, it's not really my business so I won't say anything. It's just that there's so much obesity in this country and McDonald's is already part of this child's regular routine, not just an occasional thing - I'm a little surprised by the replies, and how most don't see anything wrong. I do wish people would give their little ones a bit of time to decide for themselves whether they want to jump on the fast food/obesity wagon. But to each their own I guess.

Wow, judgemental much?

Fast food from time to time does not cause obesity. If a child eats healthily 80 percent of the time the other 20 percent isn't going to make them overweight. And if they get plenty of exercise, they'll be fine.

Abby doesn't actually like McDonalds. I won't give her the chips because of the salt they put on them, but on the rare occasions she's tried a burger from there she hasn't liked it. Personally I wouldn't give my child McDonalds once a week, but then, we don't eat there once a week either. I couldn't care less what other parents do, nor if they see it as a problem or not.

The UK's problems with obesity have little to do with McDonalds, they are because people don't think they have the time, money or skill to cook healthy meals and children spend less time playing outside and too much time in front of tv and video games. Of course some parents need more education and maybe your "overweight" friend doesn't know much about balanced diets but I will say this, my husband and I are overweight and we know how to feed a child healthily. We are keen not to get Abby into the bad habits we have.

 

[charlotte-xo]

agree with everyone else i really wouldnt say anything as the odd mccy d's isnt going to harm the child. Alfies had a few chips with the salt licked off and hes fine

 

[Scarlett316]

There is an expression that fits quite well here

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone

 

[heather91]

There is an expression that fits quite well here

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone

 

[mummy2lola]

Saying that by giving ur child a few chips and nuggets every now and then is taking away their choice weather they want to be obese or not is ridiculous.I've never heard something so judemental xx

 

[Daisy Delayne]

No, it's none of your business and if I were that mother I'd be really angry for some stranger to question my parenting habits. It's not like she's abusing her child.

If childhood obesity and nutrition is something you feel strongly about then why not get involved with your local school and petition the school board? Or join Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, or start a food revolution of your own? You can become involved in a way that really benefits society by taking up the cause, but certainly not approaching solitary moms and criticising them about how they feed their kids.

Well I just raised $7,000 for Diabetes so I do feel strongly about it. I've researched Diabetes a lot and learned that it is sky-rocketing, and a lot of it is due to people not caring about what goes into their bodies , and eating bad food so casually.

I had no idea I was going to get this reaction! Oh well, a little healthy debate is what these forums are all about I am not saying I know exactly where parents should draw the line when it comes to bad food, that's why I asked the question, just looking for opinions. Thanks to the people who respectfully gave me their opinions in return without jumping down my throat.

 

[angelsmummy]

no i dont see a problem with it either, my sons 3 and daughters nearly 7, and we do go to macdonalds, we used to go every tues, but thats stopped now as both are at school, and we do also have takeaway night once a wk, both my kids are healthy and too skinny for my liking, most def not unhealthy.
if she wants to treat her child once a wk then why not. ive got a family member that do live off take aways and fast food and the have 2 kids, dont think they have once had a proper cooked meal.

 

[tu123]

Nah. Probably best not to say anything. You dont know if her child is a terrible eater or whether they eat healthy all throughout the week. Whatever though, it still is not your place to say anything.

I wont give LO McDs but i wont ban the odd sweat- the meat is just earoles, assoles and noseols

Kids grow up with this stuff around them. If you say no to any "treats" it places negative emotion onto food. That is not healthy.

As people have said McDs is not the only cause of obesity in our society.

Secondly, you can eat Mc Ds regularly and still be skinny. Doesnt mean you are healthy tho. You could still have a higher cholesterol and LDLs in your body, and more than an obese person. So more likely to get heart disease and diabetes. Being skinny does not mean you are healthy and free from disease.

 

[GeorgeyGal]

I wouldnt say anything as it wouldnt be my place, regardless of if I agree with it or not, I think thats the general consensus here. x

 

[Daisy Delayne]

Nah. Probably best not to say anything. You dont know if her child is a terrible eater or whether they eat healthy all throughout the week. Whatever though, it still is not your place to say anything.

I wont give LO McDs but i wont ban the odd sweat- the meat is just earoles, assoles and noseols

Kids grow up with this stuff around them. If you say no to any "treats" it places negative emotion onto food. That is not healthy.

As people have said McDs is not the only cause of obesity in our society.

Secondly, you can eat Mc Ds regularly and still be skinny. Doesnt mean you are healthy tho. You could still have a higher cholesterol and LDLs in your body, and more than an obese person. So more likely to get heart disease and diabetes. Being skinny does not mean you are healthy and free from disease.

Thank you. This is the type of well thought out answer I appreciate, even though you don't agree with me. So many others just got defensive and jumped straight down my throat. Yeesh.

 

[Kittifer]

While I agree that saying anything to her probably isn't a good move - the reaction you've had here I think shows what you could expect - I'm surprised so many people have said they give their kids McD's.
Certainly not judging anyone, it just surprised me. But then, where I live there's no Burger King or KFC (sore about that one, I love KFC).

I feel quite strongly about keeping Xander away from fast food, so I see where you're coming from, but you'll never take down a forest one tree at a time.
I'd be annoyed if someone told me I should be letting my kids have junk food, so I don't see why they wouldn't be annoyed if I said they shouldn't.

I'm pretty sure I just made no sense =)

 

[Daisy Delayne]

While I agree that saying anything to her probably isn't a good move - the reaction you've had here I think shows what you could expect - I'm surprised so many people have said they give their kids McD's.
Certainly not judging anyone, it just surprised me. But then, where I live there's no Burger King or KFC (sore about that one, I love KFC).

I feel quite strongly about keeping Xander away from fast food, so I see where you're coming from, but you'll never take down a forest one tree at a time.
I'd be annoyed if someone told me I should be letting my kids have junk food, so I don't see why they wouldn't be annoyed if I said they shouldn't.

I'm pretty sure I just made no sense =)

Makes perfect sense, thanks

 

[HellBunny]

No i wouldn't its none of my business. the LO is 20 months old, not 2 months old, and whilst it isn't the healthiest thing, its not like shes giving her a bottle of whiskey on the way home. You could always show/tell her about certain places in the city which do healthier alternatives, say " oh by the way, have you been to X, it has some amazing delicious food"!

 

[Daisy Delayne]

No i wouldn't its none of my business. the LO is 20 months old, not 2 months old, and whilst it isn't the healthiest thing, its not like shes giving her a bottle of whiskey on the way home. You could always show/tell her about certain places in the city which do healthier alternatives, say " oh by the way, have you been to X, it has some amazing delicious food"!

That's actually a good idea, to slip it into the conversation and who knows, maybe she'll try healthy food and realize it even tastes way better!

And for the people saying I have no right to judge a stranger, when I say 'co-worker' she is also my friend, it's a very small staff in a small town. She eats terribly and doesn't seem to think much of it and it really is just concern on my part, not me trying to be a know-it-all judgmental cow as some have implied.

 

[Lara310809]

Once a week? I don't see anything wrong with that. We go to McDonalds about the same amount and I "share it with my daughter" (16 months old, so younger than the toddler in question). But when I say I share it with her, I give her a couple of chips and perhaps the tomato from my burger. It's not a substitute for her proper meal and I don't treat it as that.

TBH you don't know the ins and outs of the situation, and it's not your child, so I don't believe it's your business. You don't know the quality of food she gets most of the time, but even if you did, I don't think it would be your place to say anything

I'm not saying you're judging, but you're kind of assuming that's what she gets all the time, and it may not be the case. In regards to people that properly judge you for what you feed your child; my OH and I went to McDonalds when my daughter must have been about 11 months old. She was sat with us, eating apple slices, while we had regular McDonalds meals. We got such a glare and tuts off people passing by, I assume for "feeding our daughter crap", but had they bothered to look properly they would have seen that we were giving her apple.

 

[special_kala]

i wouldnt say anything. the child is 20 months so its not like shes pureeing it up for a 4month old

 

[Daisy Delayne]

Once a week? I don't see anything wrong with that. We go to McDonalds about the same amount and I "share it with my daughter" (16 months old, so younger than the toddler in question). But when I say I share it with her, I give her a couple of chips and perhaps the tomato from my burger. It's not a substitute for her proper meal and I don't treat it as that.

TBH you don't know the ins and outs of the situation, and it's not your child, so I don't believe it's your business. You don't know the quality of food she gets most of the time, but even if you did, I don't think it would be your place to say anything

I'm not saying you're judging, but you're kind of assuming that's what she gets all the time, and it may not be the case. In regards to people that properly judge you for what you feed your child; my OH and I went to McDonalds when my daughter must have been about 11 months old. She was sat with us, eating apple slices, while we had regular McDonalds meals. We got such a glare and tuts off people passing by, I assume for "feeding our daughter crap", but had they bothered to look properly they would have seen that we were giving her apple.

Yeah I know what you mean about people being overly-judgmental although in my co-worker's case it is a meal she's eating and not just bits of things as a treat... I said they 'share' because her daughter's too little to have a full meal all to herself. I never thought of myself as the judgemental type, but maybe I am being a little judgmental, I don't know. Maybe it's because I saw Supersize Me not too long ago - I can never eat McDonald's ever again after watching that. But anyway, I am DEFINITELY not bringing it up with my co-worker, someone who can physically reach me, after reading the reactions on here My personal opinion is still that regular junk food is terrible for children, but I guess I'll just feed my own kids accordingly when I have my own, and teach them about health. Maybe all judgmental people start out with good intentions like I have, and then it snowballs into something that will be taken badly, so I'll just keep my trap shut on this one even though I still believe 100% in my opinion.