do you (and how often) let your los eat takeaways?

[Aishi]

Ds is 3y7mo and dd is 2yo....would you let them have mcdonalds, dixys, kfc etc??? or is that a big no no   

I let them have dixys (chicken wings and chips) or mcdonalds (fish burger) once a month as a treat...but dh thinks its ok for once a week  if i allow it (lol) it would mean dh takes both kids out sat morning after breakfast and brings back after lunch...thats three hours of me time  but i dont want to do it if its really unhealthy...

Wdyt ladies?

Tia xx

[barbaraz78]

I am quite relaxed with eating, and I don't think it is very unhealthy, tbh. Once a week is quite often, but it is not every day, and if they have a generally healthy eating it won't impact too much, at least this is what i think. And your kids will remember this daddy's time also because they were allowed to eat something different that was a treat for them. And the social part of eating, according to me, is somehow even more important than eating, as it helps to create a good feeling about eating, that is in our society, also a social experience. I would try to vary the place, if possible, so not every week in McDonalds.

[Haribo2012]

My LO is 20 months and although we don't do takeaway lots he's had a couple of mac dees....I think if I were u I'd compromise and do fortnightly then u get a nice long morning to yourself ;-) 

Plus mac dees u can have fruit instead of fries x

[Roseii]

For me once a week would be too much, but we do allow a Maccy Ds or more often a pizza take away every so often, and occasionally a Chinese but they prefer the former. I never had anything like that as a child so maybe that's why I allow it lol! I think I'd be v tempted to let my DH take them out every Sat morning for 3 hours tho

[~Karen~]

My dh is the same!  Although if he took them out for 3 hours and left me at home they can eat anything they want!  I try and do McDonalds maybe once a month and we probably have Dominoes once a month.  If dh had them more often then I'm sure it'd be a lot more than that! 

[Buttonbobs]

Personally for me that is too much, but it has to be right for you. I can understand the allure of 3 hours me time, if you are concerned could he take them to a 'healthier' eating place. Near us we have a couple of restaurants that have really good value children's menus which are nice and healthy (noodles and veggies etc or wraps with chicken and salad), but they can also have side orders like chips if they want.

Nice thought of DH though

[Aishi]

Thanks ladies for your input! my inclination is that its too much but im tempted by the free time lol. I think once a fortnight could be a compromise i can.live with. They have a healthy varied diet and chocolate only once a week so i dont think its too bad...

We struggle for places to eat out in cos ds is very fussy and the meat has to be halal so were a bit limited there....

[Mashi]

We don't get takeaways/delivery/fast food for meals through the week, about once a month DH and I will order in Chinese or pizza for us after DS has gone to bed (DS wouldn't touch it anyway!) and for meals I don't buy frozen foods or things like chicken nuggets for meals, I make them homemade for him when we are having them.  So fast food like McDonald's is reserved for times when we are out and plan to be home for lunch but then something goes wrong or plans change last minute and DS starts moaning that he is hungry and anything else would be ages.  So maybe once every 2-3 months? Or it might end up being twice in a 3-week period but then would not happen again for 4 months...kwim?   But tbh DS doesn't really like McDonald's that much, he begs to go but it's because he wants the toy from the happy meal.     He will only eat nuggets, not burgers, and if he eats two full chicken nuggets then I have to say that DH and I are very happy.  Maybe 10 french fries and he always chooses a bottle of organic milk for his drink.

BUT my DH does love to go to McDonald's for breakfast, DS has always eaten by the time he/we get there and so he has pancakes and milk.  Or a toasted English muffin with jam. 

My DH takes DS out regularly on a weekend morning (usually swimming) to give me some time -- usually it is time to clean the house or it is when I am getting groceries and they don't want to come, but it is also good for them to have time alone and not have me there nagging about everything.  And he almost always stops at Subway for lunch on the way home. It's part of their thing, DS loves it (doesn't eat much of his sandwich, he is SO fussy) but he loves the ritual and routine of it, the time spent together, the fun they have, the fact that he feels they are doing something really special and a big sneaky, because if I was with them and DH asked if I wanted to stop at subway I would say no, insist that we either go to a real restaurant or go home and not spend the money....so they only get to do this because they are alone, kwim, and it is all really a bonding thing for the two of them.  If it was McDonald's and not Subway and it was EVERY week I would ask DH to try to find some alternatives for now and again but I'd also leave it to him to make the final decision....but I do also know that my DH would take that on board what I have said.

My DH does also always take a lunch box when he goes out with DS.  It's habit, we try to take one any time we are going out at all (to avoid random stops for lunch when we don't want to!) with cut up fruit, a banana, a sandwich, crackers, carrot sticks, tomatoes, etc etc. 

[barbaraz78]

Does your DS like pizza? As your dh can alternate pizza, some places where he can have a toast or sandwich, and mc donalds. It has not to be every week mc donalds. I don't know, my perception of food is a little different (maybe because I'm from a country in which enjoying eating is very important ) and I remember that when I was a child (older, but maybe 6 or so) it was very common for families going out on Sat night and have pizza every Saturday. It was a great way to bond and to have family time. And, while I am not a fan of mcdonalds myself (I have to say that we brought ds to mc donalds maybe twice in his life, just because we are not used to it) for me pizza is actually healthier, if compared to mc donalds, and we eat it quite often. If your ds likes it it can be a good alternative.

[michaeljacknnugg]

We have never taken DS to McDonalds! I don't eat there, haven't for many years - part of it is that they don't cater for veggies. The other part is that I think they try too hard to emphasize their 'healthiness' or 'goodness' in their ads, I just don't buy it. Protesting too hard and all that.

Our going out treat is generally pizza, but if your DH wants to take them out why not a nice cafe for tea and buns?

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

The only fast food we have here is Subway, which we have once every week or so because it is owned by family so we get a discount...otherwise we really cant afford eating out so maybe once a month after gymmastics (in another town which actually has McD's, A & W, & DQ) we get fast food for supper.  But if we coupd afford it and it meant time to myself I would so pack them off with dh every week! Growing up we did "junk food" saturdays - not fast food per se but unhealthy at any rate - the rest of the week was home cooked meals and fruit/veg for snacks so it balanced out.

[creations]

Never taken DS to Mc Ds or KFC and I don't know what dixys is.
For me once per week at Mc Ds would be way too much, it's habit setting and I wouldn't want that.  However we do let DS eat out and have done since young, he ate roast dinner in a restaurant at about 6 months (where I took salt free steamed veggies for him then added a little of what the restaurant served to his plate).  We sometimes have a Chinese or Indian take away to eat at home and DS will have some, and we have been to various restaurants and cafes, I order whatever the healthiest thing is, which is sometimes only crumpet and butter but oh well.  I'll also buy him something fresh from the bakery now and again a cheese and onion pasty or a cheese twist or a share and tear or something.  He's also had sausage rolls from the bakery which I'm sure are not very healthy but all of these things don't add up to once per week.
Like pps I agree the bonding time is well worth it - just wonder if there are any cafes or bakery where DH can take them rather than McD every week?
My DS absolutely loves eating out even if it's a sandwich in the supermarket cafe!

[lilybug25]

As a family we have pizza once a month and KFC once a month, DD1 might get Mc D's once every 2 months, DD2 less then that. We do a subway lunch maybe 2x a month but more like once a month. With my girls food allergies take out and ordering in isn't the best or safest choice. Plus DD2 doesn't like processed  food; 90% of what she eats is homemade so things like "heat up at home" chicken nuggets and French fries she wont touch. Restaurants are maybe 2x a year if that.
Dh and I eat way too much fast food/take outs but thats after the girls are in bed asleep and another topic

[shivi]

We eat KFC or Mc D or pizza or other takeaways (most common here are pierogi LOL) maybe 8-10 times a year.
Not habit-forming here. All the kids care about really is the toy. They don't crave the food at all - crave a home roast much more! Or wraps with homemade guacamole, onions, peppers, tomatoes, coriander, sour cream and chicken! These are their fave foods.
Main reason we eat fastfood is when we are way late coming home because of work/weather/afterschool activities that have caused us to run way late without expecting it. Its never really a "planned" treat but it does end up being probably more often than I would like it to be - around once every 6 weeks during term time plus once or twice over all the school hols together while travelling or such. So yep, 8-10 times it is. Seems a lot when I look at it this way but

DH and Ozi do coffee/hot choc in the mornings before footie on a Sat - its their bonding time.

I would say once a week is a lot....but once a week me time seems really nice!

[Mashi]

Not habit-forming here. All the kids care about really is the toy.

Same here!!  The toy is the only reason he wants to go.

We have travelled a lot in the past 18 months -- 3 trips of 3000+kms through 4 or more countries in Europe and there are times when we get off of the highway and go into a city for a restaurant and there are times when we pull over for fast food, or times when we have grabbed whatever is for sale in the petrol station. Sometimes you just do what you do.  If we are in a nice restaurant it doesn't guarantee DS will eat anything healthier anyway and he would rather eat at home.