Do parents let their kids eat fast food?

[Anonymous]

It becomes very, very hard to avoid as the kids get older. We certainly don't eat it often, but here's a typical Monday:

Pick kids up from extended day by 6. Get food into them quickly so that we can get to soccer pactice by 6:30. Get enough food in them so they can play, but not so much they throw up. Practice ends at 7:30. Kids are famished. We need to feed them quickly and get them to bed.

It's tough.

We have more money than most, and that helps us avoid fast food (other "fast" options are more expensive). I try to avoid it, but banning it would be completely not worth it. It would make us all crazy, and ultimately mean our lives were smaller. Sometimes, unexpected opportunities come up that are fun. Sometimes, they interfere with preparing a decent dinner. Saying "never" regarding child rearing is just asking for trouble.

I'm glad your mom was so skilled, 21:13 One of our challenges is that the kid's activities seem to be exactly at the time one would cook a decent dinner.

[Anonymous]

6 and 4 year old. The 6 year old has been once, and got sick.

I am sure as they get older, it will become somewhat of a norm, but it won't be instigated by the parents.

And, both kids already understand (to the extent they can) why we don't go to places like that, but I also don't begrudge anyone who does...I love the fries too!

[Anonymous]

I have a general no fast food policy and with preschoolers it hasn't been hard to stick to keeping.

It would be great to be an avid cook, go all organic, and only eat the most healthy possible but that is not us I'm an average cook, challenged at domestic planning (which i think you have to be good at to not spend overspend on organic produce that will only go bad in the fridge) and we have limited time. We'll do baked chicken nuggets, frozen ravioli (ricotta cheese), deli turkey and ham, etc When we eat out we'll do pizza, Italian places, Chicken Out, Moby Dick, a crepe place, or a sit down restaurant. If you are out in the suburbs there are so many options that you can grab something quick without going to McDonalds or Taco Bell. It probably isn't as cheap though.

The problem with fast food is that it is so over the top in the amount of sodium, fat, and sugar compared to almost anything else. It just seems much worse than just empty calories. I have no problem with my kids having a cookie, ice cream or cupcake every once in a while but these things aren't the entire meal, you know. I think some people get addicted to fast food. I do have relatives who take their kids to get fast food. One who does it occasionally and one who does it often, both sets of kids ask for it whenever they see the restaurant. I'd just rather not get the kids into it when they don't need to.

[Anonymous]

When you are in the midst of a 10-hour drive, it is close to dinnertime, your child needs to go potty NOW, it is 10 degrees outside, your children are cranky from being in their carseats all day, and you are in remote area (i.e., no Wegman's with a play area nearby). Trust me -- a McDonalds with a playland looks pretty inviting. This coming from one of the moms who loves to cook, belongs to a CSA, etc.

[Anonymous]

Ah, I love these threads where the OP 'asks' a question and the supporters pile on with smugness.

OP, are you going to let your child watch 10 hours of TV a day? Are you going to let him or her eat candy for breakfast? If not, how are you going to stop them? I'm guessing by making choices, gauging their level of importance to you and figuring out how to enforce them.

[Anonymous]

It is certainly possible to keep kids away from fast food for a while, while they are petty much in a vacuum. But as soon as they get old enough, they are going to have friends who eat it, and then the pressure starts.

In our family, we almost never eat out at all, fast food or not. But I have to be realistic about the kids' desires, so moderation is the goal. Fast food as an occasional treat is not going to impact their health.

[Anonymous]

what is a CSA?

Thanks

[Anonymous]

I view fast food as a part of what I'm trying to teach my kids about balance in their lives: It's junk. But a LITTLE junk is OK now and then.

I want my kids to be as healthy as possible, ( I buy organic milk, try to serve nutritious food, etc.), but I also want them to understand and enjoy food as a pleasurable experience, without undue stressing about whether their arteries are going to clog from one french fry.

My kids are 4 and 2. The 2 year old has had fries and a few chicken nuggets maybe 2-3 times. The 4 year old has had McDonalds probably 5-6 times in his life. Mostly we use it on road trips. But the kids LOVE it. When my older son had to have a painful medical test, I told him we could get a special treat when we were all done. You know what he chose? McDonalds. I took him gladly, and held him in my lap while he cherished his fast food. Slow foodies have nothing on him... It took him almost an hour to eat his fries.

There are lots of different things I try to do with my kids to have mommy-son bonding time. We do playgrounds, movies, build legos, etc.... but you know what they like best? McDonalds.


I guess I ask you this, OP -- What ELSE are you thinking about banning from your child's life? Because really, is McDonald's so much worse than having cupcakes? Or ice cream? Or a snack of goldfish crackers and teddy grahams?

While I completely understand why people want to keep their kids healthy, it seems that sometimes McDonalds becomes the poster child for all that is wrong with child nutrition. e.g., Eat McDonalds (even if you usually eat fish, fruit, grains, etc.) = unhealthy child/uneducated parent OR Don't Eat McDonalds (even if your kid regularly snacks on apple juice, oreos, and spaghettios) = Healthy Child/Caring Parent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To 20:28 from 20:17 - I understand and admire people who like to cook. I used to love to cook too. But it's not always about what you enjoy. As your children develop their own interests and activities you will find that you are sitting on the bleachers cheering during those hours that you used to spend chopping and dicing. Or maybe you will miss out on that and stay home chopping and dicing while Dad cheers. I hope not.

I think you can have it both ways. I actually grew up on a small farmette my parents were hobby farmers, my mom pretty much ran the farm during the week while my dad was at the office. We never and I mean never ate fast food. There also was very little TV watching that went on, we were always busy. My mom cooked everything from scratch (including butchering and processing chicken on site) and was into preserving everything. She still had time for the PTA, fundraisers, was a girl scout troop leader, and the sports all 4 of us kids were in, she was about as involved as they come. I also rememer my mom being highly organized and she still bussles around with tons of enegy. I don't see how kids activities precludes anyone from cooking. We have many convienence snacks that travel well and are healthy.

This is exactly pp's point. During the hours your mom was farming and preparing, some of us are in the office. I leave the office at 4 o'clock and then its straight to some practice, activity or another - each child will have a different activity on different days. We thankfully have a house keeper who prepares fresh snacks which I take to pick up kids from school. However I am aware that not every one has a housekeeper or can SAH and preserve all day so I certainly do not have the attitude that everyone can have it both ways like I can. Even with 2 kids (and I have a few friends with 3-4 kids) weekends are jam packed with soccer, basket ball, parties. Add that to volunteering at school and school events ands I have every sympathy with anyone who cracks now and then and allows fast food. I think we would all prefer to avoid it but just can't sometimes. If I did not have someone who cooks for us I'd be hard pushed to avoid it myself. Be thankful for what your mom gave you and let others do the best they can.

[Anonymous]

I would be curious where people draw the line with "fast food." Is it just McDonalds, Five Guys, and others that you go to a counter and order? Does Chicken Out fall into that category? What about every chain restaurant out there, which is not technically fast food, but where the kids' menus typically consist of burgers, chicken fingers, fries, and pizza-- maybe, if you're lucky, there are some nice soaked-in-syrup mandarin oranges?

I'm with the poster who said we need to teach moderation. We don't do much at-the-counter fast food, other than Chicken Out (which we get a couple times a month). McDonald's and others are mainly for road trips. But we do eat out at a chain restaurant with crummy kids' options a couple times a month. I just try to make sure we eat healthy at home, and hope it all balances out.

[Anonymous]

Do pizza or take-out Chinese count, LOL? We do both of those fairly frequently.

Apart from that, it's not a major part of our lives. We do sometimes go to McDonalds but it's not the end of the world. We like to cook and DC's a fairly adventurous eater so fast-food doesn't come into play all that much.

It's like everything else -- rigidly depriving kids of some of these things can just make them want it more. In moderation, it's fun.

[Anonymous]

i'm like the OP: i live in the city where there is not a mcdonalds, know no one who eats that stuff, never ate that stuff myself, etc....my son is only a year old, so ....so far, so good! but i'm not naive enough to believe i can keep him from the mickey dee's playland that will beckon him one day. when that day comes, i hope i can teach him about "sometimes foods".

isn't it suspicious that kids want this crap so badly? what are they putting in the food that keeps kids coming back for it? that alone makes me want to stay the heck away!

[Anonymous]

I've never heard of a CSA either. My DD is only 6 months, but I have no doubt that she'll enjoy her share of fast food in her lifetime. I applaud the "healthy" alternative that many of the chains have introduced - maybe we'll see more of that. But, at least in our family, its just not realistic to say that we'll never resort to fast food.

When we introduced solids, I bought only the organic stuff because its easy...its RIGHT NEXT to the regular stuff on the shelf. Did I make it myself? No way! Once our DD is on to "table food" I haven't decided if I am going to continue with the organic thing or not. DH and I don't eat organic and the closest grocery stores to us (Giant, Bloom, & Safeway) don't have a wide assortment of organic options. Am I going to drive 15-20 minutes further to the nearest Whole Foods or Wegmans? I doubt it.

But hey, to each his own. I don't begrudge those who are committed. I just don't see it happening in our family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:what is a CSA?

Thanks

Community Supported Agriculture.

You sign up with a local farm and get your seasonal veggies and friut (sometimes meat if your farm does that) delivered to your home or you pick-up.

[Anonymous]

Aren't there now healthier options at places like McDonalds, Burger King and Wendys? I get the sense that the grilled chicken sandwiches weren't all that bad, and they now have options like carrot sticks and apple slices instead of fries. Seems to me, an occasional meal like that won't hurt anyone. Everything in moderation. Plus it takes away the "forbidden fruit" issue and could be a teaching moment about making the healthier choice . . . .