McDonalds...

Oh boy!

We have an autistic child who loves McDonalds more than she loves life (but not as much as ketchup!)

I used to say, it was a good day picking her up from school if she did not ask for McDonalds until after we got across the street to walk home.

I started doing McDonald's Monday's with her. She gets a happy meal on Monday after school (and then a smaller dinner.) That way, she knows not to ask, and she knows when she will get it and we don't have to talk about it every single day, as kids with autism will do. If she asks for a different kind of junk or fast food, I ask her if she wants that instead of McDonald's Monday this week.

I can't keep junk in my house because we have two kids with autism and self regulation is just not possilbe. If we have it, they eat it until it is gone, so we don't have it. Being able to go and buy a self limiting treat, like a happy meal, is one way that we strike a balance.

M.

If you include ordering pizza for dinner as fast food then it's a minimum of twice a week. Chickfila caters lunch at my kids school twice a week so my kids are allowed to buy it once a week and then we usually have pizza as a family once a week.

We used to have fast food often, a few times a week. It wasn't always McD's though. Now, we don't go as often just because we are trying to save money!! We are trying to do better with grocery shopping & cooking meals at home.

Once a week probably. I was like uber protective health conscious mom when I was pregnant (nothing processed touched my lips), but once real life with a toddler set in, McDonald's has been my savior on more than one long car ride! My son LOVES french fries and hash browns.

Edited to add --- I don't feel neglectful and you're not either! I'm sorry, but McDonald's tastes way better than any organic turkey burger. Especially late at night! Balance is everything.

whenever i don't feel like cooking! most times i cook a home cooked meal but if we are out in the streets or if someone buys it for them I don't care. my kids play outside,ride their bikes and are very active! they also like most fruits and veggie's and will eat them and ask for them on their own. so they have a balanced appetite for everything. and if if they didn't, oh well these are my kids and i noticed you say "guilty". guilty of what? however you choose to raise your children is your business! and I dare someone tell me I'm a bad mother because i chose to let my kids eat fast food. I don't particulary care for the no candy, no tv, no school, no fast food approach to parenting but I don't have to raise their children so I don't comment on it. to each her own. they are not wrong and neither are we, we just live different lifestyles. good luck. hmmm you just made me hungry, i;m going to big mack! yeahhhhh lol

not even once a month. after i saw a special where they talked about how they clean the meat with amonia that they use for their burgers i was so repulsed we haven't been eating fast food since. surprisingly my daughter rarely even asks for it! (we used to go maybe 2x's a month sometimes more if i was doing a lot of errands on the weekends)

i feel so much better about not feeding it to my kids & not eating it myself & it saves a lot of money

this isn't necessarily a response to your question but a response in general to all the answers you have received... i am shocked at how little people are eating out when it comes to their children. if this is the case why is America and especially our youth overweight... way to go moms!

Truth? For McD's probably at least 2x a week.....we have one 2 blocks away and it is so easy to just stop and get burgers some nights when things get crazy...and we usually like to eat there once for breakfast on the weekends..then add in the occasional Friday night pizza night and yep...we eat out basically 3 meals each week...guess that puts me in the "guilty moms" category...

My kiddos and I go to McDonalds about once a month. Sometimes less, sometimes more. We used to eat there, but about six months ago I just got tired of eating there. But instead of avoiding McDonalds, let's face it, it's awesome for the kiddos. We go for either breakfast or a snack. My girls like the yogurt parfaits for breakfast and I'll have coffe or we go and split a McFlurry or I get them ice cream and myself a smoothie for an afternoon snack.

No need to avoid Mcdonald's. Just make smarter choices. And for all those moms who said they NEVER go, it sure is crowded so someone is going!

Truth? Never or any fast food for that matter but that's just a choice I've made for my family. I'm SO in the minority but I don't care. LOL!!

Plus, I love to cook and save money. I take food from home whenever I know we will not be home during meal time. Last night during my daughter's sports practice I packed up pasta with veggies for my son to eat since it's during dinner time.

In my circle of friends I'm the only one who doesn't eat fast food.

C'est la vie!

It depends on two things. If we go out of town to visit my family (like last weekend, we had mcdonalds and spangles) and if my husband has to work past 6. When he was working late alot we ended up eating mcdonalds 2-3 times a week. We gave it up for lent, which was really hard, but we still go every once in a while now. We went to Sonic last night when I discovered our ground meat had gone bad.

I mean, it doesnt have to be unhealthy. My daughter gets the apples (or oranges if we go to Wendy's) then only gets 2 or 3 of my fries. And she's never had soda. She calls it "mommy's yucky drink"

If your kid is healthy and not eating McDonalds for every meal, giving it to them isnt bad. Dont let anyone make you feel bad about it.

I am really concerned about my son's nutrition, but I do allow him to eat at McDonald's once a week or sometimes less. As a family, we hardly ever eat out. We just prefer to eat meals at home. My son really doesn't like meat. He will only eat the small, thin burgers at McDonald's. He doesn't like fries so I get him a happy meal with a cheeseburger, apples, and apple juice. I don't feel guilty about it anymore. I don't believe in being too stringent about anything. It adds too much pressure to an already stressful life.

We don't eat mcdonalds (for the reason's listed by other moms) but we do go to chick fil a once a month. I'm addicted to the polynesian sauce. Otherwise, we do like subway once in a while and there is a local pizza place we go to every two weeks.
Honestly, I hate cooking. If I had my way we would buy all our meals from someone much more skilled than I. But we have no money. So. I cook.

We never eat McDs. If we have to do a quick meal it's a sandwich shop for us.

No need to feel disgusted....you are only talking to about 100 women AT MOST in the whole US!
That being said....
During soccer season we usually eat at McD's about once a week, and Subway the other day (2 practices a week). I too try and get apples and chocolate milk for my boys. We used to go a LOT more than that when we were first married, it's so cheap! But, we are a bit more conscious now of what we are eating. We also go out to restaurant, usually Sunday nights (cuz that's my husband's ONE NIGHT that he is in charge of dinner).
L.

About once a week - and in the happy meal I replace the fries and soft drink with apples and milk. Granted, he won't usually eat the apples (but I will!!) Oh - and he and my husband usually share an egg mcmuffin on Saturday mornings before they go do their Saturday Morning guy-time. So I guess about twice a week.

Truthfully my son and husband love McDonalds, but I just can't eat it without severe consequences in the bathroom department. So they may get it once a month when I'm not around. We do eat out at least once a week and like pizza on the weekends. Growing up I ate fast food everyday because it was cheap and convenient for my single working mom. My brother and I have both struggled with our weight and health since teenagers. We finally have a grasp on healthy eating, but it took a long time.

no more than twice/month

Subway, I have no problem with. Chipotle, not an issue.

From a financial standpoint as well as health, we try to keep it to a minimum. Luckily, our kids always eat their apple dippers before anything else. We have to force them to take a few bites of a hamburger/nuggets.

At home, it's almost never. Even as a full-time working professional, I still try to make a fresh meal every night. I keep tons of fresh/frozen fruits/veggies in the house each week. I try to keep mac-n-cheese, nuggets, etc. to a minimum.

I worked in the field of Diabetes for 8 years, have a mom who has type 2 diabtes, both sets of parents are obese and have cardiovascular disease, and I'm a recent cancer survivor. I know too well what can happen when you get on that slippery slope.

You aren't neglectful for giving your kids some mcDonalds here and there. My son is only 10 months old.. so we haven't really been there yet.. BUT.. I'd say as long as it's kind of a "treat../every once in a while thing".. GO FOR IT. A little mcDonalds is no big deal. Use it as rewards for kids who do well at dr. appointments, or in school!

LOL! I barely read through your responses and saw "never" "never" and "never". Wow - I guess I can line up with you for the "rotten parent" award! : )

For us depends on how things are going for Mom and Dad in other areas. If work is good, weather's good, etc., we don't go at all. But we have gone as often as 4x/month, especially when it's been cold for weeks.

My kids do drink the milk and eat the apples, but they really prefer fries. They can't finish the meal and really only go to play and get a toy. When I was younger, I would have worried, but heck, my kids eat spinach, brocolli, carrots, KALE, and almost any kind of fruit at home. Eating half a happy meal from time to time is small beans.

My son is 16 months old, so never right now. When he is old enough, I will allow fast food once a month. It's a flexible once a month. If we are out at random times and can't have a packed lunch, there will be an exception. Or, if he's at a party that has fast food, a family get together, etc. The fast food place would never be McDonald's, though. (unless there is absolutely nothing around) We will NEVER be a once a week or more, type of family. I think, that's way too much. That is just my opinion, of course. Other families can do whatever works for them!!

1-2 x week during soccer season (now) and 1x week or every other week at other times, not necessarily McD's--maybe Subway or Togo's. I get tired of greasy food and is really not good for little athletes in training anyway, but with school starting and soccer at the same time, it is just quicker and easier! Bad reasons, I know!

We eat out about once or twice a week (usually always Tues cause after preschool and swim I dont want to cook). There are just days when I have been so busy and we still have to go grocery shopping and its just easier to get us all a quick meal.

We do go a lot, to use the playground. However, we don't get a whole meal or drinks. I will sometimes get a tea and share it (I mix half sweet tea and half unsweet tea but I'm in TX and y'all might not have sweet tea there.

And I get a large fries to share. So we have a little snack and use the playground. :)

Yesterday was a special day (errands all day) and we ended up having both breakfast and lunch there. But that's very uncommon.

Don't feel bad, if you go for the playspace, then try to go at non meal times and just have a snack.

We usually eat at home just because it is cheaper, maybe 1-2 times a month we may go to fast food but usually we do pizza or subway if we are going to go out to a cheaper place. I don't think it is bad to give kids a happy meal on occasion, we use it as a special treat though and not the norm.

We never eat at McDonalds. The only "fast food" place that we will eat at is Culver's. Not sure if they are in PA though. Then, we only maybe go there twice a month. We hate eating out. I like to know exactly what's going into my families food.

Probably on a good week like 3x. Prob 2 at fast food and 1 at a sit down restaurant. :) Thats a GOOD week where we arent out running or visiting relatives or out with friends and such! hehe

You already have many responses... I do take my kids to McDonalds around 1x per week. We love their new indoor play areas, and it's a great place for a play date on a rainy day. We have nuggets, apples, and milk (fries are a treat once in a while). There's nothing wrong with it in moderation :) Sometimes we even get an ice cream cone before we go home!

My son is 28 months and the only McDonalds he has had is a bite of an egg mcmuffin of mine - we were going out of town early in the morning. He had snacks, but we didn't, and he wanted to taste what I was eating. He has also had one hamburger and about 3 fries. The fries were a way to get ketchup from the plate to his mouth only. :) We aren't big into fast food except when traveling, so it isn't a big deal for us. Mainly because we are paying off debt and eat at home most of the time.

Once or twice a month, it varies. I am very health conscious 95% of the time, so I don't eat and neither do they unless grandma takes them. I'm not overly super picky on what they eat, but fast food isn't good for any of us so it makes it easy if we all don't eat it.

2 to 3 meals a week (eating out not necessarily McDonalds). But - my kids usually order the apples instead of fries and my kids drink milk instead of soda and they only eat chicken nuggets.... no hamburgers.

only if we are traveling and have nowhere else or no time to stop for decent food.

my son's not old enough to eat it, but my sister brings home mcdonalds (or something fast food) for her kids (money permiting) atleast 3-4x a week. no joke. and the kids are so mesmerized by it....all they really like is fast food and not home meals (especially things they need to be eating).

Hi,
Lots of you say that your kids do not eat at McDonalds, so whose kids do. When I go there with my child once a month and there are lots of kids....?????

We eat "fast food" max maybe once per week--sometimes McD's, sometimes ChikFilA, mostly Panera because my son LOVES the broccoli soup in a bread bowl!

Only when on road trips and there's no other choice. Even then, he only gets a grilled cheese-no oil/butter.

(:

Maybe once a week, sometimes on hectic weeks maybe twice, and some weeks none at all. It's usually chick-fil--a and then they play it out on the playground, since it's too hot here to go to outdoor playgrounds, so that's the main reason we go.

I do try and limit what they eat to healthier options (fruit instead of fries/ milk instead of sugary juice or soda...)

At home during the day, I do the occasional Goldfish snacks, but try to mostly do healthier snacks like pretzels, fruit, veggies, nuts, raisins, rice cakes... but every now and then going out for pizza is nice too.

I'd go in with the once a year ... but we do eat at other restaurants... sometimes Jimmy Johns (popular in my area - subshop) and sometimes Wendys or Chipotle (taco's) or something along those lines... so fast food probably once every 2/3 months.

I say - if you forbid it, they will just want it more, so I prefer to have it be a VERY OCCASIONAL happening for us.

Don't beat yourself up... just try to make some changes and you'll be fine.

J.

My son will be 4 in January and he has never had McDonalds in his life. He doesn't even know what it is! Lol he has never had any fast food like Burger King, Wendy's, Arby's, etc. The only fast food he has EVER had is Chic Fil A, and there he gets 4 nuggets (the chicken is so fresh), fresh fruit cup and white milk. He loves it.

I know at some point in his life he will know about these places and may even go once or twice, but for as long as I can, I will try to keep him from it.

About once every 2 weeks or less usually. A LOT more when he was little, because most of what I cook is lowfat and wee ones need highfat diets. Although planets collide sometimes and we'll go more often every day for a week, or a few times in a week (like when roadtripping, or if we have a 1/2 hour between swim lessons and drama camp, or he's having a sugarcrash right after sports and I NEED to get those calories into him).

When he stays with my mum (if I'm travelling w/out him) they go everyday for the playplace.

But on average once every couple weeks.

I go grocery shopping twice a month and on the way home I'd take my trio to McDonald's and pick up on the way home, so it was twice a month. But now that we're saving money for a move we don't even do that anymore. I just grab the kids lunch boxes and pack a PB&J, fruit snack and milk in a sippy now when we're out. The lunch boxes are insulated and so are the sippies.

At the fast food joints, I always got them milk rather than pop. Juice would be the second choice. Never pop. And I always give them the option of getting apples on the side, which they sometimes choose. Sometimes one will get fries and will get apples and they'll share so they'll only get 1/2 and order of fries and 1/2 apples. I like that there's healthier options when we're out. And I don't get jumbo sizes. I get them enough to fill them but not to gorge them. Moderation is the key!

And don't worry about the toy issue. I know there's parents who wish they were't available, but to me, it's a way to get the kids to finish their meals. They finish their food and milk and THEN they can have their toy. Parents always have the right to say NO at any time.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

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hmm..I eat it more than my son does :)

Total honesty....Maybe, MAYBE once or twice a month. I'm 38wks pregnant and have a 2y/o so ya there are some nights that I tell my hubby..."i'm not cooking" or "OMG I wANT TACO BELL" etc BUt the funny thing is my son doesn't really like it. He will eat french fries, what kid doesn't love those. And the cinnamon twists from Taco Bell, but other than that he won't eat it.

So If my son does eat fast food it's a few bites every once in a great while.
Oh unless you count gourmet Pizza as "fast food" Cause OMG there is the BEST pizza place by my house that I could eat Every damn day and my son loves it too :)

I am not super anything. I am Moderation Mama. Moderation is the best cure for motherhood guilt and makes your children so much more happy than a nagging, worried, angst-ridden mommy.

That said...On a bad week (re: 4 soccer games, back-to-school orientation, working late...etc.) we stop for fast food once a week. But probably not more than twice a month overall. Truly, despite the fact that they think a happy meal is a pretty awesome treat, they eat more quickly, happily, and completely, when we sit down to a real meal. And always ask me, "Did you make this with love? It sure tastes like you did." Makes the extra effort worth it most days.

Probably once a month. I love to cook...so that helps :)

I have to say that my daughter has never eaten at McDonald's. In fact, the only 'fast food' she has actually eaten is the bottom wheat bun of my grilled chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-a. She isn't much of a meat eater and I am trying to cut down on carbs, so it really works well for both of us.

However, I (most of the time) do not judge a mother who occasionally lets her child eat fast food. The only time I have issues is when I see an obese family chowing down on greasy hamburgers and double orders of fries. That makes me a little sick. Those kids don't know any differently and their parents are pulling them down a rough path.

Is fast food good for anyone? No. Is it good to feed to your children? No. Does telling you that you are a poor mother and that you are killing your kids going to make you feel better about yourself and want to change? NO!! Very few people the energy or drive to be super healthy all the time, and an occasional hamburger and french fry has never killed anyone.

We all do things occasionally that aren't the best for our children. Sure it is unhealthy, but you said he is very active and that you are working on it. That seems like a great step. You know the facts and are working on it. You are conscious of the fact that you need to make a change. To me, that makes you a good mother. It is hard to change habits instantly. Keep up the good work and keep cutting it out!

It varies by what is going on. I currently live in a small town (moving to a bigger city in the spring) and there are limited indoor activities. The boys like the play area and sometimes I need a break. We go anywhere from 1x/ week to 1x/ month. I don't feel guilty at all because I cook quite healthy and I don't see the big deal about taking a periodic meal 'off' periodically and I am the type that makes my own veggie juice and whenever I make muffins I cook with wwheat flour and some other flours that add protein and ALWAYS make sure there is some type of vegetable in the muffin :)
-S.
2ndChanceCreations.etsy.com

My daughter LOVES going to McDonalds! But, I only let her have it once a month, if that. And when she does get it, she gets the milk and apples with her meal instead of pop and fries...so I feel a little better! And my hubby and I don't eat it...can't even remember the last time I ate it!

My 2.5 year old doesn't even know what McDonald's is. We've gotten Chic-Fil-A a few times but that's about it.

I give in and get my girls McDonalds once a month. One gets the cheesburger with fries and a sprite. Another gets a cheeseburger and apple dippers with chocolate milk. The 3rd gets a 4 pc nugget, apples and a chocolate milk. My thought is that once a month is fine. It's the everyday or even several times a month that really starts to mess with their health.

I used to take them about once a week (we lived kinda near one and, as we all know, it's just EASY to go there). But in the last year, I've only been once and the kids have been *maybe* 4 times (with daddy, who still can't come up with anything more creative than McD's when I'm not around for whatever reason). They still ask for it every time we drive by one, but they're less committed to begging. It used to be "pleaaase...pleeeeeeeeez...there's one, oh you're passing it YOU'RE PASSING IT....waaaahhhh". Now it's become, "oh there's one...could we go? We haven't been in such a long ti.....oh check out that yellow car!" Easily distracted from the golden arches. They don't miss it, I don't miss it...I think daddy kinda misses it...

You could still utilize the play area if you swung by for a diet coke or instead of a meal pop in for just a "snack" just a suggestion...we only have fastfood about once a month, it is more financial than demonizing of how "bad" it is for us as a family. If we have a night where we have to be at the school early in the evening and there is no time to make an evening meal because I have forgot to plan ahead and have something in the crock pot we will swing thru a drive thru.
I made my children watch Jamie Oliver's food revolution with us, my daughter didn't even want to touch a "nugget" for MONTHS afterwards! We eat a pretty healthy varied diet at home, my daughter is my "picky eater" but i still try and keep a nice balance of healthy eating. We do not buy a lot of treatsy junk food at the store...but I am not one to go over board...moderation is the key with all things. Do NOT beat yourself up...he is healthy and active...= )

my kids do not eat mcdonalds or any other fast food not even fish and chips

McD's, almost never. Maybe 5 times in 6 years?
Chick-fil-a once a month or so (I hate it, the kids love it)
Chipotle: Cheapest option and the beans n rice bowls for the kids are their favorite. We eat this every couple weeks

Truthfully, I find the 'nicer' restaurants have the crappiest food for kids. It's always mac n cheese, chix fingers and burgers/hot dogs. With fries. Ick, Yuck, blech.

It's those restaurants where I feel like a bad mom....I don't feed them any of that stuff at home. I usually find something they can agree on and order a regular menu item and make them split it. GL!

My kid get McD or some other fast food once per month and something more like pizza once per month. I try to mitigate by always adding in salad or fruit and white milk or water. But a chicken nuggest is stikll a chicken nugget, right?

PS - I'll add, we try for qick healthier alternatives when we ar in a hurry like Panera or Fruits or Robeks.

I am one of those moms who is very aware of nutrition and what I put into my body and what I serve to my children.

That being said, I feel that occasional treats are important. I think that denying any sort of sweets, special snacks, or the occasional Happy Meal just sends the message that those foods are forbidden - and we all know how that works out: usually ends up in bingeing.

My child eats McDonalds once or twice a month and he gets a 4-piece nuggets with apple dippers (NO caramel) and white milk. Honestly, food from McDonald's has very little nutritional value, is typically loaded full of saturated fat, and has way too much sodium. I don't mind if he has it once a month as the exception and not the norm; the 'norm' is why we have a horrible problem with childhood obesity.

More often than I ever expected! However, on the days that he might eat some salt-free fries, he also eats 2 cups of blackberries. He has yet to eat a happy meal, and we are all-organic at home, along with supplements, so overall he's getting a ton of healthy options to outweigh the few bad ones.

I am very concerned with good nutrition and I have taken my older girls (now 3 and 5) twice for ice cream cones, but they never ask to go and I've never given them other things off the menu. I'm hoping that we can avoid most fast food until they are tweens or even teens.

I am super picky about what my son eats, but it seems like we always end up getting stuck in town right at lunch time & he's throwing a fit and begging for chicken nuggets. On average I'd say once or twice a week, but at times it's been way higher. I've only taken him to Burger King & McDonalds one time each, but I've sworn never again because the food there just looked so processed, it made me gag to watch him eat it. I feel like Wendy's is the lesser of the evils, because you can get oranges instead of fries, but I still feel like a bad mom!

We eat a meal at McDonalds maybe once every 2 months, or go through the drive through just for fries more often. I order apples, fries, chicken nuggets and milk for my son, and he trades me a chicken nugget for the tomatoes from my salad. He is underweight, so we don't mind giving him the extra calories and it's something he'll consistently eat. My husband likes to eat out at least once every weekend, but not McDonalds.

My daughter, who is 2 yrs 9 months will have Papa Johns pizza once every 3 or 4 weeks. I am a stay at home mom...and I generally stay at home with my two little children, and make pretty much everything, at home.

I am pretty nutrition conscious. However I do stop at mcdonalds probably at least once a week. but we get salads, grilled chicken, the grandkids do get nuggets but we go with the apple slices instead of the fries. we do subway way more often than any other fast food place. but my kids are big (college age and highschool age. We have multiple activies going on and eat supper on the go several nights a week. I miss the nights we used to all sit together.

Several times a year-- I'd say less than once a month, but more than once or twice a year. Some of it is health, but some of it is just that it is so expensive and the food (esp for kids) just isn't that good. I think you can do fast food relatively healthy these days-- I get my son the apple slices or mandarin oranges rather than the fries, and milk instead of soda. But honestly it is easier for me to throw a string cheese, some grapes, and a juice box into a bag than drive through.

Maybe once every three months. I'm extremely health conscious (I'm a personal trainer, and follow the Eating Clean guidelines pretty well - I do cheat though!!), so we used to only stop for fast food on long trips, eg anything over two hours as a treat, aka bribe, for the kids (ages 7 and 9). I cannot eat it, it literally gives me diarrhea (sorry to be graphic!) Anyway, after hearing me talk about all the bad things McD's and the like does to their food, eg. treat their ground beef with ammonia, use beef and chicken meat from animals treated very inhumanely, etc., my kids have turned to Subway instead. So if they want "fast food" that is what they request. It's not perfect - their food isn't organically produced, but at least it's better for you.

We have drive through once in a while on French Fry Friday and split a small fries 3 ways as a treat (I wrote Men Don't Wear Earrings on this site if that sounds familiar). In a super emergency, we have also gotten nuggets, but everyone is so thirsty from the sodium blast aside from all the chemicals and hormones in the "meat" I felt so guilty we quit that and I cut down the fry trips from once a week to like once every couple of months. At home we always eat healthy food, but at the bank and grocery store the kids get lollipops from staff, and they eat cake at birthday parties.

Attention rich tycoons: We Need a Healthy Chain with a drive through in every town for the moms of America! It sucks the only convenient choices are so unhealthy.

Literally TWICE in her 7 years of life, and only then because we were the passengers in a car on two different road trips with the same people both times... pressed for time, i got her french fries both times and she hated them. Its not just mcdonalds kids meals i hate, its most of them, by and large they are mostly all garbage, sugar -grease- dye laden foods devoid of actual nutrients, white and beige lumps of "barely even have the right to be classified as"..food. This is not necessarily the fault of the moms, its really in the hands of marketing addictive substances to our children. Empty carbs like sugar and bleached bread products are proven to be addictive.

i could preach all day about it.

In a pinch i understand the habit of giving these things to our kids, life can be a whirlwind of snap decisions and whining children.

Never. I refuse to eat processed foods of any kind, so I certainly would not feed them to my child. Childhood obesity is an epidemic in this country, and you are contributing to it by offering this food to your children. YOU are the one who sets the foundation for healthy eating habits for your child. The way you eat now will affect him for the rest of his life. He should be eating fruits and vegetables daily, whole grains, dairy, and protein... with fat and sugars in moderation. If he is thirsty, offer him water. You seem as if you're curious about how to feed your child healthful foods, but are not willing to do so. There are plenty of healthy options if you do go to a fast food restaurant. Do some research on childhood obesity, and decide for yourself if you want that life for your child. September has been declared National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. I suggest that you watch the documentaries Food, Inc or Super Size Me. Corporate farming in the United States is a large problem - the agriculture business is producing food that is unhealthy and harmful to the environment. Be informed about your food choices. It's one of the best things you can do for yourself and for your child.

My daughter loves the chili from wendy's and the polish dogs from costco. But she gets them rarely. Those are about the only fast foods she gets because we don't have a lot of extra money to spend eating out. The chili is about a buck and the huge polish dogs are $1.50. She's a picky eater so even when she's offered a hamburger she usually won't eat it. She likes fries though and will dip them in her chili if they are offered. We usually hold the fries hostage until she eats some of her main meal and dole them out slowly over the course of the meal so she doesn't eat them all first and then push away from the table exclaiming that she's full.

The one thing I don't let her have is soda. It's a tooth rotter and empty calories for a child who eats so little anyhow, it's better not to offer her something like that to fill her tummy up with. We can't afford any dental bills. She already has a tooth that's going to need surgery to correct when she starts getting her permanent teeth so not having any other mouth complications is a good thing. She gets apple juice cut with a little water and only gets soda for special occasions. We treat it the same as cake.

It is now a treat to go to McDonald's a few times a month not even that for a treat or me when I have so much going on & I have to get something quick & my kids are dropped of @ granparents house.Before we went on an extreme budget makeover I use to go every other week when I was prego I had to atleast get their fries.We eat out as a family about once every other month or so & that is usually Chinese @ our local restraunt that is soo good & inexpensive than others.My family besides my husband is into eating fresh fruit & veggies they won't eat canned carrots but raw,we have a list of what we haven't tried we do a good job in getting more than our share of servings daily.As far as junk food goes I have it in my house but it is only for weekend lunches aftershool snacks and an after lunch/playtime snack they are only allowed 1 item that is junk.My kids aren't allowed to drink soda or caffeinated beverages unless it's a glass of iced tea that is for parties out to eat etc.

My kids probably get McDonalds once every couple of weeks. It's really hard to keep them from wanting it - they see the big yellow M and yell "McDonalds!!!!". Talk about great marketing! Anyway, it's pretty much the only food they eat from a restaurant and they always have the apples with it. I don't feel guilty at all. I feel it's important to teach my kids that it's OK to have these bad things once in a while and not every day.

I am more on the nutrition conscious moms NOW. 3 years ago after having 3 miscarriages we changed our lifestyle big time! Before that time we would eat at McDonalds ALL THE TIME! Drank soda too.

Very seldom now! Maybe twice a year........ (The kids don't even really care for the food.... so it's a waste of money even if it is "cheap".) I personally don't care for it much either. I prefer my own home cooked meals. If we are going to eat out, I want to stop somewhere that has a nice salad bar so I can have some salad and hopefully some fruit with my meal.

Have you watched the movie "Supersize Me"? (I think that is what it's called.) It may give you a good perspective on this subject.

10 times a year, at most. And they always get the aples instead of the fries.

Very rarely and never McDonald's - mostly because their marketing is so strong that I'm resisting it's pull on my child for as long as possible. I don't want to hear "let's go to McDonald's!!" every time we pass a sign (which would be constantly in our area). We do the occasional Arby's or Wendy's but I would say that's less than a once-in-three-months visit. My son is 2-1/2 and his favorite "fast food" is Subway!!