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Today I witnessed a mother feeding her 1-YEAR-OLD McDonalds

20K views 87 replies 59 participants last post by  Panserbjorne 
#1 ·
So me and my mom, sis, and DD went out to this great restaurant today called The Olive Branch. I think it is middle eastern? Hummus, falafel, babaganoush, etc. Either way the food is so fresh and healthful I always leave feeling nourished.

There was another family there with a 1-year-old baby. Of course the babes were making eyes at each other so we said hello, etc. We ordered our meal, and I nursed DD, giving her small tastes of hummus
: I look over, and there is a Happy Meal bag on the table- the family was eating this array of wonderful healthy food, and feeding their baby AN F'ING MCDONALD'S CHEESEBURGER!

WTF??????? A 1-year old! It wasn't like a 5-year old who begged and begged (although this 1-year old will become that 5-year old I'm sure) Is that the saddest sickest thing you ever heard??????? WHY oh why wouldn't you just give your baby some of what you are eating? Or at least a jar of babyfood! I was sooo disgusted.
 
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#3 ·
OMG, I figured that they were IN McDonald's, which would have been bad enough!!

I never, EVER leave the house without a jar of baby food. My son doesn't eat jarred food normally, but I have yet to figure out a safe way to bring a meal from home in a way that guarantees it will still be good....

I love fast food, and even though I make a real effort to eat healthily now, there are still times when I relapse, but I would NEVER give that crap to my son! I usually try to eat somewhere that has food that I CAN give to him, though...

What on EARTH has given people the idea that McDonald's is "kids' food"??
 
#4 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Amila View Post
Is that the saddest sickest thing you ever heard???????
No, not really. We try to eat as healthfully as possible, but there are far worse things in this world than feeding a toddler junk food. It doesn't exactly thrill me, but even my toddler who eats all organic at home has had his fair share of fast food while we're out.
 
#5 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Wabi Sabi View Post
No, not really. We try to eat as healthfully as possible, but there are far worse things in this world than feeding a toddler junk food. It doesn't exactly thrill me, but even my toddler who eats all organic at home has had his fair share of fast food while we're out.
I agree with Wabi there are much worse things that little baby could expereince. If that is the worse the parents are doing, then I think they are doing a darn good job..
. We eat decently at home, but do occasionally eat fast food while out and about. I figure my kids nurse/nursed 4.5+ years, a little fast food is not going to hurt them..
.
 
#6 ·
Maybe the "saddest, sickest" part was an over-exaggeration, but the part that bugged me, I guess, was that they were out at a great restaurant, and brought the baby the McDonald's. It would have maybe been different if the whole family stopped to get fast food, IMO.
 
#7 ·
i don't think it's the saddest, sickest thing i've heard. i think it's silly to take mcdonald's into a lovely middle eastern restaurant (both my kids love middle eastern food). but... i've given my one year old some wee bites of mcd's cheeseburger. BURN ME AT THE STAKE NOW. he just wants what big sister wants, ya know?
 
#8 ·
feeding babies junk food is all too common where I live as well.

When ds was not even a year old, people were offering him CANDY.
Even my FIL, gave him mountain dew before a year when he watched him for 15 minutes at the mall while dh and I ran into a store.

Funny thing, ds used to love hummus at that age, now I cant get it near him
 
#10 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Amila View Post
Maybe the "saddest, sickest" part was an over-exaggeration, but the part that bugged me, I guess, was that they were out at a great restaurant, and brought the baby the McDonald's. It would have maybe been different if the whole family stopped to get fast food, IMO.
That I can agree with...
. My babies eat whatever I eat, does not make sense to bring them a meal of their own. Plus, it is just easier...
.
 
#11 ·
We've been in a situation before where we went to a restaurant then realized that dd couldn't eat the food (severe food allergies), or we knew beforehand that she wouldn't be able to and brought her something else to eat. Maybe the baby has allergies.

We recently went to the same type of restaurant and she was only able to eat it because they only used tree nuts and not peanuts.

Just a thought.
 
#12 ·
I would disgust you then. My 14 month old has had a part of a cheeseburger and some french fries from McDonalds but you know what? I'm a DAMN good mom! I would hate for someone to think that it is sick and disgusting that my son has ate something others choose not to feed their children. If you saw me when I was there and you judged me, you would be getting a poor judgement because that was the first time he ate that...and the last time in a long time.
 
#15 ·
Unfortunatly I've seen a lot of stuff like this. Every time I see one of my out-of-town friends che complains that her daughter will eat nothing but french frie, chicken nuggets, and cheese. She s truely amaze that my taughter can and will try any kind of food.
The thing is, she was that mom: going out to restaurants and bringing chicken nuggest for her child who, at that age, would have been more than happy to try what her mama as eating. Fixing her one year old frozen french fries with dinner because she just assumed that a toddler does not eat salad.

Now she has a six year old who whines and moans for fast food at every single meal and snack of the day. her mom wats her to eat, and always gives in. Sigh.

Interestingly enough, when we lived in the same town and would have hthis little girl over to baysit her, she would ea most of whatever dinner we served. We'd get a five-minute whine for fast food, but since she knows we don't have any frozed fries or chicken nuggets in the house, she would always tuck right into her dinner after a few minutes, smiling and happy.
 
#16 ·
My parents fed us pretty healthy growing up..but we did have fast food occasionally and I don't feel I suffered TOO much from it hehe.

But what made DH and I just absolutely dumbfounded was at the mall once we saw a 6 year old kid literally spilling out of his chair...had to be around 150 lbs at under 4 ft tall. Sad, #1. Then just after we spotted him is mother came over with "lunch" (I'd say...a death sentence): a DOUBLE Bacon Six-Dollar Burger supersized meal complete with fries and a soda from Carls Jr (for those of you who don't have a Carls Jr around to have a reference point of how big a burger that its...it's like almost a full pound of meat). We just sat frozen...couldn't decide on being sick, crying or calling CPS.

*sigh*. For all of the technological advances that have helped us...processing gmo food into non-food products and aggresively marketing them have come as a result.
 
#17 ·
None of this surprises me...I think sometimes parents are simply uneducated about what is acutally healthy.

I am also in the camp of moderation though...my children eat healthy with me but do have the occasional (frequent lately with the holidays) sweets, junk food, etc. usually with dad!
 
#18 ·
At least the baby was fed. The thought that crossed my mind was that thread where the neighbour isn't feeding her kids and is leaving them alone with older siblings for days while she parties. Obesity is bad, but drugs and neglect are probably worse. I can see your concern though. Maybe the kid will grow up to be repulsed by the stuff eventually and make choices on their own.
 
#19 ·
I do think it was striking and sad that they were in such a healthful restaurant, and brought with them such crap to feed the most sensitive member of their family. Although I agree with the PPs, though, who say that "sickest, saddest" is a little extreme, I do understand the sad irony.

Amila, where oh where is this restaurant? I'm up your way regularly, and am always up for some good falafel!
 
#20 ·
Ouch.
We're a pretty healthy family in regards to eating (lots of organic, few sugars and sat. fats, etc). I had all these ideas on how I would feed my dd before she was born. It hasn't gone that way thanks to a long battle with reflux and food aversions and texture issues. It is heartbreaking, frightening, and frustrating she won't eat like the rest of us despite my very best efforts every single day. It is a constant battle to get her to eat a food that usually has little nutritional value and wouldn't even come through my front door if it wasn't on her list of the few foods she will actually eat.
If dd was with me at that restaurant I would be offering her, and praying she would eat, the healthy foods, but when she refused, a part of me would be relieved and *thrilled* to watch her down a McDonalds hamburger.
I guess you would be disgusted at me.
 
#21 ·
Yikes, I am sorry to the mommas I offended- food allergies and stuff like that did not even cross my mind. I guess I just assumed the mom grabbed the McDonald's because she thought it was "kid food" and that her DS wouldn't like the healthy food so why even bother. In no way did I mean to offend anyone or say that there are not those days where we give our kids junk- I am sure there will be a day where I will do it too- I just thought, in my limited thinking that day, that what that momma was doing was wrong, but heck I don't know her situation so I guess I shouldn't judge.

Amy
 
#22 ·
One time I went to a huge new mall in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) that had an indoor skiing place and they had a huge glass wall so you could watch people ski and sit in the cafe. We were there with dd and there was a Saudi tourist couple next to our table. They had a maid with them feeding their baby, who literly had to be 6 months maximum. He couldn't even sit up on his own! The maid was force feeding him CREME CARAMEL. SERIOUSLY! I wanted to say something so bad, but I was too chicken.


I have given my dd french fries. I'll be honest. When she really need a snack and we had forgotten food or ran out. I usually wipe the salt and grease off with a napkin or my shirt if that's all I have. I tried to see what she'd think of a hamburger once and let her try a tiny piece and she spit it back into her hand and handed it back to me. That's my girl!
 
#23 ·
I probably would have had a similar reaction to the OP, to be honest. No, I probably wouldn't have thought of the possibility of allergies and aversions. I think it's just the fact that it's McDonalds. Their food is nasty (who knows what the food is made of) and they're not a good corporation to support either.
 
#24 ·
I don't understand why the family wouldn't offer the healthy food that they are eating but, I can't say that my child hasn't had a few french fries. He is at the stage now where he wants to eat whenever and whatever I eat and since we're on the go alot, it's fast food more than I want it to be. I am in no way a bad mother because of it and my child is perfectly healthy. The french fries (IMO) are better than the food that our previous babysitter fed to him at 4 months old (he was fed pizza, sausage and bits of cheeseburger) so really, it could be worse. And for all anyone knows, maybe they almost NEVER eat Mcdonalds. Maybe it was a 'treat' for something the child had done. You'll never know.

 
#25 ·
We're a no McDs family, and there's no fast food in this town anyway (every restaurant is locally owned
). I'd probably be weirded out to see that too though: it's just odd to go out of your way to feed your 1-yr old an entirely different meal than you'd feed the rest of the family--especially if it means going to two restaurants.

As for the allergy thought--*PERHAPS* that was the case, but I truly doubt it; afterall, a mcdonalds cheeseburger has many of the major allergens in it: wheat, soy, and dairy. I think it has sesame in it too (the bun) but it's been at least a decade since I stepped inside a McD so I might not remember the sesame correctly. Anyway, the family's meal sounds less allergenic than the McD meal.
 
#26 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by snowbunny View Post
We're a no McDs family, and there's no fast food in this town anyway (every restaurant is locally owned
). I'd probably be weirded out to see that too though: it's just odd to go out of your way to feed your 1-yr old an entirely different meal than you'd feed the rest of the family--especially if it means going to two restaurants.

As for the allergy thought--*PERHAPS* that was the case, but I truly doubt it; afterall, a mcdonalds cheeseburger has many of the major allergens in it: wheat, soy, and dairy. I think it has sesame in it too (the bun) but it's been at least a decade since I stepped inside a McD so I might not remember the sesame correctly. Anyway, the family's meal sounds less allergenic than the McD meal.
Actually we have to avoid a lot of foods because of the possibility of cross contamination with peanuts, and Middle Eastern food uses A LOT of tree nuts - the Lebanese restaurant that we recently went to served foods with almonds, walnuts, and pistachios. If dd had a tree nut allergy she wouldn't have been able to eat there at all.

We would also have to avoid McD's if they hadn't started putting the peanuts for sundaes in individual bags rather than spooning them out of a big container. We can't go to Asian restaurants at all (with dd anyway) - just too risky.

One time we went to an English pub type restaurant, and they simply could not guarantee that they could completely avoid cross contamination. Dh and I still wanted to eat there and asked if they would mind if he ran to the nearest restaurant and got her something to eat. They were totally fine with it, as they didn't want to run the risk of a child going into anaphylaxis, so dh left while our food was cooking, and Wendy's happened to be the nearest thing.


The child the OP saw may not have food allergies, but in my world, I would have definitely thought of it as a possibility.
 
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