Help for a Friend - Why is fast food bad for kids?

BLuvsE

I am expecting my first so this post is for a friend.

Her grandparents keep her 2 yo DD once a week and, despite her requests, they feed her fast food, ice cream, etc. Then the grandmother apparently also comments that the 2yo is chubby.

My friend has never bought a happy meal for her child ever. Her grandparents say they just can't 'tell her no.' We hypothesize that if they had some good solid research showing how harmful fast food can be for kids that young, that'd make it easier for them to say no.

You ladies got anything?

TIA

Spenjamins

A happy meal once a week with Grandma is not something to get your panties in a twist over.

Kaeldrasmommy

Spenjamins:

A happy meal once a week with Grandma is not something to get your panties in a twist over.

I agree. I also doubt that there is anything that makes fast food more unhealthy for a 2 year old than an older child or adult. 

LizBGood

Huh. Whether we think its a big deal or not, relatives need to respect the wishes of the parent when it comes to things like diet, tv, etc. Besides that, we don't know, and maybe this child has food sensitivities. My niece and nephew are holy terrors if they eat too much junk food. I think it plays with their blood sugar.

OP, I have no facts for you, but if you google you'll find a plethora of reasons fast food is bad for people of all ages, especially kids. It's garbage, pure and simple. Will my LO have a happy meal at some point in his toddlerhood? Probably. But once a month is the limit for my family, nevermind once a week.

LizBGood

After about 2 seconds of google it seems like the biggest factors for kids specifically (beyond the many reasons its bad for everybody) is that it wreaks havoc with blood sugar levels (thus headaches, poor behavior, etc.), the excessive sodium can dehydrate (especially busy toddlers who forget or don't like to drink enough water), and slows digestion (tummyaches, diarrhea, constipation). All things I'd avoid for my LO whenever possible. HTH!

3003girl

I am in the "no fast food" camp for my kid. It's not food, it's crap. 

https://fastfoodmarketing.org/parents_nutrition_search.aspx

This link might help to show you the "nutritional value" of the actual menu items the kid is eating. Beyond that, do some research on the actual ingredients of the meal - ie chicken nuggets actually have over 25 ingredients in them, many preservatives and artificial colors and flavors. 

Good luck.  

Birdies08

Kaeldrasmommy:

Spenjamins:

A happy meal once a week with Grandma is not something to get your panties in a twist over.

I agree. I also doubt that there is anything that makes fast food more unhealthy for a 2 year old than an older child or adult. 

I think respecting the fact that it's a problem to her friend is important. FTR, in our family, when our LO is older, it would not be a problem for her grandparents to buy her fast food every once in awhile. But until she's at least 2, I'd like to keep her on nutrient rich, whole foods as much as possible.

Here are some articles that might be informative:

https://www.livestrong.com/article/371902-health-issues-related-to-fast-food/

https://www.livestrong.com/article/359768-why-is-junk-food-bad-for-your-health/

https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-blood-pressure-in-children/ds01102/dsection=lifestyle-and-home-remedies

This one is about making healthy choices when you do get fast food (maybe that could provide a compromise?):

https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fast-food/MY01268 

Meg&Jesse

Agree with everything in moderation.  If I didn't live by this philosophy I think I would have quit parenthood a long time ago.  Sometimes my parents do things that we wouldn't do, but they are the grandparents and DS loves them.  He loves when he gets to see them knowing that he can do things he can't always do with DH and I. 

boogerbearoriginal

Perhaps it's just differences in families, or perhaps it's because we lived so far away from both sets of grandparents there weren't as many opportunities but my grandparents never "spoiled' me/my siblings by buying us fast food. TBH I don't get this whole concept that the grandparents have a duty to let children do/eat anything. 

Food is something me and my H (even more) feel very strongly about. If LO were going to grandparents on such a regular and consistent basis, I would expect they would respect our wishes about that one item. Let LO stay up late or jump on the couch or whatever. But if the parents have a specific rule, it seems downright rude for the grandparents to break it every single week.

PP gave you lots of links, but it doesn't sound like they need to be schooled in nutrition. They know fast food is bad for kids, I'm reasonably sure everyone knows fast food isn't healthy, they just don't care.

3003girl

If your friend is still anti-fast food (like I am) perhaps she could offer some other suggestions on ways her parents could spoil their grandchild. MIL has an approved list of things she can give LO - it includes things like cookies, ice cream, frozen juice bars and certain candies. My LO was dairy free for a while, so this helped us establish a pretty healthy list of things for her. We also stay away from artificial colors and preservatives. But there are still plenty of things that MIL can do to "spoil" her. She also has a ton of toys and unlimited stickers at MIL's house. 

FWIW MIL and step-FIL live extremely unhealthy lifestyles - step-FIL has congestive heart failure and still eats McDonalds 3-4x a week. MIL isn't much better with her diet. But they totally respect that we do not want LO to have fast food. 

 

boogerbearoriginal

fredalina:

Seriously? Your grandparents never took you out for ice cream? It is rude and wrong for the grandparents to ignore the rule. It is also rude of the parents to be so uptight about the (presumably free) babysitting they're providing along with the memories they're making with the kids. Maybe it's because we're down 50% on grandparents and the ones living are 76 but I see a great relationship with grandparents and fun memories outweighing some extra salt, fat, and sugar.

Nope. I cannot think of a time my grandparents ever took me out for ice cream. But one set lived 3hrs away and the other lived 3 states away so we really didn't spend much time with them outside of family trips.

But it also doesn't sound like it's a random night out for ice cream, it's every single week they are feeding her McD's, etc. That's why it's different to me.

If LO goes out for ice cream with grandma on a random Wednesday that's great and NBD. If grandma takes him for a happy meal every week I will suggest she find a different way to spend time with him. Junk food isn't the only way to build a good relationship or have a fun memory. There are tons of fun things that grandparents can do with their grandchildren while still respecting parent's wishes for the child's diet.

kcisthebombdotcom

I'm apparently a tightwad because I would not want my parents feeding my kids fast food on a weekly basis. A few times a year? Sure. Regularly putting that chemical laden food in their body on a weekly basis? Absolutely not. Making hamburgers, french fries in the oven, all the ice cream they want is ok in my book. I would never regulate what they make for meals in their own home, but I do feel like you can ask them not to be exposed to places you don't want them to be at. It's easy to "tell her no" when you don't go drive anywhere near one of those places.

https://facts.randomhistory.com/2009/06/27_fast-food.html

nosoup4u

I think there's a difference between occasional special treats and feeding kids crap on a regular basis. 

If they are telling your friend they think her kid is too fat, it does seem odd to be insisting on feeding him fast food on a regular basis. There is only so much she can do if they are babysitting for free, like someone else said.

My MIL and parents are total sugar pushers (MIL especially, quite frankly). We let a fair amount of indulgence, but there are points where DH or I have asked them not to feed our kids any more of whatever it is they are being fed.

meg_2006

Tell them to watch the documentary "Super Size Me."  Shockingly disgusting (but I have to admit I still love my McDonalds).  Everything in moderation, though.

thatsmary

I've got nothing for you, but in respect to the apparent debate going on here. I am a vegetarian, dh is a vegetarian, my parents are vegetarians. My in-laws are not. If they decided that everything was okay in moderation, they would not be respecting my wishes as a parent to raise my child a vegetarian. Would it hurt her? No. Would it hurt me that my in-laws decided to do whatever they wanted. Very much so!

Jena503

Well, every time they comment on chubby, I'd point out that they are the ones feeding her crap.

I'd work on getting them to feed her fast food less often, not on forbidding it completely. Of course my own kids eat spaghetti-os and doughnuts once a week at grandpa's house.

KayaXavier

Spenjamins:

A happy meal once a week with Grandma is not something to get your panties in a twist over.

Seriously? I would be furious if someone fed my child fast food even once, much less if they made it a habitual part of her regular diet. Using unhealthy, chemical laden food as a treat teaches a child that it is something special and desirable and creates a bias for fatty, salty foods. My child has made it 4 years without ever experiencing fast food because we choose to find other experiences to share together and everyone who spends time with her respects this. Why not get some veggie sandwiches from Subway and eat them at the park if fast food needs to be a part of an outing? 

boogerbearoriginal

thatsmary:

I've got nothing for you, but in respect to the apparent debate going on here. I am a vegetarian, dh is a vegetarian, my parents are vegetarians. My in-laws are not. If they decided that everything was okay in moderation, they would not be respecting my wishes as a parent to raise my child a vegetarian. Would it hurt her? No. Would it hurt me that my in-laws decided to do whatever they wanted. Very much so!

This is my point.

It's about the grandparents respecting the parents. While 1x a week fast food may not be an issue for some people, it is for others. We all have things that matter to us that may seem inconsequential to someone else, but that doesn't mean our feelings/beliefs/etc should be disregarded.

SoxFan777

Booger+Bear:

Perhaps it's just differences in families, or perhaps it's because we lived so far away from both sets of grandparents there weren't as many opportunities but my grandparents never "spoiled' me/my siblings by buying us fast food. TBH I don't get this whole concept that the grandparents have a duty to let children do/eat anything. 

Food is something me and my H (even more) feel very strongly about. If LO were going to grandparents on such a regular and consistent basis, I would expect they would respect our wishes about that one item. Let LO stay up late or jump on the couch or whatever. But if the parents have a specific rule, it seems downright rude for the grandparents to break it every single week.

PP gave you lots of links, but it doesn't sound like they need to be schooled in nutrition. They know fast food is bad for kids, I'm reasonably sure everyone knows fast food isn't healthy, they just don't care.

I agree with all of this, 100%... I wouldn't use my mom to babysit if she did this, and I CERTAINLY would have DH talk to MIL if she did it...

kristin172429

Well, a hamburger happy meal is about half the daily calories for a child that age, so that is a start.  Let's not even discuss the quality of food!  Can she just send a packed meal for her child so they at least don't have to worry about providing lunch/dinner?  Are they claiming that the two year old is asking for fast food?  My guess is they have gotten in the habit of making that their "special thing".  The child will stop asking if they start making something healthy special and they won't have to worry about saying "no".