Do you get your kids a happy meal every time you go to Mcdonalds?.. poll

So while at McDonald's on Tuesday I got my kids food of the 1$ menu like always.  We are setting at the table eating and dd1 leans over to me and whispers.. look at all the spoiled kids who have happy meals mom!  Now I have never said anyone was spoiled to dd1, but I did tell her we save money by ordering off the dollar menu and to enjoy the playground.  Everyone is aloud 2 items off the dollar menu (including parents) and free waters.  So the kids usually get a burger and fries with water.  But seeing all those happy meals made me think that others don't' save the happy meals for special occasions (like bdays)?.. So I thought it would make a great poll!

 I get my DS #1 a happy meal all the time cause he likes thetoys that come with it. We don't go there as often as he would like though

McDonald's is a rare, rare "treat" for us given that the food is excrutiatingly non-nutritional and full of fat and chemicals. I'm not a food extremist, but I just can't see taking my kids regularly to McDonald's for any meal - Happy Meal or any other.  I'd much rather take them for ice cream as a treat, which at least arguably has some nutritional value. I just see way too many fat adults scarfing down fast food and refuse to set that standard for my kids.  But I know that, having never gone to a fast food restaurant as a kid, kids do need to experience American fast food on occasion to as not to feel deprived and end up over-indulging on it as adults.  It just makes me ill that the food is so disgusting, the toys designed to lure kids in, and we Americans fall for it on a daily basis.  Ok, off my soap box now.

CJ's Kids:

McDonald's is a rare, rare "treat" for us given that the food is excrutiatingly non-nutritional and full of fat and chemicals. I'm not a food extremist, but I just can't see taking my kids regularly to McDonald's for any meal - Happy Meal or any other.  I'd much rather take them for ice cream as a treat, which at least arguably has some nutritional value. I just see way too many fat adults scarfing down fast food and refuse to set that standard for my kids.  But I know that, having never gone to a fast food restaurant as a kid, kids do need to experience American fast food on occasion to as not to feel deprived and end up over-indulging on it as adults.  It just makes me ill that the food is so disgusting, the toys designed to lure kids in, and we Americans fall for it on a daily basis.  Ok, off my soap box now.

Oh I agree.  I go there for the giant play lands.  When it gets cold here (-30 at its worst) its nice to go somewhere where the kids can run and have fun.  This last time we went for a treat because dd2 was getting her 5 year shots

Eek I would go there too in -30 weather! And heck in that kind of weather a few fats and chemicals are probably pretty helpful - ha. :-)

if it's just DS3 and DD, they always get them.  buying them for 4 kids is ridiculous!  every great once in a while, they all get them, but really the boys are too old for the toys anyway. 

When ever we get it we get the happy meals , we mostly get macca's if we are on a road trip or its a special occasion and sometimes just as a fun suprise so the kids are happy i dont have to cook  and we can have a bit of a random fun night

I always get my daughter a happy meal when we go. We hardly ever go so its a treat and i get her a fruit bag or carrot sticks instead of fries. x

If we go there to play then no we don't get a Happy Meal, normally just a drink or an ice cream. If we go there to eat then they get a Happy Meal.

 They get a happy meal every time but in the UK we have the pound menu. Burger and fries (which is a double cheeseburger and medium fries)  would be £2, it is the same for a happy meal and you get a drink and toy with it but it is a single burger and small fries. We dont get free water here so it would work out more expensive. Most of the time I get a happy meal because they are better value and give the toy to the kids.

Im sure i'll take my son or daughter there on occation, less than I go there now even. I crave their biscuits & hashbrowns...ughh off I go!