Mom feed cheesburger to my kid

[Kina]

My wife picks up dinner from Wendys the other day and buys my 18 month old a cheese burger with bacon on it. My son is small for his age and is "coddled" by my wife and her mother, so he, in my eyes, is not where he should be physically. This is a totally different issue of course.

But I was not happy. I do not think my 18 month old should be eating a greasy cheese burger. I told her I was not happy about it later, because I did not want to bring up the issue in front of my mother in law, but she seems to think I am over reacting.

What do you guys think?

 

[Andersson]

I think that is a tad too young as well but then again I am an old foggy too. I do not think our kids had anything even close to that until they were 3 or 4, most did not even like burgers until they were six!

 

[HappyDad]

I'll side with you and Andersson on this one. An 18 month old should not be eating a greasy cheeseburger. Not saying it will happen but your wife could be setting up your son for obesity down the road.

 

[meowcow]

I'm honestly kind of surprised a cheeseburger is even an option at 18 months. No offense to your wife of course. I guess it's not the worst thing in the world, but I just hope it doesn't become a habit because maybe 1 or 2 cheeseburgers for now is not too bad, but if this becomes a habit then your child might get too used to fast food. I wish you both well and I hope you sort this out.

 

[Timothy]

I don't think you overreacted, honestly. I wouldn't like it, either, if I were in your shoes. However, obesity and obesity-related health problems run in my wife's family so she and I decided before our son was even born that we wouldn't feed him fast food. It's not healthy; not only is it ridiculously high in calories and fat, it offers no nutritional value, no vitamins, no minerals, etc. It's pure junk, and it's not going to do a growing child ANY good.

 

[BigPapa]

I would say that if it something that happens all the time, I would be upset. However, if it was the first time it happened and she only does it every now and then it would be okay. I don't feed my daughter that stuff but that's because we don't eat it either.

 

[Regis]

I've seen kids that young with hamburgers broken into little pieces on their highchairs. I don't see what the issue is especially since you think the kid is too small to begin with.

 

[Victor]

As an occasional treat, I don't see the problem. If "occasional" becomes "once a week", though, it's too much.

I don't understand how your son being small for his age is relevant to disapproving of fast food.

 

[polamalu43]

I think you and your wife should have talked about what your child could and could not eat prior to this happening. Your son was okay right? I mean he didn't choke? I would not have given my child a cheeseburger at 18 months but I'm not his parent.

 

[Isabellas2007]

I would have to say this is not a big deal. I know my son was eating so much food we would grind up his food for him at about 8 months old. The food was all different types and would be hot dogs, hamburger, peas, and anything else we could grind. However, the food was homemade and not bought from a restaurant.

 

[Bear]

I really don't see the big deal here. As long as it is an occasional treat a greasy Wendy's hamburger is not going to kill anyone. I have a 15 month old son and he occasionally eats french fries and hamburgers cut into managable pieces.

 

[themdno]

If it was a one time thing, I would say let it go. If this is a regular thing, than I would have a problem with it, too.

It's not really an acceptable thing for a kid to eat, but a one time treat isn't going to kill him.

I can relate to the mother-in-law backing up the wife in certain situations like this. You're only trying to look out for your kid, but you're the bad guy. Yeah...

 

[Enrique]

I agree with most of the guys here, if it was just that one time, then I think it's okay to let it pass. However, it should be made clear to your wife why you didn't approve of her feeding your child junk food. It was not overreaction on your part, but honest concern for the welfare of your kid.

 

[Geonarlie]

An 18 month child should definitely be not be eating a cheeseburger. My kids only get to eat a cheeseburger once a week, if that. 18 months is way to young to be eating anything like that so you're definitely not overreacting.

 

[Kina]

I've seen kids that young with hamburgers broken into little pieces on their highchairs. I don't see what the issue is especially since you think the kid is too small to begin with.

It was broken up into pieces, but when I see him, I think little heart, little arteries, little veins, BIG Cheeseburger. She has agreed not to do it again. Her thing about the situation is, she wants him to eat different kinds of food. My other two kids are real picky what they eat. They won't eat Chinese, Mexican, or any food they did not eat when growing up. She does not want him to be like that.

My argument is, I do not think he will have a problem eating cheeseburgers, plus being so young, food diversity is not an issue.

 

[Babar]

Eighteen months is way too young for that type of "junk" food. Plus I don't think the average toddler of that age is even prepared for a solid food of that nature. I would stress that you don't want it to happen again.

 

[R. Paradon]

I don't think it is something that is so bad on occasion. There are healthier foods available but a toddler at that age will burn up those extra calories in short time. The cheese and buns are nothing that "evil" and from what I understand the beef used at Wendy's is pretty good quality. I think that an occasional treat like that is fine.

 

[writer811]

It's not very healthy for an 18 month old (Or anyone else, I guess) but it won't hurt him if it doesn't become a habit. Just be careful that it doesn't become his favorite food. Fast food is convenient, cheap and usually tastes pretty good. It's easy to get "hooked" on it just like you would any other addictive substance.

 

[micromachne]

At 18 months getting fast food burgers with bacon? No offense, but are your wife and mother in law insane? I'm not a stickler on diets, but giving a child that's not even 2 years old food with that much grease and fat in it is always a bad idea.

 

[Bear]

Eighteen months is way too young for that type of "junk" food. Plus I don't think the average toddler of that age is even prepared for a solid food of that nature. I would stress that you don't want it to happen again.

How many teeth do you guys think an 18 month old has? My son just turned 16 months old and he could handle a cheeseburger broken into pieces with no problem. I don't give him steak or anything but he eats all kinds of chicken, pork chops (cut into small pieces), and one of his favorite foods is meatloaf (which is a lot like a cheeseburger).