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It’s been a long day at the office, the shop, the day-care center, the park, the mall, the market – or any combination of these. You’re too tired to think, never mind cook. Your toddler’s too hungry to wait, and too cranky to sit in a restaurant and be waited on. Those golden arches or that drive-trough window beckon seductively, promising a quick, inexpensive, and virtually effortless family meal. You waver, and then as the pleas (“I wanna kid’s meal! I wanna kid’s meal”) drown out any remnants of your resolve (“No kid of mine is going to eat fast food”) you relent. As you watch your toddler gleefully dunking greasy fries and chicken nuggets into sugary ketchup and barbeque sauce with the kind of appetite that young children seem to reserve for foods their parents don’t want them to eat, you silently vow to be stronger next time – knowing, deep inside, that you’re vowing in vain.

But don’t be too hard on yourself. Fast-food franchises cater to the most basic human needs, and when you’re the harried parent of a toddler, you’re only human for responding. But do keep fast-food excursions from compromising your toddler’s overall diet – and health – by adhering (at least, most of the time) to these caveats:

• Don’t make fast-food a habit. Try to limit your visits to fast food restaurants to a couple of times a month at most. Make these fast food meals an occasion that you and your toddler can look forward to enjoying together.

• Ask for a side of nutrition information. Many fast food restaurants will provide, on request, a nutritional breakdown of their menu items. This information can help guide your selections.

• Cut your nutritional losses, when possible. More fast food chains are offering “lighter”, “leaner”, and “healthier” options – everything from less fatty burgers to whole grain buns to put them on. Pizza is also nutritionally sound selection (but “blot” any excess grease with a paper napkin first), as is a baked potato stuffed with cheese and broccoli. Selections form a salad bar – most are stocked with grated carrots, shredded cheese, chick peas (halve or mash for a young toddler), cottage cheese, and other toddler suitable foods in addition to things green and leafy – make worthy accompaniments to a fast food meal. The occasional toddler who loves salad can even make a meal out of salad for selections, especially when there is pasta or baked potato among the choices. (but avoid drowning salad fixing in ladlesful of high-fat dressings). Frozen yogurt can make a nutritious desert (at least when compared to pies and cookies). Ordering a container of milk or orange juice instead of soda or high fat milk shake can also help improve the meal’s nutritional profile.

• Compensate cleverly. Your toddler’s had nary a nibble of anything nutritious. No problem – just head home for an after dinner carrot, plateful of cantaloupe cubes, a whole grain muffin.

• Don’t spoil the treat with guilt. If you’re not overdoing the visits to fast food restaurants, you’re not putting your toddler’s health in jeopardy. So hold the guilt, relax, enjoy.