12 Best and Worst Fast Food Kids' Meals

You can't always rely on the calorie count to figure out the healthiest option.

You’re aware that you should feed your grandkids healthy, balanced meals, but sometimes the ease of a drive-thru and fast food wins. And that’s okay - as long as it’s not all the time. “You should be going infrequently to fast food [restaurants],” says Kristin Kirkpatrick, M.S., R.D., and Manager of Wellness Nutrition Services at Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute. When you do visit a fast food restaurant, however, you can make healthier choices for your grandchild and yourself - and the best choices might surprise you. “There’s a very big difference between the qualities of calories [in a meal] vs. the quantity,” Kirkpatrick says. Find out the best choices at popular fast food chains here.

KFC: Worst
Chicken Little Meal
Calories: 1,050
Fat: 42 grams (10g saturated)
Sugar: 41 grams

This chicken sandwich meal is one of the worst picks of the bunch. A chicken little sandwich with mayo, applesauce, potato wedges, and two-percent milk packs a whopping 1050 calories, 42 grams of fat (10 grams saturated), 132 grams of carbs, and 41 grams of sugar into one kid’s meal. It also contains 1,870 milligrams of sodium, more than the 1,500 mg that the American Heart Association recommends for an entire day.

KFC: Best
Drumstick Kids Meal
Calories: 200
Fat: 4 grams (1g saturated)
Sugar: 21 grams

This kid’s meal contains grilled chicken drumsticks, applesauce, a choice of one side and a drink. If you choose green beans and a Capri Sun Roarin’ Waters Tropical Fruit drink, your grandchild will consume just 200 calories, 4 grams of fat and only 1 gram of saturated fat, and 21 grams of sugar. Swap the Capri Sun for water and it’s just 13 grams of sugar.

Wendy's: Worst
Chicken Nuggets, Fries, and a Jr. Classic Chocolate Frosty
Calories: 650
Fat: 28 grams (8g saturated)
Sugar: 36 grams

Wendy’s 4-piece chicken nuggets have just 230 calories on their own, but they also have 13 grams of fat in a serving. Adding fries and a Jr. Chocolate Frosty brings this meal up to 650 calories, 28 grams of fat and 8 grams of saturated fat. This is not to say that you can never give your grandchild a Frosty or fries for a treat, but opt for just one (not both) and pair it with apple slices and a lower-calorie main meal, like the grilled chicken wrap without cheese or a hamburger (240 calories, 9 grams of fat).

Wendy's: Best
Grilled Chicken Wrap (without cheese) with apple slices and water
Calories: 240
Fat: 7 grams (2g saturated)
Sugar: 10 grams

Wraps are tricky: Although many parents will say they’re the healthier option, says Kirkpatrick, it’s not always true. Sometimes wraps contain sugary, fat-laden sauces and fried chicken instead of grilled chicken, which tacks on calories and fat. In fact, Wendy’s grilled chicken wrap with cheese has 10 grams of fat, slightly more than a kid’s hamburger. Remove the cheese, however, and add tomatoes for some extra vitamins (if your grandchild will eat them) and the wrap has just 240 calories, 7 grams of fat (2g saturated), and contains healthy fats - polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. Add apple slices for an extra 35 calories and 7 grams of sugar and water for a low-cal meal.

McDonald's: Worst
Cheeseburger Happy Meal with Fries
Calories: 590
Fat: 18 grams (7g saturated)
Sugar: 35 grams

The McDonald’s cheeseburger Happy Meal with fries, Go-Gurt, and fat-free chocolate milk contains 590 calories, 18 grams of fat (7g of that is saturated fat), and 35 grams of sugar. If your grandchild won’t touch a burger without cheese, sub the fries for apple slices and forgo milk or juice in favor of water. These swaps save 220 calories, cut the sugar content almost in half, and lower total fat by 5 grams.

McDonald's: Best
Hamburger Happy Meal
Calories: 400
Fat: 9 grams (3.5g saturated)
Sugar: 35 grams
"A small burger is sometimes actually the best choice," Kirkpatrick says. Although the chicken McNuggets meal with apple slices, yogurt, and one-percent milk has slightly fewer calories at 340, the hamburger meal has less fat because it hasn’t been fried. Kirkpatrick advises to always choose a non-fried option, like a burger, because frying can elevate the saturated fat content and, depending on the frying oil, add trans fats, both of which can raise the risk of heart disease. The hamburger meal with apple slices, Go-Gurt strawberry flavored low-fat yogurt, and apple juice has 400 calories, 9 grams of fat (3.5 saturated fat), and 35 grams of sugar. Opting for water over juice brings this meal down to just 320 calories and 16 grams of sugar. The hamburger meal with apple slices and fat free milk is the best option at Burger King, as well, with 350 calories and 9 grams of fat.

Chipotle: Worst
Kid's Chicken and Cheese Quesadilla with Chips
Calories: 1090
Fat: 41 grams (11g saturated)
Sugar: 23.5 grams

In terms of calories, this option is the worst on our list. With a chicken and cheese quesadilla, brown rice, black beans, chips, and a chocolate milk, this meal tops out at 1090 calories and 41 grams of fat. The chips, which go in the fryer, significantly raise the fat levels. The takeaway: You can add chicken or other meat and even treat your grandchild with a chocolate milk (which has 130 calories and 2 grams of fat), but stay away from the chips.

Chipotle: Best
Kid's Cheese Quesadilla with Fruit and Milk
Calories: 485
Fat: 13 grams (7g saturated)
Sugar: 17.5 grams

Chipotle's kids meals come with either tacos or a quesadilla with a side of rice and beans, fruit or chips, and a drink. The healthiest option here is a corn tortilla with brown rice, pinto beans, mandarins, and regular milk for 485 calories and 13 grams of fat.

Chik-Fil-A: Worst
Chick-n-Strips Kid’s Meal with Waffle Potato Fries and Chocolate Milk
Calories: 700
Fat: 31 grams (7g saturated)
Sugar: 24 grams

The two-piece fried Chick-n-Strips contain 12 grams of fat on their own. Pair them with waffle potato fries and a chocolate milk and this meal weighs in at 700 calories, 31 grams of fat and 7 grams of saturated fat. If your grandchild refuses the grilled nuggets, the regular nuggets kid’s meal is a slightly better option with 200 calories and 10 grams of fat on their own.

Chik-Fil-A: Best
Grilled Nuggets Kid’s Meal with Fruit Cup
Calories: 145
Fat: 3 grams (1g saturated)
Sugar: 11 grams

Kirkpatrick recommends avoiding the fryer by opting for grilled chicken without breading. Chik-Fil-A is the only fast food restaurant to offer grilled nuggets, one of the healthiest kid’s meal choices. Choosing a 6-piece grilled nuggets kid’s meal with a fruit cup and water amounts to only 145 calories, just 3 grams of fat, and 1 gram of saturated fat.

Subway: Worst
Roast Beef Mini
Calories: 455
Fat: 8 grams (4.5g saturated)

The mini sub alone contains 200 calories and 3 grams of fat (1g saturated). The addition of apple slices and a reduced-fat chocolate milk brings the total meal up to 455 calories and 8 grams of fat with 4.5 grams of saturated fat. If the grandkids are dead set on roast beef, you can make it healthier by swapping the milk for water and forgoing any unhealthy add-ons, like mayonnaise, bacon, cheese, or dressings. “Avoid BBQ sauce, sweet and sour, ranch, and honey mustard dressings since they contain high amount of sugar and fat,” says Kirkpatrick. The best option choosing some lettuce, tomato, and yellow mustard, Kirkpatrick says.

Subway: Best
Turkey Breast Mini Sub with apples and low-fat milk
Calories: 315
Fat: 4.5 grams (1.5g saturated)
Sugar: 24 grams

While Subway's best choice for kids is the Veggie Delite mini sub (just 285 calories with apple slices and a low-fat milk), most kids probably wouldn't touch a veggie-laden sub. The next best option is the Turkey Breast Mini Sub with a side of apples and a low-fat milk for a total of 315 calories. Replacing milk with water shaves off 100 calories and 2.5 grams of fat.