Eating in the supermarket

I wouldn't let my kids eat anything until we were past the checkout. They have to learn that they can't always have everything immediately and it's a good way to teach them that good behaviour is rewarded. IMO children need to be taught self-control. The simple solution is to send dh/dp without the kids to do the big shop each week!

Snickers, out local Asda's has a creche which my kids love to go in. I do the shop and snatch a quick cup of coffee. It isn't cheap though, over a fiver for the two of them.....but worth it on a difficult day.

mumsnetters all sound lovely people - I feel a bit bad for being judgemental on all this stuff but then of course my ds is too young to have got up to all these shennanigans yet.
Eating in supermarkets seems OK by me according to all the examples given but I think that some people (not mumsnetters it seems )really are taking advantage of the system and just nicking loads of stuff - I've seen it happen quite a few times and I don't see any difference to just sticking the food in your bag to eat later - shoplifting either way. Of course I s'pose the evidence has disappeared.
This reminded me of the last time I bought stuff from a self service counter and saw this mum letting her kid pick stuff up, half eat it and put it back, play with the food and even drop it on the floor and then put it back on the counter without saying a word or leading him away. I thought that was pretty off, myself.

tallulah the difference is theres no biscuits or crisps in next or are they??and still cant see the problem with kids eating while you shop,big supermarkets trick us by putting sweets and crisps in every single isle or toys right next to the nappies,so i couldn`t care less if the loose some money over a few eaten grapes!!

Personally I think home delivery is the best invention ever, and is well worth the five quid. And yes my child then behaves impecably while playing at home waiting for the shopping to be delivered

Tallulah- my kids aren't so thick that they think clothes and electrical goods are worth eating. Obviously sources of entertainment in Next are trying on clothes and hiding behind dresses, in electrical shops pressing buttons is good for a laugh if you're little and bored. It's only Sainbos and Tesco where they'd eat the produce; they are quite clear on the different sorts of shops and what is fun (and acceptable) to do where.

Aaaah - for a penny for each of the things I said I would never do pre-baby...

I normally remember to bring a rusk or two for DD, but then I only have the one, and she's still a baby. so you kinda already go out with the kicthen sink under one arm. I remember clearly the first time I was in a supermarket, and she was REALLY not having any of it - and I reached for the biscuit which kept her quiet all the rest of the way around... ("I will never use food as a way to keep my children quiet" HAH!!! Double HAH HAH!!! - works a flippin treat!)

I think we all know there's different levels of acceptability and as a result people don't open the toy, or wear the clothes, but people might break open a packet of snacks, paying for it at the end.
Having to do shopping with kids can be a painful chore, and one that they can be incredibly bored with (let alone YOU!) and so I agree that mangers should think more about refreshments and things to amuse the kids as you go round - and NOT put tonnes of toys in aisle 2 to play on pester power to kick in just as you start your shop. hmmm.

Why are there no creches and/or supervised play areas in supermarkets?

I wouldn't let my DD eat in a clothes shop for obvious reasons, although she is in her pushchair generally. I try to go shopping between meals but as DD is so young (13 months) he still needs snalcks between meals as well. So, there is generally a need and I generally take something with me, like cubes of cheese, raisins, etc. Then I can just pop a bit in her mouth as we go round and it isn't so much of an issue.

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I thought what prompted you was the child in the next till eating grapes. I am confused here.

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Oh this isn't that controversial, is it? Seems like a bit of a non issue to me- almost everyone's said that their kids are allowed to chomp on certain foods during a supermarket shop but are not allowed to nick anything major, haven't they? Seems fairly standard practice to me... No offence to anyone who worries deeply about it, mind, and it's a nice thread, Tallulah- I love imagining mumsnetters shopping with their babes and hearing about who does what!

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Yes, it's very nice, edgarcat, but it's all down to my great parenting, doncha know?

(Mine aren't really faffing about refusing to go to bed while I ignore them and type stuff onto Mumsnet. Honest.)

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Yeh, eating in (only) supermarkets is ok with me. Especially considering a shop can take over an hour, and at the end of it your often spending upwards of 50 quid. If I was a supermarket manager, I'd even play on this, and maybe have staff hand out refreshments etc. Its all about customer satisfaction these days isnt it- loyalty is very important. I've even been known to munch on a few grapes on the way round the store, stealing maybe, but not much more of a loss for tesco/sainsbury than the 'free' rockford(sp?) cheese samples I ask for knowing full well its too expensive to buy a chunk. If the manager came up to me having a go about stealing grapes, I'd be well reluctant to go back, miserable old git.

agree with doormat, this sounds so judgemental "people shouldn't be eating in any shop" for gods sake - does it really matter. are there not more important things to worry about.

Griffy, I head straight for the comics the minute I set foot in the door! I always go to the supermarket with my own made-up drink for ds and a biscuit or an apple, but even though it's an apple I have paid for the previous week and brought from home, I have that uncomfortable feeling that people are tut-tutting, thinking ds is eating unpaid for fruit!

Regularly pick up dd from nursery and shop before going home. And as this co-incides with snack time, I'll let her eat food from the shop, and open a pack of wipes or tissues to clean her up with. I really don't see the problem with this,as long as you pay for it at the end. And like happyspider I used to eat stuff myself when pregnant as there were times when if I didn't get sugar I would have keeled over in the shop. I would love tallulah to come and show me how to communicate to a 12 month old baby that if she stops screaming with hunger for long enough for me to do my shopping she'll get a treat later

You'd never get Barbie out of the box before you got out the shop what with all the wires and plastic tags tying her in, Bobsmum! I do tell my kids that things aren't "theirs" until we've paid so can't be opened but I really wouldn't feel a serious wrong had occured if a young child was allowed to open a toy before payment had been made. Doubt you'd be allowed to swan about dripping with jewels, either, but yes, if the trying on policy allowed such behaviour then that's fine by me too.

I must admit that I quite happily let DS eat while going round the supermarket. I always make sure that it is scanned at the check-out, don't see a problem in that whatsoever, my DH is a shop manager and sees this happen all the time, as long as they are scanned at the till he doesn't have a problem with it.

Just playing devil's advocate, but is it therefore ok to open up a Barbie box and allow sprog to play with doll b4 buying? Similarly could i not walk round Harvey Nicks dripping with expensive jewellery/designer clothes and Jimmy Choos totally intending to buy them at the end of a long day's posing?

i let my children eat and drink in supermarkets and always pay for it of course
live and let live