What would your punishment be for this....

[Soubriquet]

We have discovered that food the dc don’t want to eat has been shoved under the wardrobe

It was found purely by chance.

We don’t normally move the wardrobe to hoover under it because it’s so big and cumbersome. It’s been under there so long it’s gone mouldy

They are both grounded tomorrow but what else could happen?

They have been eating in their room because there isn’t real room in the living room (very small room) and we eat different times as I’m in bed early due to night shift work.

The first thing we have done is squeezed a small amount of space in so they can no longer eat unsupervised. It will be an extremely tight squeeze but a necessary evil

I wouldn't punish I would ask myself why didn't they feel able to leave the food they didn't want on their plates instead? Do you get cross or tell them to eat even when they don't want to? Then I'd have a chat about never feeling as though they can't leave the food they don't want on their plates going forward.

5 and 7.
They don't need punishing, you need to be more of a parent.
Letting them eat alone in their room at that age!
Your in the wrong not them

It sounds completely dysfunctional for small children to be eating unsupervised in their bedrooms anyway! That's your fault, not theirs

I really hope you’re a troll

They are much too young to be eating alone

They're banished to their bedroom to eat alone which is a terrible set up. They can't be bothered to properly deal with the waste because they're infants and don't think about consequences. Don't punish them, and try to create a more normal mealtime routine.

We’ve had to move from a biggish house to a really small one so things have been difficult to manage

Their bedroom is bigger than the living room

I have the smallest bedroom as I sleep alone so it made sense for them to have the table in there for them. That worked for a long time. I don’t know what’s changed. It will be something that I have to speak to them tomorrow as they are asleep right now.

No punishment required.

Also, grounding seems completely pointless given we’re in lockdown?

Op how long are the children spending alone in their bedrooms?

I’m not sure it’s fair to punish this. I can’t really believe that a 5 and 7yr old have been left to eat alone in their room. As other posters have said, a conversation about why they shouldn’t hide the food is most appropriate in this situation.

No punishment. This kind of thing seems inevitable if they’re eating alone and unsupervised, they’re too young and it just seems really unsociable. Good you’ve been able to create some space for them to eat outside the bedroom,

Ofhs they are so young. Make them eat in the kitchen and forget about punishing them. Just don’t do it again

You can't ground children if you're expecting snow!

I wouldn’t punish them. I’d explain why it’s not a good idea to hide food (tell them they might get rats in their bedroom!) and give them the benefit of the doubt.

Can you not sit with them with a cup of tea while they eat? Who watches them when you are on night shift?

This is really quite odd and Im genuinely happy to help if this is genuine. Are you managing okay in general op? What prompted the move? Have they always eaten alone? What else is going on?

Definitely can’t eat in the kitchen. There’s only just room to walk in and out.

Add one more person and it’s an even tighter squeeze

And they aren’t in their room all the time. They come into my room for schooling with me. Go in there to eat and then we sit downstairs to watch tv, read stories etc

And dh watches them...we just sleep separately

Definitely no punishment, especially at that young age.
I would show them the mould, ask them why they had hidden the food, check that they understood why it wasn't a good idea to do this - and ask that they don't do it again, just bring the plate down and scrape it into the bin / food waste or whatever.
To be honest I'm shocked that small children like that are eating alone. At that age, I think it's REALLY important that meals in general take place at the table and with other family members. They need to learn that sharing food together is a nice social thing, not something to be hidden away and punished for. You must have room for a table somewhere? Even if just a side table pushed up to the sofa or if not, a tray on a lap?
As a parent of teens, we would hardly see each other if we didn't do eat together. Our mealtimes are the big debrief of the day.

There is literally no room for a table

The choice would be them sitting on the sofa with a tray, or sitting at a table in their room

I would have made mine clean it up (they are 2 and 4 so no doubt I'm the wicked witch of the west according to some of the posters on here). I would also have given them a stern telling off.

Other than that I wouldn't punish them though. I would make sure future meals and snacks are supervised. We have "snack boxes"(just a Tupperware) where leftover lunch etc gets put and they get it again later if they're hungry.

Why are they eating alone in their bedroom at that age

I wouldn’t be punishing them I’d be looking at better living arrangements.

Goodness you sound cold. Please don’t punish these poor little children.

Please don’t punish them for it

Besides the fact it’s extremely sad they are having to eat their meal alone, I’d be massively concerned over if they choked on something.

I would make them clean it up with me and discuss why it is a bad idea.

Is this snacks or meals? Do you sit with them for meals at all? Are you a single parent and going to bed when they are up? (I don't really get why your shift work means they eat in their bedroom, although I understand about space). They are pretty young and probably need more mealtime supervision going forward. Hiding it is concerning, rather than just leaving it on the table and going off to play.

Agree 5 and 7 far too young to eat alone in their bedroom which adult is providing the meal and where are they eating theirs?