To ask our guest not to eat the baby-food?

[IslandCanary]

DH's friend and his partner are staying for a few nights. I've met her on 2 occasions, she seems very nice, normal, friendly.

On their arrival I told them to help themselves to anything from kitchen, showed them the snacks cupboard, fruit, fridge etc. Plenty of biscuits, chocolate, crackers, cake, yogurts, cheese etc. Baby food is in bottom half of cupboard.

This morning I found 2 empty jars of Heinz baby porridge in the recycling, along with an empty pouch of purred mango. Mid-morning I noticed her eating a baby cocoa-vanilla dessert straight from the jar!

I don't know what to do! DH thinks it's hilarious and says not to mention it. I'm irritated as the jars are expensive, they are for DS and there is plenty of other food.

AIBU to think this is really weird and rude? Should I hide the jars or let her carry on?

I wonder what she was planning on eating if you didn't have a bountiful supply of baby food in jars and tubes.

Is she eating those plus meals?

This is hilarious. Hide the food in your room and keep quiet they will be gone soon. It is funny though what an odd lady!

I want to know the same things too - if she is eating the baby food as snacks between meals because she likes how they taste that's one thing, and yes rude! I don't have children but even I know baby food is not cheap.

If she is replacing meals with the baby food then that's frankly unhealthy to me. I know there was a fad about baby food diets that some Hollywood actresses were into a few years ago (which doesn't make it sound any more legitimate either) but it isn't a good sign about her relationship with food.

She is eating dinner with us though she picks at it. Breakfast and lunch I'm not sure as we all help ourselves at different times.

She is slightly underweight but looks healthy.

I have just moved most of the jars! If she asks I'll tell her I've dropped them off at DS' nursery for his meals. In the cupboard I've left some pouches of banana-rice (which he dislikes), turkey-parsnip casserole and multigrain carrot rice that you have to mix with milk. Am interested to see if she eats any of those!!

Haha yes thats a good idea i have a few shelves half full of things dd doesnt like or wont eat and i cant bring myself to chuck out [Grin]

I am sorry i should laugh but I do think this is very funny, if it was food she bought with her cause of a special diet thats different but the circumstances have really tickled me. Some folks are just odd! You gotta laugh she will be gone soon. You will have to stock up on cheapo ones next time and hide the good stuff lol

'Shouldnt laught'

Laugh!!

I give up!

Indeed, you'll always have this as a crazy guest anecdote OP! :)

I'm fascinated by what she would have eaten if you didn't have a baby.

Has she stated before? Imagine when her boyfriend suggested it "so a few days with Sue & David,they have a baby" "A bsby?! When are we going?!"

She's beeing a dick,I can't believe she thought it was okay to take a baby's food and then to do it in front of you.

Your much more laid back than I am,I would have had a go at her if she'd tried to eat the baby's food in front or me.

I know you've said you can afford to replace it but does she know that,if not then that makes it even worse and the fact that you now have to replace what she's eaten.

They're last day there I'd give her a bill for eaten baby food.

Maybe I'm alone here but I couldn't stand in someone's kitchen and just help myself to food from the cupboard in front of them.

It's well weird and my only guess is she did not realise it was for babies! Do they have kids?

I would just tell her, that little pit of mango stuff was for the baby, you are welcome to everything else but the baby food is just for baby.

Maybe she has a small appetite and thinks these are food for people with small appetite.

A simple "that's not for adults, it's baby food." Should suffice. If she argues the toss just explain, everything else is on offer but we have only limited food in the cupboard for the baby.

The other option is her partner has dared her to do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This looks the start of a Crackanory or Tales of the Unexpected story!

I'd be proper pissed

I have special food requirements due to allergies so I take my own food with me! I think she should have done the exact same. What was she planning if you didn't use baby food?

It may be an ED but usually those with ED's aren't proud of it and don't parade it around or draw attention to it? Seems like she's trying to be quirky or genuinely has no respect/manners. Especially as she had no shame in telling you.

I wouldn't be happy but I'd likely mention it to her OH instead to see if he could shed better light on it or if he could purchase some baby food for her.

She must have an eating disorder, sad really

Very odd and unreasonable behaviour, but you should have asked her to stop eating them when she said she knew they were baby food and liked them. I would've thought 'help yourself to anything' didn't need qualifying to 'anything sensible'. As others have pointed out, nobody would think it was reasonable if she roasted a beef joint for breakfast or ate a couple of bulbs of fresh garlic, even though technically those would be fine if you apply a literal filter to what you said. However she's obviously got a weird way of thinking about food, so the last conversation you had with her was your 'in' to tell her to stop doing it.

If she had an eating disorder and would only eat baby food then it would make more sense if OP found a lot of empty jars in the spare bedroom after they'd gone as I imagine she would bring her own; as pp said people with eating disorders tend to try to hide them, not parade them around in front of others.

Unless she is extremely good friends with OP I doubt she would have known there would be jars of baby food available at OP's house.

I suspect she's just very ill mannered and has no idea how to behave in other people's homes and she's just picking at her meals because she's full up from all the jars she's eating.

Very odd behaviour, she has an issue of some sort (eating or social interaction) I think you've done the right thing thus far. I wouldn't say anything (but not sure I'd want them back).
But I also feel vey uncomfortable in other homes just helping myself to food.

That takes some brass neck! What sort of normal, reasonable adult thinks it's okay to not only raid a friend's cupboards/fridge for food, but to take food specifically for a baby? Has she no social awareness at all?

If she picks at dinner and you don't see her eat lunch I think eating disorder too.