To think this is a normal rule..

[Butterflykissess]

that children are not allowed to eat food in bedrooms or on sofas?! Does anyone allow their children to do this? as much as I tell my children they are not allowed food upstairs or on the sofa they ignore me and do it anyway. Aib u in thinking this is normal and most parents don't allow it.

How old are they Op?

It doesn’t matter what other people do. Your children have got used to breaking the rule and this will make it difficult to enforce now.

When you say you tell them off, it doesn’t sound like you stop them doing it and move them to the table?

How old are they?

I have 3 sons, 20,15 and 12 they have never taken food or drinks to their bedroom (except water) if they want food they come down to kitchen, we eat most meals at table but have snacks etc watching tv and occasional takeaway on trays. Even as little ones they were not allowed to wander around eating food, it was either at table or I’d put a little picnic cloth on floor if they were having lunch watching tv. Ignoring me wouldn’t be an option I’m afraid.

No food upstairs is not my rule but it's within normal range. I think the no food at all on the sofa may be a little much though - what if you're having a movie night and want popcorn? How old are the kids?

All meals and snacks at the table here. Only drinks not at the table are in sports bottles.

We were allowed as children but I don't let DS. We were pretty neat and sensible with food whereas he is totally oblivious.

To stop them you have to be 100% on top of enforcing the rule and stop them whenever you see them in the process of doing it, plus go postal if you discover it after the fact. That last part mainly because it's already an established behaviour so it's going to take more to change it. Or you get them on board and agreeing so that they police themselves/each other and just need reminders.

At the moment they do it anyway because they either don't think you're serious or they think it doesn't matter. So make it matter or get them onside and it will work. For example one of my friends is extremely strict about this because she absolutely can't deal with the inevitable move-in of ants. Her kids also don't like ants so they understand that food other than at the table = ants and they will police guests on it as well.

Mine will sit eating cookies on them then they are full of crumbs surely people can't be washing their sofas daily becAuse of food crumbs and stains?

Well stop telling them off and start giving them natural consequences. Crumbs on the sofa? They clean it.

How old are the children? Do you have different rules for children and adults? Do you never have breakfast in bed? A slice of toast even? Never, even occasionally, have a snack on the sofa? A TV dinner on a tray? I get the bedroom rule, though I do break it at ours. Breakfast in bed at a weekend is a nice treat for me. I think your rules are a bit draconian, to be honest, but I'm not especially bothered about the furniture - our sofa is about 25 years old, so past its best anyway, but it does have a throw, so it doesn't matter if it gets the odd crumb.

We don’t have this as a rule but all meals are eaten at the table. Snack after school is standing in the kitchen. No need for food in bedrooms or anywhere else.

Food is eaten in the kitchen, preferably at the table. The teens follow that rule just fine. I don't tell them what to eat or when, just where to eat it.

You're the grown up so parent your kids.
If you're so bothered by food in rooms or on the sofa then don't let them do it.

Have the row about not eating on the sofa all the time with my teens. It drives me mental as they do it when I'm not in and then spill bits of ketchup/ chocolate/ ice cream, etc.

I allow snacks in the bedroom but not cooked food. Again though, they ignore this rule when I'm not in.

Not sure what else to do though . They get told off but still ignore me.

Punish them then

NO food upstairs rule here.

Just put the cookie on a plate? Or if they're that young that they can't eat it without getting crumbs everywhere, then it would have to be the table. Surely most people, other than possibly teenagers who could clean up after themselves, don't eat in bedrooms anyway?

I'm no food on sofa and no food in car, and when DC was baby, no food in buggy.

I let mine eat the odd snack on the sofa, but not full meals. No food upstairs is a rule in our house. It's just antisocial.

My home is far from a show home trust me! I'm struggling to keep up with the mess, 4 kids under 8 and a single parent. I could tell them to clean it but they wouldn't do it properly this thr ead was because my son has just brought a chocolate brownie upstairs and was cutting it up on his carpet with the end of a comb . Surprised most people allow it though as I thought most didn't .

Having to eat all food at the table sounds pretty harsh, what's wrong with the odd meal in front of the TV?

I don't like food in bedrooms and find the idea of breakfast in bed very unappealing but life's too short to be anal about all food and drinks at the table imo.

Easy to police with toddlers but what are you going to do when you have children who you leave at home without you?

I have no-food & no hard-things on trampolene rules. Food on Sofa & upstairs fine.

We eat wherever it suits us to eat. Meals are usually at the kitchen table, but we're preparing to move so things are too upside down in there. DS (2) has been eating his meals at his little plastic table in the front room. I've been eating on the sofa with a tray. I don't particularly like this arrangement, but it's temporary and the easiest thing to do at the moment.
Snacks he always has in the front room. He likes to graze, so I always put a plate of snacks out for him (something like fruit, breadsticks and dip, little crackers etc).

We've also been know to eat in bed (again snacks, not meals) while watching a film.
Not unreasonable to want food consumed in the kitchen/dining room at all times though. It's whatever suits you IMO. A bit of firm persistence or perhaps removal of treat snacks if they don't listen?

I have a No Food Off the Ground Floor rule, I simply was not prepared to be chasing around for crockery. Also until they could manage to eat nicely off their laps it was food always at the table.

No wandering, no crumbies, use a bloody plate and never wipe your hands on my furniture!

I don't allow messy meal to be eaten on the sofa as it's fabric but not too bothered about anything else. So things like pasta or curry needs to be eaten at the table or if they want to watch tv and eat then on the floor as it's laminate flooring so easy to clean. Snacks and things like sandwiches/toast however can be eaten on the sofa.

No eating on the sofa (it was new last year) or in bedrooms in this house. It's easy to enforce OP - they don't get the snack if they can't stick to the rule!

we have that same rule, unless children are ill (or if i have work all over the dining room table and cant be arsed clearing it, i do a "picnic" blanket on their bedroom floor and they eat there