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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this is a normal rule..

263 replies

Butterflykissess · 03/06/2018 15:44

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.

OP posts:
Yogeybear89 · 03/06/2018 18:58

Yes all my children sit at dining table when eating anything...as was relaxed about it before and my house was disgusting!...food on door handles/carpets/walls cause of sticky fingers.
So now they sit at the table regardless of what it is they are eating other than if they are poorly and film night (on both will cover cover sofa with extra throw over) so won't have to get sofa cleaned as much!
My advice OP is to buy throws to go over your sofas to protect them as much as possible as for bedroom can't help there...sorry

Beyondourmeans · 03/06/2018 19:00

Old friend leather sofa that wipes down and gets hoovered under the cushions once a fortnight - yes snacks allowed on it

Newer fabric sofa - the rule is no but every so often it needs reinforcing and sometimes I give in to dry snacks

Upstairs - no mainly because of my fear of mice

Beyondourmeans · 03/06/2018 19:00

Do you never have popcorn in front of a movie? Cup of tea and a biscuit? Takeaway in front of the telly??!

Wearelocal · 03/06/2018 19:02

Beyondourmeans

Yes adults are allowed tea, and biscuits on a plate Smile Smelly takeaway on a sofa...noooooo.

Original poster
Butterflykissess · 03/06/2018 19:16

Adults are different from kids. The food is kept in the fridge/cupboard

OP posts:
Original poster
Butterflykissess · 03/06/2018 19:18

My sofa is disgusting now and needs replacing when I can afford it (cushions don't come off so can't be washed) I always see houses with lovely fabric sofas and don't rugs . I don't think they allow their kids to eat on them!

OP posts:
CheshireChat · 03/06/2018 19:41

I lived in a really strict household regarding crumbs and not eating at the table and found it a pain (though I respected the rules as I understood the reasons) so I allow food on the sofa within reason, but we have a couple of sets of throws that get washed routinely.

No food in his room as it's right next to the living room so there's no reason really.

DS is 3 and pretty good about cleaning after himself (loves vacuuming) but I do make him always take a plate or a little bowl for crumbs and apple cores etc as kitchen is on the other side of the house and we only keep recycling in the very small bin in the living room.

icelollycraving · 03/06/2018 19:44

We have no dining table. Dh and I always have dinner on our laps. Ds has a small table just for him. No food upstairs except sweets at a push.

GetInMyNelly · 03/06/2018 19:48

Personally I don't see the issue with letting a child eat snacks on the sofa......however family would call my child feral if I didn't enforce it as they make all children sit/stand at a table for a bloody biscuit!!

Wanderwall · 03/06/2018 19:51

Normal rule in this house. They never do it to be honest

BitchQueen90 · 03/06/2018 19:59

I eat dinner on the sofa as I have no dining table. DS has a small one of his own that he eats dinner at as he's a messy eater and I don't want him dropping stuff on my sofa. The floor is laminate so any spills are easily wiped.

We don't have an upstairs as we're in a flat but no food in the beds. I don't eat in bed either.

MrTumblesSpottyHag · 03/06/2018 20:14

We have a no food upstairs rule but I'm expecting that to change when they're older. They can eat on the sofa, we usually eat dinner at the table but if they're having sandwiches or something for lunch they usually eat on the sofa.
We're hopefully having the house remodelled so we have a kitchen/diner rather than a separate dining room which means they'll eat more often- atm they're too little to sit at the table by themselves for long because they'll wander off while I'm washing up or whatever whereas I can see them on the sofa while I'm in the kitchen so it's easier.

livingthegoodlife · 03/06/2018 20:17

No food on sofa here or bedrooms. Only at the kitchen table or dining table, or outside.

SleepingStandingUp · 03/06/2018 20:27

I'm not sure I'd want my 4 yo with unlimited access to snacks anyway tbh.

What happened when you found him on the floor cutting up his cookie?

Myotherusernameisbest · 03/06/2018 20:29

No food on sofas or bedroom here. Kids follow the rule no problem. (I have teens and nursery age)

Mooneyes · 03/06/2018 20:34

Food at the table here too. Dry snacks eg jellies, popcorn in front of the TV when watching a movie.

I relaxed the rule last year when I was ill and we were in the middle of moving. The sofa became incredibly dirty very quickly, and it wasn't like the DC had any noticeable accidents or spillages - all those little drips and cribs added up.

Our house is small, and I've lived in tiny flats before but I've always tried to fit a table in somewhere. It makes life easier in the long run

Di11y · 03/06/2018 20:40

Did you give the 4yo the brownie? In which case I'd have put it on a plate and directed him to the table.

If he'd managed to sneak it to his room I'd have got the hoover out and expected him to have a go cleaning up the crumbs with the small attachment.

If he'd got the brownie without my permission, crumbs on the carpet would be the least of his worries.

Stillwishihadabs · 03/06/2018 20:46

Like others we have a kitchen sofa, we have hard floors in the living room. Snack on the sofas=ok but please put your plate in the dishwasher, packets in the bin. Food upstairs, absolutely no way. They are 11 and 14.

Butterflyhulk · 04/06/2018 13:12

I haven't read the full thread but we don't have room for a table so we eat all meals and snacks on the sofa, the crumbs get brushed off and hovered up and they have trays for meals even though my oldest is still quite messy and gets food on the sofa so I do have to wash all the covers more than I'd like but there is nowhere else for them to sit I'm not going to make them sit on the floor, my youngest (4) doesn't really go in his room but my 8 year old does and she often snacks in there but must bring bowls/plates out when she's finished and only has drinks in a beaker with a lid in her room so no spillages

Sleepless123456789 · 04/06/2018 13:22

We always had those until we reached our teens - we usually made our own breakfasts / lunches at weekends, so were allowed to eat in our rooms as long as we brought the stuff down - this was enforced, my brother was banned from eating upstairs for a month when he was 15-ish because he'd collect all his pots all day, then bring them down at about half 11 after the dishwasher was on! Only ever ate popcorn on the sofa if we were watching a film, and even then when we were little we sat on the floor to eat instead

bullyingadvice2017 · 04/06/2018 13:31

No messy food on the sofa or drinks. To be fair I'm pretty relaxed, we have a canine vacuum cleaner who has her own place on the sofa so no crumbs ever. This also means if they sneak any plates upstairs then no chance of them going mouldy.

averythinline · 04/06/2018 13:37

No food upstairs/bedrooms here except for breakfast in bed on birthday (and even thats for adults really Grin) I would have gone mad at a child cutting a brownie up on the floor. time to learn how to use the hoover...
On the sofa - generally not however sometimes a snack/popcorn watching a film sort of thing.....
I wouldnt give a child sitting on te hsofa a cookie though.....if they want a cookie then they come to teh table to have it..
I am a lazy arse housekeeper...this reduces work! food everywhere is horrible and likely to encourage pests

dogsdinnerlady · 04/06/2018 14:00

If they just 'ignore you' I'd suggest locking all food/snacks/drinks out of their reach until they give in Grin. Works in my house.

BadTasteFlump · 04/06/2018 14:12

We used to have an 'only eat at the dinner table' rule when the DC were young - it was the only way to stop food being mashed into carpets and furnishings. Now they're older it's a bit more relaxed but we do still all eat our main evening meal together at the table - mainly because it's sometimes the only time we all sit in the same room and talk to each other Grin

missnevermind · 04/06/2018 14:37

No food upstairs here. Have a 20 yo and a 17 yo as well as little ones. Sometimes the eldest will swipe biscuits or chocolate to take up, but nothing else. And never meals or 'real food'.
No wet food on sofa and all drinks away from the table must be lidded. Adults excepted from this rule.