AIBU to find using food as play material really irresponsible at the moment?

[Gabilou]

Just as the title says really. I keep seeing people making salt dough decorations using half (!!!) a bag of flour. That's over 2 sour loaves... also painting pasta, using it for sensory play, along with flour. It just seems there is a shortage of those ingredients and people aren't even using them for food! Am I being an unreasonable grump or is that just plain irresponsible and wasteful?

Some of these parents have children with learning difficulties who "mouth" and sensory food play is safest

I dont think anyone would have an issue with that. As the mother of a (now adult) son with SN, we do what we can to get through the day.

My issue is with the needless waste of food when there is a clear directive to leave the house as little as possible, and when there is a potential supply issue coming up in the next few weeks. Why waste food if you dont need to?

The answers here are classic "I'm alright Jack, pull the ladder away". So your supermarkets are fully stocked, good for you. So if you dont waste food then further supplies can be redirected to where there are shortages.

I must have misunderstood "we are all in this together".

The nursery school my daughter used to work at never used food anything other than eating. It was their ethos that there are people in the world who desperately need food and none should be wasted. That being said I can understand parents using what is to hand to entertain their children. Everything in moderation I guess.

Off to pick the fence splinters out of my arse!!

@RubbishRobotFromTheDawnOfTime

Yes dear

The shops here are fully stocked. Panic buying is over

The shops where I live are far from fully stocked.

And are empty of flour,

I am eking out what I had when my DH went down with C19 11 days ago. I asked a neighbour to bring me a bag of bread flour from the supermarket as I am making out bread: there is none.

I sincerely hope people are using old flour rather than flour I could have bought for food.

Can’t use food can’t use plastic toys using Wood is cutting down rain forest it gets silly. I get that we all need to be mindful of things but you have to take some enjoyment from life or really what’s the point.

And I don't know why everyone is banging on about bread being essential. If food really does genuinely become scarce you are going tinned to think outside the box. My days of pooping out for bread and milk are over. If we run out of what i bought last weekend we're going to have to eat what we do have because I'm not popping into a shop unnecessarily before next weekend at the earliest.

I’ve never used food for play with my DC and my life has been pretty enjoyable nevertheless. What a ridiculous statement 🙄

I think YANBU OP but I’ve never liked the idea of playing with food, it feels wrong and wasteful. Especially now. Although I went to a supermarket on Sunday and things were almost back to normal stock wise.

My days of pooping out for bread and milk are over. If we run out of what i bought last weekend we're going to have to eat what we do have because I'm not popping into a shop unnecessarily before next weekend at the earliest.
Exactly. I did a shop on Sunday and it will last us for a week. If we run out of bread or someone randomly fancies something, tough luck. We’ll manage. Yet some people still think nothing of popping in for a bloody scratchcard or a Twix, ffs.

misssingerbrains was that aimed at me ? The point I was making was whatever you choose for to use with your children someone always finds fault.

I've also always disliked the use of food for play, perhaps because growing up we were incredibly skint. It just seems so wasteful.

DH is French and I think he'd have a heart attack if we'd played with food.

Have also managed to raise a totally normal child nonetheless.

@Beepboop22 : not strictly adhering to the point of this thread but have you checked here : covidmutualaid.org/ you might find someone who can help...

Otherwise maybe Morrison’s still have some of their essentials boxes?

I tried to get one of the morrisons boxes for disabled DS who lives independently, they are saying out of stock :(

My days of pooping out

That is definitely not one of the reasons to leave the house permitted by the guidelines.

Sorry to hear that@PyongyangKipperbang . I did wonder if they’d be sold out as they obviously would appeal to lots of people...

There isn't a food shortage. There is a supply problem and there was plenty in the shops today. Get over yourself.

Only if you can get to shops. Did you even @Beepboop22 post?!

I'm alright Jack.......

read

I had to laugh when DD showed me today's school work. Baking. I told her to email her teacher back and say she can't do it because we just don't have the ingredients to waste, especially not the flour and we can't just pop out for more.

Wasting food on projects just means one more 'essential shop' you'll have to do down the line.

Yanbu.

I agree. I have some friends in our group who over the last 2 weeks have shared pics of their children (all only children) playing in / with a bag of flour/ pasta and one letting her kids play snowmen using loo rolls to wrap each other in.
Any other time I wouldn't notice much but right now people are struggling to pay for or find foods and some products.

It's almost like these adults are trying to be 'naughty' as the kids don't care so much!

And if anyone wants to send me some SR flour please feel free. There's non in the ASDA, Tesco or Aldi, (even if I could get a supermarket delivery which is impossible) and the McColls, Nisa, Premier and Spar don't have any at all. And as for bread flour, there's been none for weeks.

I didn't know playing with rice was a thing, and for those who don't like wasting good food on play, I recommend washed and dried melon seeds.

And it would have been chucked otherwise.

Jelly past its sell by date does not need to be chucked fgs.

@LaurieMarlow I know it doesn't need to be chucked. I grew up basically in poverty and have a fairly relaxed attitude to bbe dates. But my daughter refused to eat it after it was made. Should I have forced her to? We're disagreeing enough at the moment. Or maybe just kept it in the fridge forever? No one else in the family will eat it for various reasons.

I am doing things I've never done before to limit waste and save things. Some things that would have seemed crazy a few months ago. I'm not going to beat myself up over a bit of jelly gone wrong which was purchased a long time ago and isn't exactly a nutritional, filling food source. Won't be bloody buying it again though if she's not going to eat it.

I know it doesn't need to be chucked. I grew up basically in poverty and have a fairly relaxed attitude to bbe dates. But my daughter refused to eat it after it was made. Should I have forced her to?

I think you should educate her about BB dates and their relative importance depending on foodstuff.

Honestly, if some salt dough and pasta keeps a struggling parent and child sane for a few extra days then I am not going to make a moral judgement on it. I'm just grateful they have found a way to survive. From a psychological point of view things are going to get a lot tougher as the weeks go on. Time to cut each other some slack and stop with all the judgements. If we don't pull together as a country we will most definitely fall apart.