To ask if this would go down well?

[ZebaBay]

If a mum had a young child on a bus , say aged 3 - 5, for arguments' sake, and the mum got out a snack for the child - which was a sandwich box full of colourful, pre prepared salad - so loadsa lettuce, tomatoes finely chopped props and grated carrot etc - and the child ate it contentedly - - would an eyebrow be raised amongst the Mumsnet collective?

You've made me think of The Generation Game circa 1980 !

This made me laugh out loud 😆

A plastic spoon, to eat a salad... On a bus...

Was it some kind of test?! 🤣

How long is this bus journey then? If it's Kathmandu to Everest base camp then just give the kid a bloody sandwich. If it's from Sainsbury's to your nearby home in Salady Avenue then ffs just wait until you get home.

Wouldn't bother me in the least. Can't imagine even noticing tbh.

Ok - this actually made me lol in a public place !! Surely the name wouldn't be Tarquinius more Wayne, Duane, Kevin or Gary?

I would think it strange to see a small child eating lettuce with a spoon on a bus, yes

Sorry I unashamedly laughed out loud in a public place at 'Salady Avenue'

Yes, I'd wonder why the child needed to eat a chopped salad on a bus. It sounds quite messy and inconsiderate to other passengers. An apple would probably be more appropriate, if the child HAS to eat on that journey.

Why are you planning to feed a toddler a salad on a bus? Poor kid. I wouldn’t eat on a bus, why do you think it’s ok to shovel a salad in to a child on a dirty bus?

Sticks of carrot/pepper/cucumber - yes very normal.
A full finely chopped salad with lettuce, and eaten with a fork. Bit odd. In fact anyone over the age of a weaning baby eating with cutlery (plastic or otherwise) on public transport is a bit odd.

I’d probably be wondering what dark magic you had woven to get your kid to eat salad. One of mine will do cucumber/carrot and the others those and cherry tomatoes but peppers and lettuce they see as the devil’s work.

I'd raise an eyebrow if the kid was dropping bits of food on the seats but other than that I doubt I'd even notice

It sounds messy. I'd do a box with just sliced peppers, carrot batons, cucumber and tomatoes. Not grated stuff, and everything to be eaten with fingers to avoid dropping bits on the floor.

No one can eat a salad sandwich without making a mess. A good salad sandwich with mayo and beetroot, slippery tomato and slithery lettuce requires a bib and a napkin. So I'd think the mother was a fool and I'd resent slipping on all the bits of tomato and lettuce left on the floor of the bus. I'd also not want to touch any rails the kid touched afterwards: all slimy with mayo.

On public transport you need something that can be eaten easily, from a paper wrapper, that won't leave crumbs or mess.

People shouldn't eat on public transport on short distances unless they need to for medical reasons. Find a park bench at the end of the journey. I wish they'd bring back proper buffet cars on trains so nobody has to hear other people masticating like cows chewing the cud unless they too are eating. These days it seems a lot of people can't manage more than an hour without something to eat or drink. I have huge sensory issues around eating though so my reactions are extreme.

What I can't stand is the constant after school, not even got to the bus stop yet, here's your snack darling. I've got you crisps, biscuits, chocolate, sandwich, fruit, and water. Child still eating the last bite of one thing and do you want your water darling? do you want your sandwich, biscuits, chocolate, crisps or fruit next? And so it goes on until the last item has been eaten. Poor child barely gets chance to draw breath and then talks with his mouth full. It's a 30 minute journey home, most of that is waiting for the 5 minute bus journey. Or walk and be home before the bus gets to your home stop. Then it's a roast dinner or similar at 5. Full picnic for the journey home. Madness. No medical issues, it's to avoid boredom she says. But wonders why he doesn't eat his dinner 🙄I can't bear it and walk the long way home now instead of getting the bus. Saves money and avoids the unpleasant manners and constant offering of often part-eaten food to my child. No, thanks, he's had a good breakfast, a hot dinner, will have a satsuma or similar on the 30-45 minute walk home then dinner between 5 and 6pm. My child eats chocolate, crisps, sweets, biscuits etc but not all after school in one sitting. Dd dreams of living in Japan where politeness rules and no eating on public transport. No loud phone calls on speaker in public either. Bliss.

Ahem !! There would be no mayo here - far too calorific !

Maybe it's a bit per formative on her part but either way it drives me nuts. I'm am judgey, yes. I own it 🤷🏼‍♀️

Some funny replies on this thread 😄

I wouldn't judge harshly, we have all brought out a snack to help a small child sit nicely for a bit instead of bouncing around around out of boredom. Sometimes the day gets busy and a few things packed up and eaten out and about is not that unusual either.

I would commend the mother on the healthy content, but I would be giving an occasional glance to check how much grated carrot the pair were wearing by the end of the journey.

Was about to say I can imagine one of Jacob Rees Mogg's kids doing that - with a San Pellegrino obviously, can't forget the Tory Tango - but then I guess they wouldn't be on a bus.

Yes I am only in my early 40s and in my childhood and youth it was the height of bad manners to be eating in the street. We were warned at secondary school that no one was to be seen eating on the street in their school uniform. Children do not need to be constantly fed. Look at the amount of litter lying around and the state of public transport. It’s vulgar.

I wouldn't trust my own ability to eat salad on the bus with a plastic spoon without making a mess, never mind a toddler's. Beyond that, feed your child what you want, none of my business.

Technically you're not to supposed to eat or drink anything on any bus anyway, but unless you're someone feels very strongly about this rule, then I can't see why most people would care.

I do think YABU to not just do what you think is best for yourself and DC without running it past Mumsnet though!

I always took a snack for dd when she was little( under 5) and we were travelling as she had a small appetite and preferred more small "meals" through the day. Snack would quite often be carrot/cucumber/pepper sticks - less messy than melting chocolate

I’ve never seen anyone eat a salad on a bus. Wouldn’t some carrot or cucumber sticks or some sliced up pitta or a satsuma or something like that be easier?