So do you lot all let your kids help themselves to whatever they like, whenever they like, from the kitchen then?

[Enid]

Am I alone in expecting my children (7, 4 and negligible) to ask before getting a snack?

(other than fruit bowl which they take stuff from whenever)

mine eat whatever they want really, though they don't scoff until they're sick

Mine definitely don't snack constantly - they are too busy doing other stuff for starters. I've never once seen them gorge themselves either. I try to be relaxed about food though. I never use it as a reward & I never do any of this "oh, you can't have pudding unless you eat your main course" business either. Why give them the idea that somehow pudding is more yummy than maincourse?
However, maybe I am just lucky & my kids are easy going about the whole thing too. If they stopped eating their meals or were constantly sitting with their head in the fridge I might be different about the helping themselves thing.

No. they ask. DD can't reach the tap yet so she has to ask for a drink - ds helps himself to water. The fruit bowl is on the table and they can help themselves to that.

It would never occur to me to buy them a fridge of their own!

Mine are allowed to help themselves to bread, crackers, cheese, fruit, drinks, carrots, cucumber and celery.

Other snack stuff is deemed to be a treat, which they have to ask for and is usually limited to 1 a day or 2 at weekends.

They are expected to wash up and tidy up afterthemselves.

I would say they might help themselves to say a cracker and cheese, and a piece of fruit each evening, or a piece of toast and a banana. It really has never been a problem allowing themselves to take what they want. They really aren't bingers and are sensible enough to know that I'll be pissed off if they can't eat tea - which is not very likely in any case as they both eat very well!

Fruit and cheese whenever - but not within half an hour of dinner. Everything else they must ask.

mine always ask - in a casual 'just going to have an apple. ok mum?'' sort of way.

They always ask for biscuits etc, cos sometimes, just sometimes I say yes

Mine have been known to buy their own sweets etc with pocket money and stash it in their rooms. And I know for a fact that 4 days later, there are some left as they have been brought up not to be greedy.

Girls (9 and 7) can get water without asking, and can get water for ds without asking, but anything else then they have to ask.

My cupboards would be permanently empty otherwise.

we always had to ask for snacks.

fruit, yoghurt, water, milk was allowed freely though.

oh yes bread and cheese aswell

puddle, the fridge was a Christmas present to them. I had mixed feelings about it to start with (I grew up in a house where you didn't touch anything without permission) but I hoped it would encourage them to eat when they are hungry, learn how much is enough by listening to their bodies' hunger/thirst signals, learn to be responsible for putting stuff away/plates in the sink etc - and they've responded exactly as I hoped they would. They don't plague me for crap when we're out now, because I can just say "You can have a snack from your fridge when we get home". I can control what they're having. Why do people find it freaky/weird?

It's the best idea I've read on here for years - I love it !!! I would rank it up there with the pasta jar to be honest !!

I hate the way people "control" food - of course we have to control it in terms of what they eat - but to say your own child has stolen some food - I am really pretty shocked by that !

I was never allowed anything apart from meals as a child and that lead me to "steal" the odd biscuit etc and hide the evidence. So counter-productive - I just didn't get it then and I don't get it now !

I wouldn't call in weird to have a fridge. Just seems a bit unnecessary to me. And a waste of electricity.

Well, I suppose that depends on what you consider wasteful. Something which gets used every day, brings a lot of pleasure and is teaching them something I want them to learn - not to mention tripling their consumption of fresh fruit/veg - doesn't strike me as a waste. We don't have a dishwasher or a tumble drier though, because they are a lazy waste of electricity IMO.

Horses for courses

Yes absolutely and you don't have to justify yourself on here - I want a kids fridge now !!

Mine are 5 &7 and they can help themselves to water (stack of little filled bottles)yoghurts and fruit.Everything else is out of reach

Mine are 5, 1 and 5 months so all ask

TBH, dd1 (the 5 year old) still asks for everything.
I love the idea of a kmini fridge with healthy snacks. I have a mini pink one from Argos that i used for ds's bottled upstairs so might just do that Greensleeves.

Mine can help themselves to fruit.

Mine are 6 and 3 and they have to ask for ANYTHING from the kitchen. In fact they are not allowed in the kitchen unsupervised cause I think it's one of the most dangerous rooms in the house, in any house.

They can have fruit and a drink any time they ask.

My children can help themselves to anything without asking but it's all healthy so it'll be fruit or yoghurt or a smoothie or something. I do try to feed them at mealtimes at the weekend too though. Don't see the problem with it. Ds would ask if he wanted to make himself i.e. scrambled eggs or anything more than fruit/yoghurts/something from the fridge.

But I mostly don't buy crisps or biscuits or sweets so there isn't crap lying around.

I do agree with that, Rhubarb - my kids aren't allowed in the half of the kitchen where cooking takes place either (we have kitchen/dining room in an L shape, fridges are in the safe half)

I can't stop my kids going in the kitchen as its the only route to the bathroom(unless I send them through the back yard!)

My DD spends hours stood on a chair next to me while I am cooking. And the kitchen table is not actually very far from the oven. And that is where they do colouring etc.

mini fridges for kids
kids not allowed in kitchens

when you scratch the surface we are a rum old lot

mine aren't allowed in the kitchen. Ds1 because he is 3 and chronically fiddly, and ds2 because he is 9 months and I trip over him. there's a gate at the door, really just to remind ds1 that I need him to stay in the front.

he's not allowed to help himself because he eats things like raw bacon.