Do your kids have to ask for food?

Yes, they do, but that's more due to the fact that they're only 3 and 4 (and 1!). When they get bigger I am hoping I have taught them enough that they will choose good foods to eat (although we rarely have really junky stuff int he cupboards) like fruit and veg before the package snacks. I am trying to get them to do this now. We go through alot of fruit and veg inour house anyway, and I can forsee that we will oonly be going through more as time goes on! If you think each child might eat 2-3 bits of fruit a day, for us, with 3 children that's 15 peices of fruit a day, plus me who wil go through 3-4 (DH won't eat much fruit!) So all up about 18 bits of fruit a day...woah baby!!!!!!
But I would say if you don't want them eating so much, put a limit on it to two bits of fruit a day. Specially while they are home at the moment on hols!! Once they go back to school, you will probably find you fridge and cupboards won't be raided so badly every day!

Yup mine do, they also have set times for eating.

With so many (and all being very young) if I don't have that in place they will take whatever, eat a bite or two, see their sibling take a different thing that looks better than what they are eating, drop food on floor and go get what their sibling has. This can happen multiple times a day so yup my kids have to ask, they do get told no if it's not at a food time because otherwise I have 3 kids running in and out all bloody day asking continuously for food. So we have breakfast, lunch and dinner and our morning tea and afternoon tea all at set times with set amount of food given out to minimize waste and cut off at 4pm or else they won't eat any dinner.

If that's mean or whatever - so be it. But I detest wasting food when so many in this world are starving.

Growing up, I had to ask for food and didn't mind being told no. (Although I was anorexic in my teens, so being forced to eat up to one meal a day wasn't appreciated.) DH was only allowed bread and jam as a snack - MiL complained a few times to me years after the fact he'd go through a whole loaf of bread in an evening!

Liebs is allowed to help himself to fruit, as I buy in cheap fruit for him to snaffle. Everything else he has to ask. Because I can't just pop to the shops the next day and if he eats tomorrow's lunch then I'm pretty much stuffed for his lunchbox.

Yes they do, we have a gate across kitchen so they need to ask.

Like Mrs Nerd Burger they ask as they are so small.

They must sit at table to eat, but generally can have what they want when they want within reason and as long as not after 1630.

I also hate wasting food so don't give them much at a time would rather them finish it and ask for more if still hungry.

Yeah, mine ask most of the time. The answer is usually yes.

Mine have to ask when they want something, but only because of their age and so I give them options. I never say no to them having fruit, unless its within 30 minutes of meal time. Otherwise, they are allowed one snack a day of something like two plain biscuits, rice crisps etc. The rest of the time they are given choices of things like cheese, crackers, fruit, a sandwich etc. Both my girls are on the skinny side, so when they have days when they seem to forever be eating I'm just grateful for it and they can eat just about anything they like. I would spend I guess about $60 per week just on fruit - we're all home most of the time and all big fruit eaters.

Mine generally does but often I have to ask if she wants anything to eat (she is a small eater). We nver had to ask as children but there really wasn't alot on offer anyway (money issues plus mum had no idea what was nutritious and still doesn't).....Well I can't remember any fruit as a small child. Only salada biscuits, processed meats

My DD is such a fussy eater, that of she asks for food I give it to her. Even if it eans she eats her dinner at 4;30.

Generally they ask. Their faves as bananas and apples, so we struggled there during the banana shortage!

Mine ask,but theyre young and tend to not be able to reach the fruit on the bench ect.
Majority of the time its a yes, although immediately after lunch/breaky is a no as they tend to just be eating out of boredom and not within an hour of lunch/ dinner either

that's very expensive for you. Maybe you need to ration it out. E.g do you buy fruit for two days? Do you buy fruit for the week?
Whatever you do, dole it out in airtight containers (7) so that each day, you can clearly say to the kids "this is the box for today - when it's gone, that is it".
That way, you will have enough fruit for the rest of the week.

i can see your bind. You want to not replicate your childhood, but you (like your mum) are not made of money.
I thought my mum was a meany for never buying real oj, just the fake oj that is really cordial. Now i understand, her priority was to pay off the mortgage fast, pay for three children's needs. Just as i have priorities too. And now as an adult (and a parent) i understand, eating the whole orange is better for me, than guzzling OJ. but i digress.

Children need to learn the value of money.
As much as you love them, you cannot afford to buy that much fruit so often.
They need to learn other options for snacks and to have boundaries around how much fruit they consume.
In the real world, they can't have infinite everything.
you're not a mean mum if you provide some limits.

It's wonderful that they are so into fruit, but not realistic (unless you win Lotto) to sustain that habit.

Do you grow any fruit? Could you interest them in growing fruit? a longterm partial solution maybe?

DD1 is allowed to eat whatever she wants. Sometimes she does ask for food other times she gets it herself. I encourage her to help herself with snacks. She isn't allowed to snack near dinner time. After dinner she can go for it. DD2 is only 14 months, DD1 does give her food. Adorable that she thinks about her baby sister.

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Yes my kids need to ask. The answer is generally yes anyway depending on how close it is to a main meal, but if they don't ask and help themselves then I won't know what they need. I am not one to check cupboards LOL I go from memory.

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Yes same here.

My girls climb chairs to the table & help themselves to the fruit bowl, no big deal until between 2 of them they ate 2 pairs, 5 apples, banana's then got into the fridge & ate strawberries all in 1 day at random times while I was hanging washing etc.

Now they have to ask, I don't knock
Them back on fruit but they are not allowed to help themselves to junk.

They are still quite young (2 & 3) and I want them to realise they can't just stuff themselves with food whenever they like.


Sent from my iPhone, more than likely while I should be doing something else!

With having 6 children I have rules and they must ask before they eat ANYTHING - especially fruit. My kids would eat it all day with no troubles but it costs us a small car each time I buy it. Having 2 diabetics means that they can't eat it when ever they want it anyway and by getting them to ask first, to me anyway, means they are learning manners.

I try to have things like carrots, celery, cheese, strawberries available to them as they are free foods. But they must ask first.

thanks ladies for all your replies. I have now put a limit of two pieces of a fruit each a day.

DS14 was not impressed but I told him it was 2 or nothing!

I dont mind them snacking on the fruit as it is a much better option for them, but when its gonna cost me $20 a day/$140 a week just on fruit I think we have to reassess things.
Especially the older boys as they can make themselves something to eat. There is usually some kind of leftovers in the fridge, there is always cereal, noodles, spaghetti, plenty of bread (I buy 12 loaves a week), crackers etc but they are just been lazy and grabbing something that requires as little output as possible :shakehead:

I dont feel so bad now for putting restrictions on it when I know there is still plenty for them to have if they are hungry.

Our children all have to ask. I have battled weight problems all my life and they started during my childhood when I leaved to help myself to food. I want to teach my girls healthy eating habits before I let then help themselves to food.

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My kids have to but they are 3 and 2. DDs will eat all day and DS will only eat white foods so I get them all to eat together. DS is more willing to try new things if other people are eating it

mainly due to my girls ages they have to ask

fruit in the fruit bowl they can have whenever they like (except cloese to main meals. The fruit in the bowl is what ever is cheap at the time, apples, citrus, bananas and stone fruits if they are on special. Grapes, strawberries etc are kept in the fridge otherwise they all dissapear very quickly! Yoghurt and dried fruit Im also happy for them to have most of the time as long as they havent had 3 serves in one day. I like to make sure they are having variety so if the ask for the same thing over and over Ill offer other suggestions.

Packaged food they are limited in how much they can have for health reasons'

lately I have been spending more on fruit as I figure we pay out for soft drinks (for us) biscuites etc and a block of chocolate is the same price as blackberries at the moment so I feel bad not buying the healthier option. We also have 2 large containers in the pantry one has snack pack rice crackers, chips and sweet biscuits. The other has dried fruit, museli bars and fruit tubs so I generally let the girls pick from the second container more often than the first. I like giving them a choice, but a limited one at that :)

I like the idea of having a fruit bowl that is open all hours :) and keeping the 'treat' fruits aside. Or maybe dividing things like grapes into serves in little bags/containers and limiting them to choose 1 treat fruit a day to keep a cap on the budget.