Onyx - I am curious to see the reply but regardless of the answer this thread is an etiquette thread, a question was simply asked if people are ok with it, seems most are and some are not ... seems you're after a definitive answer to justify what you and so many others do? I could be wrong though.
Really it's academic for me because my children are long past being toddlers and no, I don't need to justify anything. I'm not Hyacinth Bucket so if people don't like the way I live my life they can kiss my buttons (trust me, lots of people don't like the way I live my life).

What bugs me is moral absolutes - statements about it being immoral and stealing and unjustifiable. Other people don't always share our moral code and that's ok. People are free to live by whatever morals they want but when they try and impose them on me that bugs me. Just so long as I'm not infringing upon your rights what does it matter?

Etiquette isn't absolute - what is rude in one culture isn't in another and in our family what is acceptable for one age isn't for another. For now I'm happy if my children are eating their lettuce. Never cutting it can come later. Ditto for soup. If they eat it that's enough. Spooning away is a lesson for another day. I might mention it in passing but I'm not going to press the matter because a happy mealtime is more important than perfect table manners at this time.

As for expecting a toddler to show self-control.....
If a toddler has self-control that's great for its parents but personally I was more comfortable with letting mine run a little wild.


Our shop hands out lots of treats and tastings if you go on the right days. If this was a problem for other bazillionaire grocery chains perhaps they could follow suit.
Yep, I miss going to markets and skipping lunch because the kids are so full of samples and handouts that they can't another thing.