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adele1985
11-06-2012, 01:47 PM
Do you allow this

moogster1a
11-06-2012, 01:49 PM
I positively encourage it. They get a bit chilly after a few hours, but if you wrap them up warm they stop complaining eventually!

Mouse
11-06-2012, 01:53 PM
I prefer the cupboard under the stairs - you can fit more in & they don't tend to squash the food like they do in the fridge.

moogster1a
11-06-2012, 01:54 PM
ooh, even better idea, the fridge in the cellar, then you can't hear their plaintive cries and promises to be good from now on.

loocyloo
11-06-2012, 01:55 PM
I positively encourage it. They get a bit chilly after a few hours, but if you wrap them up warm they stop complaining eventually!

:laughing:

no! the only time mindees go to the fridge is if i ask them to get the milk or something out at a meal/snacktime and my hands are full! at the moment i only have LOs, and my fridge is on top of the freezer bit, they couldn't reach anything. I can't reach the top shelf! :rolleyes:

i have water freely available in a jug on the table/in cups. if its REALLY hot, i might keep some water in the fridge, but i would expect to be asked to get it out.

ziggy
11-06-2012, 02:03 PM
I dont allow mindees free access to the fridge, its too high for the toddlers anyway.

But on a similar topic, do any of you allow mindees to help themselves from the fruit bowl? I have 2 new mindees (brothers aged 3 and 1) they have been helping themselves to fruit, once while i was preparing their lunch!!!! I dont mind them eating fruit during the day (unless we're about to eat lunch) but i find they sometimes just take a bite and leave fruit lying wherever

Plus one of our house rules is that we eat and drink at the table

Pipsqueak
11-06-2012, 02:05 PM
lol loving the answers (my preference is cupboard under the stairs too... our understair cupboard is legendary in our house:D)

seriously, I don't let mindees go rummaging through cupboards or fridges

dette
11-06-2012, 02:13 PM
i dont even let my own kids in the fridge.. i like to know what ive got left and i dont let them have free reign on snacks..snacks at snack time,meals at meal time ..end of

dette
11-06-2012, 02:19 PM
i prefere to call the understairs cupboard " the toy room"..sounds better when they tell parents theyve been in the "toy room " all day :)

Bridey
11-06-2012, 02:44 PM
Nobody goes into my kitchen - its where I hide!

muffins
11-06-2012, 03:03 PM
i dont even let my own kids in the fridge.. i like to know what ive got left and i dont let them have free reign on snacks..snacks at snack time,meals at meal time ..end of

This!

My own children only go in the kitchen when I'm not minding & only if I am in there, they are 2 & 3yrs! Mindees only go in there if we are baking/cooking together!

funemnx
11-06-2012, 03:03 PM
i prefere to call the understairs cupboard " the toy room"..sounds better when they tell parents theyve been in the "toy room " all day :)

:laughing::laughing::laughing: I've been after a toy room for years, not realising I had one all along!

Absolutely NO rummaging going on in this house! :D

JCrakers
11-06-2012, 03:08 PM
:laughing:

No I don't allow any of my mindees rummaging through anything :D
Food is only served at set times. Snack time 10 am, lunch 12pm, tea 4-5pm.
If they are hungry inbetween then they ask for fruit. :D

I couldn't cope with 15 mindees helping themselves. I would be out of business by Monday afternoon.

Plus, no mindees in kitchen as its brand new and has no cupboard locks (dreadful things on my new kitchen cupboards :angry:) so I've gated it off.

LChurch
11-06-2012, 03:11 PM
I prefer the freezer in the garage!! Further away from the house! Seriously though no mindees are allowed in the kitchen without me at the moment anyway and certainly not in the fridge, I don't mind too much about fruit bowl as it si healthy but they can't get it at the mo anyway but if they say they want fruit they can have it! I don't tend to have biscuits in the house anyway! Unless it is a cooking activity! My son at 7 goes in the fridge now as he makes breakfast for himself sometimes, bless him he gave me breakfast in bed at the weekend!

notts
11-06-2012, 03:15 PM
I don't plan to. I see this as private and just a means of storage to facilitiate mindees mealtimes. It actually has a toddler lock

Rubybubbles
11-06-2012, 03:30 PM
:laughing: your all loving monday then!!

No I don't let mindies (or my own children, 10 and 7) help themselves! The only time mine do is at the weekend for breakfast whilst I have a lie in:blush:

Ripeberry
11-06-2012, 04:14 PM
Nobody goes into my kitchen - its where I hide!
He,he,he...me too. They rattle my cage to get attention (got stairgates on both doors to the kitchen). Seriously, I don't let mindees in the kitchen ever and a freezer is best for them as they will be even quieter until its time to thaw them out ;)

JCrakers
11-06-2012, 04:24 PM
How long does it take for them to defrost?
Would you say getting them out half an hour before parents are due or do they need a bit longer? 40 mins ?

breezy
11-06-2012, 04:29 PM
about an hour before pick up and they thaw out, dont forget to slap their cheeks so they dont look so blue ;)

No one goes in my kitchen without me and they ask for fruit etc not just help themselves!

dette
11-06-2012, 04:30 PM
i finish mine off in microwave if theyre still a bit solid :)

breezy
11-06-2012, 04:42 PM
i finish mine off in microwave if theyre still a bit solid :)

Lol, just got a vision of you squeezing them in:laughing:

BucksCM
11-06-2012, 04:42 PM
I positively encourage it. They get a bit chilly after a few hours, but if you wrap them up warm they stop complaining eventually!

:laughing::laughing:

Ripeberry
11-06-2012, 04:42 PM
i finish mine off in microwave if theyre still a bit solid :)

:laughing::laughing::laughing:

BucksCM
11-06-2012, 04:48 PM
I too, don't let mindee help themselves. My children have to ask me if they want anything between meals. They are 18 and 12. 12 yo does cook for herself at the weekend and makes her packed lunch (has done since year 3 at school)but they both know they have to ask. It's just manners:thumbsup:

The Juggler
11-06-2012, 04:55 PM
I positively encourage it. They get a bit chilly after a few hours, but if you wrap them up warm they stop complaining eventually!

:laughing::laughing::laughing: and the rest of you - actually this is what I thought when I read the post but couldn't come up with anything original once I read all the other posts.:laughing::laughing:

to answer on a serious note, I do but only with permission. Little ones ask to help prepare lunch, or fetch their yoghurt after lunch and I let them but not free access;)

Trouble
11-06-2012, 06:58 PM
you lot are funny:laughing::laughing::laughing:

md0u0131
11-06-2012, 07:17 PM
well that's planning for tomorrow sorted then.:)

mushpea
11-06-2012, 07:19 PM
:laughing::laughing::laughing:
Im loving this post,
I find the shed down the garden does the trick then i cant hear them complain or fighting with each other:D

nope they dont help themselves to food here and if they were to take a peice of fruit then I wouldnt let them have anything else untill they had eaten a decent amount of it, its my pet hate when kids take a bite then dont want anymore.

caz3007
11-06-2012, 07:30 PM
No they arent allowed in my kitchen unsupervised. My own DS 9 has to ask first before getting anything other than a drink from the fridge

loocyloo
11-06-2012, 07:30 PM
nope they dont help themselves to food here and if they were to take a peice of fruit then I wouldnt let them have anything else untill they had eaten a decent amount of it, its my pet hate when kids take a bite then dont want anymore.

we had friends staying for the weekend and a 3 yr old boy helped himself several times :rolleyes: to the fruit bowl, ate a mouthful and then said he didn't want any more. i took to moving the fruit bowl and saying no, and giving him a piece of the fruit he had already started that i had put in the fridge! :D drove me potty! (also had several bowls of cereal that he started and then didn't want:eek: if he had been mine, after the first 'don't want' there wouldn't have been anything else offered! neither would he have got up & down constantly! i would love to chat to this young chaps childminder ! i bet he is well behaved at her house :laughing:)

sarah707
11-06-2012, 07:47 PM
It is very dangerous for children to help themselves to fruit / food without our knowledge because of choking risks - it should be completely discouraged.

Same with walking around with food or drinks... they need to learn from day 1 that food or drink = sitting down.

A mum friend of mine was saying the other day she was sick of her dd climbing onto the table and taking tiny bites out of every apple... I asked her why she let her do it then... and she had one of those forehead slapping moments we have from time to time :doh: :laughing:

Loving some of the answers guys! You can tell it's Monday :D

caz3007
11-06-2012, 08:14 PM
It is very dangerous for children to help themselves to fruit / food without our knowledge because of choking risks - it should be completely discouraged.

Same with walking around with food or drinks... they need to learn from day 1 that food or drink = sitting down.

A mum friend of mine was saying the other day she was sick of her dd climbing onto the table and taking tiny bites out of every apple... I asked her why she let her do it then... and she had one of those forehead slapping moments we have from time to time :doh: :laughing:

Loving some of the answers guys! You can tell it's Monday :D

Oh Sarah, I am disappointed, when I saw you had added to the thread, thought you were going to tell us where you locked your mindies all day :laughing::laughing:

miffy
11-06-2012, 08:16 PM
i prefere to call the understairs cupboard " the toy room"..sounds better when they tell parents theyve been in the "toy room " all day :)

:laughing::laughing::laughing:

Miffy xx

Mouse
11-06-2012, 08:18 PM
Oh Sarah, I am disappointed, when I saw you had added to the thread, thought you were going to tell us where you locked your mindies all day :laughing::laughing:

She had an awning specially fitted to hook them all up to - I understand she's a big believer in making sure they have plenty of fresh air :D

Playmate
11-06-2012, 08:27 PM
Well I'm actually considering dropping mindees at the pub for the day, after all its good enough for David Cameron ;)

Seriously though fridge is definately out of bounds, just wish I could apply the same rules to my own teenagers when my back is turned :rolleyes:

caz3007
11-06-2012, 08:35 PM
She had an awning specially fitted to hook them all up to - I understand she's a big believer in making sure they have plenty of fresh air :D

We are considering chickens, so think the coop maybe a good idea then

samb
11-06-2012, 08:35 PM
:laughing::laughing::laughing:

This has made my day!

No child is allowed to help themsleves to any food here. If they are hungry between snack and meal times they are allowed to ask for some fruit. I do occasionally have to remind 1 3yr old boy of this - I have a chair with a booster with the tray on pushed up against my cabinet where my fruit bowl is and wheneve he sees the tray off (like when I am cleaning it after lunch) he makes a run jumps up on the booster and starts helping himself to fruit!

The Juggler
11-06-2012, 08:38 PM
Well I'm actually considering dropping mindees at the pub for the day, after all its good enough for David Cameron ;)

Seriously though fridge is definately out of bounds, just wish I could apply the same rules to my own teenagers when my back is turned :rolleyes:

:laughing::laughing: do you think that would be allowed if they deregulate us :laughing:

SandCastles
11-06-2012, 08:40 PM
No one but me allowed in my fridge, It's on top of the freezer part and the door swings open to the height of a four year old, so ...... when my own four year old had a growth spurt he got a nasty red mark on the forehead and was completely taken off his own feet and slide to the end of the kitchen, when he stood too near to the fridge as i opened it in a hufffy fit of "do you ever stop eating" !!!!:blush:

Anyways I mind 4 x four year olds at the mo so my accident book will be full if I let them all help themselves!!:clapping:

Playmate
11-06-2012, 08:42 PM
:laughing::laughing: do you think that would be allowed if they deregulate us :laughing:

:laughing:

JulieA
12-06-2012, 06:37 AM
I prefer the cupboard under the stairs - you can fit more in & they don't tend to squash the food like they do in the fridge.

This reminded me of something that happened to me a couple of years back:

We were having laminate flooring laid through the whole of the downstairs and so the cupboard under the stairs had been emptied so the flooring could continue in there too. Before all the usual rubbish had been replaced I made it into a sensory space - the door has a handle both sides so can't get shut in. I put down some textured mats and scarves, torches, glowing stars and various dark den accessories. The kids LOVED it and we often had snacks and stories in there. One little boy used to go in there to sleep. One day I had a visit from a DO and while we were chatting a mindee asked if I could put her in the cupboard :eek:. The look on my DO's face was priceless, but when I showed her the space I couldn't get her out either!

It was such a shame that it couldn't stay that way but DH put his foot down having the cupboard contents in our room on a permanent basis!

sarah707
12-06-2012, 06:40 AM
Oh Sarah, I am disappointed, when I saw you had added to the thread, thought you were going to tell us where you locked your mindies all day :laughing::laughing:

:laughing::laughing:

sophia36
12-06-2012, 05:06 PM
I used to wedge my mindees up the chimney but i was running out of believable excuses as to why their children were a little 'grimy' at the end of the day;) I just pop them in the dog crate now!

Carol
12-06-2012, 08:46 PM
Made me smile where you put mindees.........would love to see your risk assessments covering these :laughing::laughing:

Carol