Do you have no food out of the kitchen/dining room rule?

RachelEve14

Mon, Oct 11 2010, 2:30 am

I wonder if it also depends on the kids / families. We don't have a specific "no food in bedrooms" rule, but no one eats in teh bedrooms. Avraham Tzvi sometimes wanders off with bread into his room, but he's young enough that he wouldn't be stopped by a rule. I think it's easier when you have 2 floors to declare one "food free." When you have an apartment it's either at the table (too restrictive for us) or it just sort of wanders around the house.

That said, it doesnt' take me long to clean for Pesach, especialy for real chamatz, and anyone who has seen my house knows it's not exactly "good housekeeping" ready.

cinnamon

Mon, Oct 11 2010, 4:48 am

I'm a work out of the home mom and though dh would love to have such a rule I wouldn't have the patients or energy to enforce it and also I love eating in bed or on the coach or on the porch while reading or watching a movie or being on the computer and don't see anything really wrong with it so why shouldn't I let my kids do it?. So we let snacks anywhere in the house but all plates/cups/leftovers must be returned to the kitchen, all spills must be cleaned by the spiller and breakfast lunch and supper are eaten by the table.

chanchy123

Mon, Oct 11 2010, 5:09 am

I have this rule (for kids), but it's not really for Pesach, although, it has made Pesach cleaning easier and less stressful.
It's just that otherwise, if unenforced, we'd have food all over the house and ants, and stickiness, and rodents and whatnot.
I'd say the kids comply 90% of the time and they need to be reminded not to walk around with a snack or whatever.
Maybe if I'd have cleaning help I wouldn't care so much.
Anyhow, I guess it's a good thing not to get used to eating outside of the kitchen both DH and I do this all the time and we should really wean ourselves of this habbit.
I am a working away from home mom.

freidasima

Mon, Oct 11 2010, 6:15 am

We have this rule but as the kids got older one of them refused and still refuses to keep to it. It drives me batty. I tell her not to and she is capable of just walking by me with a plate into the girls' room. This is her "late" rebellion and I would rather not deal with it. I know her food issues, she has many, and therefore I just chill over it.
There is never food in the boys' room or in our bedroom. Other than that all we have is a kitchen and livingroom with dining corner so that's that.
Pesach - why are you all sweating it? Don't you give a good general clean every week? Do your kids put food into the closet? On top of their bookcases? If there is food in a bedroom it is on the floor, on the bed, on the desk, or under and behind these things. Not inside cupboards unless your kids are hoarding and that's another issue to deal with (lol!). In any case you do your best erev pesach and then your husband or you say "kol chamiro" with a lot of kavvono and shoin. It's done.
Stop sweating that part of pesach. I understand that we are all foaming at the mouth when we have to clean the nitty gritty of the stoves and fridges, that's for sure, but as for the rest?
Chill.

spsdr

Mon, Oct 11 2010, 6:43 am

I have that rule for the kids, am mostly strict about it, bt def no eating wth toys. Adults may take food out bt no messy food in bedrooms. Although jst gt bc frm mil she is totally obsessed mo food or drink out the kitchen for anyone including adults n u mst wash ur hands b4 u leave kitchen. I think thats a little over the top n cant say I dont cheat wen she does nt c!

smilingmom

Mon, Oct 11 2010, 6:50 am

YESHASettler wrote:

Our downstairs is basically a huge salon (dining area, living room area) and the kitchen.

So the rule is no food upstairs.

I grew up with that rule too.

When I lived in a one floor house or apartment, the rule was no food in the bedrooms.

Ditto

Raisin

Mon, Oct 11 2010, 7:47 am

Marion wrote:

I have no idea if it's connected or not. Just thought it would be interesting so see if there was one.

I would think it is easier to enforce if your kids are out the house all day.

sky

Mon, Oct 11 2010, 8:03 am

My parents very strictly enforced the rule. We had to wash our hands and shake off our clothing before leaving the dining room or kitchen area. We were allowed to eat fruit/veggies/popcorn (kitniuys) upstairs.

in my house its no food upstairs or in the basement. However, I end up eating at my desk when I work and sometimes my kids will end up eating their snacks in the living room so I can't truly say that we are a strict kitchen/dining room only family. I wish we were, its a great thing, with less mess and an easier Pesach cleanup.

drumjj

Mon, Oct 11 2010, 8:09 am

I dont have this rule, one of my kids will never sit and therefore never eat if I had this rule, we have had a lot of food issues with her and also we dont have a proper enclosed dining room and no table in the kitchen so it would be impossible really. although I try to get teh kids to eat supper at the table and I dont let them take things like cake upstairs to their room.

mamommommy

Mon, Oct 11 2010, 8:19 am

We this have rule but it has nothing to do with pesach. I'm just more concerned about bugs/mice/cleanliness/setting boundaries. My kids mostly listen, but once in a while I'll find a small stash of something in one of my kids' rooms and invariably the baby will manage to get a cracker and walk around the whole house with it. sigh.

zigi

Mon, Oct 11 2010, 9:29 am

fs food did wind up in my closet. they got hold of a bag of cereal and made a mess in there.

I do have a rule, but it is hard to keep I have a living room dining room I have a rule eat at the table and no food in the rest of the house. I might eat a small piece of chocolate in my bedroom but that is it.

MiamiMommy

Mon, Oct 11 2010, 9:37 am

I try not to let my kids eat outside of the eating areas, and for the most part it works. Sometimes I'll allow a snack around the computer area. Never, ever do I allow food in the bedrooms!

Isramom8

Mon, Oct 11 2010, 10:00 am

I'm a little uncomfortable with the SAHM vs. WAHM question. Does it imply that SAHMs don't care about their home being clean, or that WAHMs don't care about having a comfortable homey atmosphere? I know Marion didn't intend that but the question could be loaded...

FS, I've found chometz in the most unlikely places! Read bread and the like. My kids are very clever Rolling Eyes

If I turn 'em loose all year, then I know I have to get into everything Erev Pesach. Don't worry, though - no matter how obsessed I think I get in Nissan, my Israeli dd considers us Americans who don't know how to clean.

I've had kids insist that we have to clean inside all the shoes in the house, and that if a sack of potatoes was put down on the clean floor it is chometz. We tried to explain that this isn't the Pesach Hashem intends for us to have...

amother

Mon, Oct 11 2010, 10:36 am

In our old house I was not strict at all, and I hated it. My kids brought snacks all over the house and carpets got stained etc. Now that we moved, I allow food only the main level. So kitchen, dinette and family room. Living room and dining room we don't go into except for Shabbos and yom tov. No food upstairs or in playroom in the basement.

(oh and I'm working more now than I used to) Smile

ClaRivka

Mon, Oct 11 2010, 11:50 am

My husband and I feel that putting such rules in place would make children less comfortable in their own home and can cause adverse effects, and guests as well, we want them as comfortable as they can be and if they dont feel comfortable eating in the dining room with family all around they can eat in their room at the table in their room.
whats a little more extra cleaning at pesach time when everyone is happy and comfortable in your home?