How to avoid food bits/crumbs all over the house?

I am going insane with the food bits everywhere in our house! My two always eat meals in their highchairs, but snacks I put on their little table and they take bites and then walk around with the cracker/food and then they get crumbs and pieces everywhere! I try to have snacks that are not as messy, but it doesn't matter what I give them, they find a way to make a trail of food crumbs all over the house!
Anyone have any ideas of how to deal with this? I have started a rule where the food bowl/plate of snacks stays on their little table, DS gets this, but DD is constantly picking it up and trying to walk around with it, so I end up saying "put it back on the table" at least 300 x/day, and then I usually resort to sitting there and holding the bowl/plate on her little table so she physically can't pick it up.
I have two chairs that go with their little table, is it realistic for me to bring these out and expect them to actually sit and eat their snack?

its awful at our house because there are ants, and if food is left out on the floor for more then a few hours the ants will find it and tell all of their friends to come and check it out.

 

I rarely allow mine to eat anywhere other than their highchairs & when they do I put a blanket down & we have 'snacks' on the blanket while watching a show. The have to keep their bowls/sippys on the blanket or it goes back in the kitchen!!

I am guessing that the other option for crumbs (which are never ending under/around their highchairs) is to get a dog! But then I feel like I would have 3 'kids' instead of just the 2!

 

If we do snacks I will hold the bad of crackers or whatever and give them one at a time.

 

we have two little dogs and vacuum often.
In the summer I try to do snacks outside as much as possible.

Short of putting them in their highchairs for everything Im not sure what your options are, although the blanket one indoors sounded like a good one

 

I think you could try them with the little chairs (doesn't hurt to try), they might do well. I'd sit right there with them to enforce that they can only have the snack while they're sitting, and they need to eat as much as they want because when they get up the snack is going away.
If the chairs don't work after a few days then I'd switch to putting them in their highchairs for snacks and try again in a couple of months.

 

I still don't allow food anywhere other than the kitchen, and that includes the two nine year old and my DH and myself! We're all sloppers and I know what would happen!

 

I have not figured out how to deal with the crumb issue, so they are only allowed to eat in the kitchen. The blanket sounds like a great idea!

 

We have a dog so crumbs aren't that big of a deal here. Definitely try the chairs though. The boys sit in regular chairs at daycare for meals and snacks since 13 months. I don't have as great of luck with them here at their little table and chairs, but it does help contain the mess some.

 

Same problems here. Food is only allowed in the kitchen but it finds it's way to other rooms. We keep reminding them and I take food away.

Cindy

 

For ants I've heard that cider vinegar works at keeping them away. Soak a paper towel and rub it under your doors and windows etc. I need to do that also because there are ants here.

 

I would only allow them to eat in the kitchen. They really don't need to graze all day. Actually, especially at that age, I found that the less snacks they ate, the better they ate the "good stuff" at mealtime.

 

QUOTE(tamaras @ Jun 21 2009, 11:37 PM) [snapback]1363420[/snapback]
I am guessing that the other option for crumbs (which are never ending under/around their highchairs) is to get a dog! But then I feel like I would have 3 'kids' instead of just the 2!


That's what I was going to suggest. We already had two grown, trained dogs when I got pregnant. Perfect crumb clean up!

 

Get a dog.

 

Since you got lots of suggestions for getting a dog, the only other thing I can think of is feed them outside. I'm glad we don't have bug problems here where I live, there are crumbs everywhere, and I really only get around to sweeping about once a day.

 

Don't let them walk around the house with food. You are lucky you don't have ant problems. If you are going to feed them in an area gate it off and only put the food down for a certain amount of time and then remove it once they are finished. They don't need to be snacking constantly.

 

Get a dog :lol:

Seriously though, I have a black lab, and he know's the phrase "Clean Up" means get over here and take care of this mess. Labs are good cause they eat anything, and are smart and easy to train.

 

QUOTE(snowmom @ Jun 24 2009, 01:04 PM) [snapback]1366949[/snapback]
Get a dog :lol:

Seriously though, I have a black lab, and he know's the phrase "Clean Up" means get over here and take care of this mess. Labs are good cause they eat anything, and are smart and easy to train.


:good: I totally agree!! We have 2 labs and they do all of our clean-up... However they are considered puppies till they are 2 years old so that may not help :lol:
I love the blanket idea!! We do a lot of snacks outside because it's just easier to clean up. Good luck!

 

His name is Murray, our French Bulldog.

 

with the nice weather, all snacks go outside!

Other than that, make a rule that they must sit to eat.

 

We only allowed eating at the table at that age. Now we let them have snacks (non-messy ones, like raisins) on the couch after school, but I find raisins buried in the couch cushions. If I could go back in time, I would never have started that habit.

I think it's unrealistic to expect to give toddlers that age free access to food while walking around and then expect them to stay in one place while they eat.

I also don't think this alone is a sufficient reason to get a dog! But my ILs did have a dog when my niece was little, and they called him the "Bio-Vac."

 

feed them at your neighbor's house?

LOL

sorry, feeling sarky this morning

 

We have a second vacuum, our dog . We have been calling him Hoover lately because he is right there the minute Max or Lily drop something.

Sorry I don't have a more serious answer for you. The food mess can get to me sometimes too. Saturday we had peas on our kitchen wall when Lily grabbed the spoon and it flung towards the wall to splatter everywhere. I just wish I could hose down the entire kitchen sometimes into a huge drain .

 

I just started snacks of some type... I gave them those snack cups and since ours are getting used to walking they love to hang on to the cup and dig their other hand in the snack cup.

I'd just complained to a friend about this and she had said the thing about a specific place to sit... either a rug, blanket or something. I love the idea... and need to figure out how to do that. I'd love to be able to be at someone else's house and have them sit still to eat!

for us highchairs are the best solution for now...

 

I have heard the 'get a dog' response before too. Dogs. pft!

I give my girls less messy snacks like kix or goldfish in their snack cups in their play yard ONLY, and I vacuum a few times a week. Messier snacks like fruit or veggies they have to eat in their high chairs.

I really like the blanket idea! :good:

 

Oooh the vet tech in me wants to say dogs shouldn't eat table scraps but I know that dogs do all the time and are fine.

We have the snack cups too and they worked great until they teamed up and one held it open while the other one poured it out. Or they get something out (we do some mixes of snacks) and they drop the pieces they dont' want. We have a little table and chairs and I try to get them to sit at it but that never happens. If it is anything besides a dry snack I feed it to them.

 

We've only ever let ours eat at the table. We get ants in the spring, and I didn't want to make it worse with crumbs.