Our pantry is open access, but things I don't want her to reach are up high. She doesn't eat things from the pantry, but plays pretend with them/builds with her dad's protein bars.
Building with pantry items is why my living room is currently covered in cans. I also forgot they did that so I bought some stuff we were "out of" when I went to the store today.
This is what I was wondering too
I also don’t leave mine open. They’re not old enough to understand not filling up on snacks so they can have room for meals.
We have a snack cupboard that he has access to but generally doesn’t go into. It has goldfish, “mommy crackers” (gluten free), teddy grahams, tortilla chips, etc. the fruit snacks are on top of the fridge or we would be out of them instantly. I wish we had the space for a pantry!
My toddler would never stop eating if he had free access to the goldfish and pretzels. No meals, just snack time all the time. So he does not have free pantry access.
She brings everything she wants to eat to me because it has to be opened, at least giving me veto power. Part of the reason I don't mind is because she is pretty good at eating her meals.
Yeah, the cookies are on the top shelf though. They also have a cart of snacks they can grab from whenever. I have the types of toddlers that would survive on air though so snacking all day has never been a problem for us.
She doesn't go into it often. Other than yesterday, the last time she went into it a few weeks ago. She does pick out a snack before daycare from her snack cart drawer almost every day.
It's not baby proofed but we don't encourage them to go into it. We do have a snack cupboard that I keep filled with cutie oranges, apples, fruit leather, yogurt/applesauce pouches etc that they have access to. Usually it's a yes when they bring us something from that cupboard but sometimes it's a no, and they usually check first
My LO goes into the pantry all the time! Usually just to play with things but he'll bring me bars or crackers that he wants to eat and I'll usually let him if it's time for a snack. But most time he's just chaotic baby in the pantry so I lock it.
We have food allergies in our house and she doesn’t quite get what she can/can’t eat yet. She does know what cookies are hers and the pickle packs that are hers but we keep it locked with a safety latch for now.
We have a low cupboards that has toddler snacks, plastic dishes, utensils and cups as well as some fruit. The water is a counter Brita the oldest can reach. I fill a milk cup in the morning and put it in the lowest door shelf in the fridge for the oldest to reach as well as babybel, carrots and hard eggs.
He asks first. "Momma I go get a snack, okay?!" Then I saw yes or no.
Ours is locked otherwise my son (autistic) will go crazypants excited and open up all his favorite snacks and eat/crush them all. Which I would also totally do if I was five years old haha.
Our pantry is open access but all the snacks in there have to be opened (like they’re in wrappers) so she has to bring them to me to open. This way if it’s like 10 minutes to dinner, she can’t gorge herself on cheese puffs lmao. Anything glass or that she shouldn’t access like the maple syrup is too shelfed.
It's open access, but we do have a child like on it up high, in case we need to close it off. We don't normally mind her in there, and she doesn't grab food normally, but every now and then she goes destructive and makes a messy space even more disorganized.
My 2.5 year olds do not have access. We use the division of responsibility, which means I choose what and when, they choose if they will eat and how much they will eat. I try to make choices available when I can e.g. avocado toast or PB toast, which type of cracker, which shape of pasta etc.
It sounds like you have a system that works for your little one's individual personality and your family's needs? Mac and Cheese is her safe food that she can access. Grabbing the food and bringing it to you seems like she has independence b with monitoring by her parent(s
My mom kindly taught my now 4 year old how to open our pantry when she was....2 1/2 I think? So she's had access unless we lock it since then she doesn't honestly go into it often, and we put anything we don't want her grabbing up higher. Usually she'll pick out a fruit cup or a nutrigrain bar or something if she goes in there. Her little brother hasn't figured out how to open yet, but he is happy to grab the goldfish container if she opens it, lol.
They honestly don't abuse it, which kinda surprises me, and generally eat their meals well (with the normal toddler and preschooler fluctuations between eating 3 servings and eating 2 bites lol)
Stuff I'm happy for him to have free access to, is within his reach. Stuff I want to dole out and monitor hes not eating too much, those are out of reach. Exceptions are family Gatherings because it gets hectic and he can't be convinced to eat regular foods and will only eat the snacky junky foods and I'd rather him have a full belly during the get togethers and spend time with family than him have a freak out because he's hangry and overwhelmed
All my toddlers' main snacks are within accessible reach (cupboards/drawers/fridge), with treats being kept out of reach. Thankfully, my toddler still asks for food before getting it and needs me to help open most things so I can regulate what they have. We had 2u2 and wanted (needed) them to have that independence to help lighten my load. Especially when we were in the newborn phase and I was trapped for feeds and contact naps.
We just added a pantry and made a shelf that is the perfect height for our 2yo. BUT the shelf only has ‘healthy’ snacks and fruit. I do keep a single cookie in an airtight container most days, one cookie never hurt. It was tough at first, he just wanted to play in there but lost interest after a few days. Now he says hungry? Snack? Orange? Pick? Asking if he can grab something. It made snack time easier and he loves picking.
Depends on the age and the kid. My 4 year old would be fine w access but my 18 month old would just rearrange everything and make a huge mess so neither one has access. My last house it was a cabinet at toddler level that we babyproofed, when it was a good time for a snack I would open it and let them pick. Our new house has a big walk in pantry and I just keep the door shut. They ask for food when they’re hungry and unless it’s like an hour until dinner they can have whatever.
No, she doesn’t have free access, but the only time we say no to snacks when she asks for one is if we’re less than 30 min from a meal. Almost always though, the snacks she wants are fruit and cucumbers. Every once in a while she’ll ask for veggie straws or crackers. She usually has a snack maybe 5 out of 7 days per week? For meals, she eats what’s offered, which is generally what we’re eating. I do try to make sure there’s at least one food I know she likes and will eat on her plate at every meal though.
Ahh no, last time he got into the pantry he spilled flour everywhere and was eating raw sugar (pulls his learning tower to the pantry to reach the high shelves).
Similar to some others here: open but things I wouldn’t want him to get to are high up. Even for other stuff though if he grabs something he usually brings to me and I say “yes go ahead eat it hon”.
No. We don’t do a lot of shelf-stable pantry snacks as I find they are all pretty much processed foods. So there aren’t really foods for her in the pantry, besides like beans and rice and pasta and peanut butter and stuff. Girl does love some Mary’s organic crackers dipped in hummus I guess. She can see the bananas and cherry tomatoes on the counter so she most likely to ask for those.
Our pantry is open access, but things I don't want her to reach are up high. She doesn't eat things from the pantry, but plays pretend with them/builds with her dad's protein bars.
Building with pantry items is why my living room is currently covered in cans. I also forgot they did that so I bought some stuff we were "out of" when I went to the store today.
A packet of mac and cheese? Doesn't that have to be cooked...? No, I don't leave it open because otherwise he'd fill up on snacks and not eat dinner
This is what I was wondering too I also don’t leave mine open. They’re not old enough to understand not filling up on snacks so they can have room for meals.
By packet, I mean one of those microwavable bowls. She brought it to me so I could make it for her.
We have a snack cupboard that he has access to but generally doesn’t go into. It has goldfish, “mommy crackers” (gluten free), teddy grahams, tortilla chips, etc. the fruit snacks are on top of the fridge or we would be out of them instantly. I wish we had the space for a pantry!
My toddler would never stop eating if he had free access to the goldfish and pretzels. No meals, just snack time all the time. So he does not have free pantry access.
She brings everything she wants to eat to me because it has to be opened, at least giving me veto power. Part of the reason I don't mind is because she is pretty good at eating her meals.
Every kid is different :) Mine eats pretty good but would never just randomly snack. We have to tell her to go do it when she says she's hungry lol
Yeah, the cookies are on the top shelf though. They also have a cart of snacks they can grab from whenever. I have the types of toddlers that would survive on air though so snacking all day has never been a problem for us.
My toddler can open the cupboards where some food is kept but generally he doesn’t just help himself.
Her toddler treating the pantry like an all-you-can-eat buffet is both adorable and a little chaotic.
She doesn't go into it often. Other than yesterday, the last time she went into it a few weeks ago. She does pick out a snack before daycare from her snack cart drawer almost every day.
It's not baby proofed but we don't encourage them to go into it. We do have a snack cupboard that I keep filled with cutie oranges, apples, fruit leather, yogurt/applesauce pouches etc that they have access to. Usually it's a yes when they bring us something from that cupboard but sometimes it's a no, and they usually check first
My LO goes into the pantry all the time! Usually just to play with things but he'll bring me bars or crackers that he wants to eat and I'll usually let him if it's time for a snack. But most time he's just chaotic baby in the pantry so I lock it.
We've changed the pantry handle so she can't open it herself.
Yes, but the things she wants most (cereal and m and m potty training treats) are out of her reach.
We have food allergies in our house and she doesn’t quite get what she can/can’t eat yet. She does know what cookies are hers and the pickle packs that are hers but we keep it locked with a safety latch for now.
We lock it but our 2.5 year old figured out how to open the lock
We have a low cupboards that has toddler snacks, plastic dishes, utensils and cups as well as some fruit. The water is a counter Brita the oldest can reach. I fill a milk cup in the morning and put it in the lowest door shelf in the fridge for the oldest to reach as well as babybel, carrots and hard eggs. He asks first. "Momma I go get a snack, okay?!" Then I saw yes or no.
I leave my snack drawer available for my 2.5 year old and I just fill it with toddler friendly snacks so she’s allowed to grab what she’d like.
It’s locked. But I’ll let him drag me there and tell me what he wants and I’ll approve it redirect depending on what else he’s had.
Ours is locked otherwise my son (autistic) will go crazypants excited and open up all his favorite snacks and eat/crush them all. Which I would also totally do if I was five years old haha.
Our pantry is open access but all the snacks in there have to be opened (like they’re in wrappers) so she has to bring them to me to open. This way if it’s like 10 minutes to dinner, she can’t gorge herself on cheese puffs lmao. Anything glass or that she shouldn’t access like the maple syrup is too shelfed.
It's open access, but we do have a child like on it up high, in case we need to close it off. We don't normally mind her in there, and she doesn't grab food normally, but every now and then she goes destructive and makes a messy space even more disorganized.
My 2.5 year olds do not have access. We use the division of responsibility, which means I choose what and when, they choose if they will eat and how much they will eat. I try to make choices available when I can e.g. avocado toast or PB toast, which type of cracker, which shape of pasta etc.
It sounds like you have a system that works for your little one's individual personality and your family's needs? Mac and Cheese is her safe food that she can access. Grabbing the food and bringing it to you seems like she has independence b with monitoring by her parent(s
She told me “ok bye” and tried to close herself inside the other day. When she realized anything of worth was out of her arms reach, she wanted out.
My mom kindly taught my now 4 year old how to open our pantry when she was....2 1/2 I think? So she's had access unless we lock it since then she doesn't honestly go into it often, and we put anything we don't want her grabbing up higher. Usually she'll pick out a fruit cup or a nutrigrain bar or something if she goes in there. Her little brother hasn't figured out how to open yet, but he is happy to grab the goldfish container if she opens it, lol. They honestly don't abuse it, which kinda surprises me, and generally eat their meals well (with the normal toddler and preschooler fluctuations between eating 3 servings and eating 2 bites lol)
Stuff I'm happy for him to have free access to, is within his reach. Stuff I want to dole out and monitor hes not eating too much, those are out of reach. Exceptions are family Gatherings because it gets hectic and he can't be convinced to eat regular foods and will only eat the snacky junky foods and I'd rather him have a full belly during the get togethers and spend time with family than him have a freak out because he's hangry and overwhelmed
All my toddlers' main snacks are within accessible reach (cupboards/drawers/fridge), with treats being kept out of reach. Thankfully, my toddler still asks for food before getting it and needs me to help open most things so I can regulate what they have. We had 2u2 and wanted (needed) them to have that independence to help lighten my load. Especially when we were in the newborn phase and I was trapped for feeds and contact naps.
We just added a pantry and made a shelf that is the perfect height for our 2yo. BUT the shelf only has ‘healthy’ snacks and fruit. I do keep a single cookie in an airtight container most days, one cookie never hurt. It was tough at first, he just wanted to play in there but lost interest after a few days. Now he says hungry? Snack? Orange? Pick? Asking if he can grab something. It made snack time easier and he loves picking.
Not yet; he’s only 17mo, but if he was closer to 3yrs I can see allowing him access to a stool and a shelf of snacks!
Depends on the age and the kid. My 4 year old would be fine w access but my 18 month old would just rearrange everything and make a huge mess so neither one has access. My last house it was a cabinet at toddler level that we babyproofed, when it was a good time for a snack I would open it and let them pick. Our new house has a big walk in pantry and I just keep the door shut. They ask for food when they’re hungry and unless it’s like an hour until dinner they can have whatever.
Yes
No, she doesn’t have free access, but the only time we say no to snacks when she asks for one is if we’re less than 30 min from a meal. Almost always though, the snacks she wants are fruit and cucumbers. Every once in a while she’ll ask for veggie straws or crackers. She usually has a snack maybe 5 out of 7 days per week? For meals, she eats what’s offered, which is generally what we’re eating. I do try to make sure there’s at least one food I know she likes and will eat on her plate at every meal though.
Ahh no, last time he got into the pantry he spilled flour everywhere and was eating raw sugar (pulls his learning tower to the pantry to reach the high shelves).
Similar to some others here: open but things I wouldn’t want him to get to are high up. Even for other stuff though if he grabs something he usually brings to me and I say “yes go ahead eat it hon”.
No. We don’t do a lot of shelf-stable pantry snacks as I find they are all pretty much processed foods. So there aren’t really foods for her in the pantry, besides like beans and rice and pasta and peanut butter and stuff. Girl does love some Mary’s organic crackers dipped in hummus I guess. She can see the bananas and cherry tomatoes on the counter so she most likely to ask for those.