Do you let your kids eat in the car?

[Anonymous]

I don't, never have, and I'm baffled at those who do because their cars are nasty. Crumbs, food stains, and sticky everywhere? WHY?? Kids don't need to be snacking 24/7. Unless you're on a long road trip or something I don't get it.

[Anonymous]

No, except a rare occasion.

[Anonymous]

For me it was because of timing. My kid came out of daycare starving and we had a drive and giving them a small healthy snack to prevent a blood sugar swing made sense for us. They still ate dinner. Or a drive to grandmas house was an hour and we left two hours after breakfast and we knew it would be a little before she served lunch…my kids don’t eat all day, but some times it worked better to feed them in the car.

It’s easy to judge, isn’t?

Here’s mine: I’m baffled at parents who hand their kids phones the minute their kids are bored or have iPads strapped to the back of the seat so your kid can zone out all the time.

Nobody is perfect. You don’t have to judge those who make different decisions than you do.

[Anonymous]

I used to not allow snacking when they were little. And now we drive to activities after school and they need something to tide them until dinner. I try to keep it clean though.

[Anonymous]

Yes. It’s gross and annoying but it gives me some peace. We get our car detailed quarterly.

[Anonymous]

Yes for sure. We're in the car way too much to not *Ever* eat in there.

[Anonymous]

Yes

[Anonymous]

Yup. We do take a lot of road trips, and we go right from school to sports and, yes, snacks are needed in between.

[Anonymous]

No, and we don't take "road trips."

[Anonymous]

I put 25,000 miles a year on my car, most of that schlepping kids around. So yeah, we eat in the car and we clean it too. Sorry your kids are pigs.

[Anonymous]

My kids eat in the car on occasion--like when we are running around to various activities. Sometimes it really can't be avoided. We also do yearly road trips and eat in the car then. But my kids aren't messy eaters in the car or at home, and we don't let them eat certain food in the car because it's just too messy.

[Anonymous]

Yes and I eat in the car too. Mostly drink. They have to be older because of choking issues but I don’t care about neatness in the car unlike my husband

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, and we don't take "road trips."

You’re missing out. Take at least one long road trip with very little on the agenda. It’s a lot of fun.

[Anonymous]

Absolutely- with two young elementary kids and dual working parents, facilitating their participation in extracurricular activities that they love often requires snacks or the occasional meal on the go. We also typically do several road trips a year. I personally value those opportunities and memories far more than having an immaculate car at this life stage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't, never have, and I'm baffled at those who do because their cars are nasty. Crumbs, food stains, and sticky everywhere? WHY?? Kids don't need to be snacking 24/7. Unless you're on a long road trip or something I don't get it.

Sorry your car is more important.