Anonymous
Post 10/11/2011 17:34     Subject: Re:Do you let your toddler eat/drink on Metro?
Anonymous wrote:It is illegal to eat or drink on Metro.

It is entirely possible to last a half-hour or so without food or water. As for occupying your toddler, do you not have any non-food/drink alternatives in your bag?

And when did eating and drinking become a diversion (rather than a source of sustenance), anyway?

Crazy, we are all going crazy.


Oh sweetie. You don't ride Metro much, do you? Just took me an hour and a half for what should be a 45 minute trip. Good thing I'm not a baby or a young toddler, and I can handle that without a meltdown. But if I had a kid and goldfish crackers with me, you'd better believe I'd have used them.
Anonymous
Post 10/11/2011 16:48     Subject: Do you let your toddler eat/drink on Metro?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I feed my toddler goldfish because I want him to grow up to rob banks.


Maybe we should hang out. It'll save your kid the trouble of recruiting a gang if he hangs out with my maladjusted goldfish eating kids.


I'll add a third Goldfish-eating kid; now they've got critical mass toward a gang!


And herein lies the problem...

Anonymous
Post 10/11/2011 16:40     Subject: Do you let your toddler eat/drink on Metro?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I feed my toddler goldfish because I want him to grow up to rob banks.


Maybe we should hang out. It'll save your kid the trouble of recruiting a gang if he hangs out with my maladjusted goldfish eating kids.


I'll add a third Goldfish-eating kid; now they've got critical mass toward a gang!
Anonymous
Post 10/11/2011 16:30     Subject: Re:Do you let your toddler eat/drink on Metro?
Anonymous wrote:I believe there is also a handicap rule for certain seats - no one seems to follow that either. So, my kid will get her snacks (she's 15 months).


There's handicap PRIORITY for certain seats. Anyone can sit there if there's no one in need of them.
Anonymous
Post 10/11/2011 15:44     Subject: Re:Do you let your toddler eat/drink on Metro?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I commuted for two years with DC on metro. As he got older I had to allow snacks even though I was worried about the germ factor. We were commuting home at snack time, it occupied him when he otherwise wanted to get up and play, and I always cleaned up after us. I learned my lesson about not having a snack when we got stuck for 45 extra minutes (in addition to our hour commute) one day on the red line. From that point on I always has food on metro.

If you're commuting home at snack time, you should be better prepared. You should stop and feed your child a snack before you get on the train, especially since you KNOW that it's at snack time for your child. Why can't you give your DC a snack at the daycare before you leave? That would tide the child over until you get home. While I am sympathetic to the water on the hot day without A/C, this is just elitism. Some rules just don't apply to us, so I'll break them because the rules are inconvenient. You are just as disrespectful and bad as the teens who willfully ignore the rules.


I agree. I'm astonished at all of the people on this thread who think it's ok to do what is clearly illegal (and for good reasons). It is NOT THAT HARD to go without food for the duration of a Metro ride, people. Really, it isn't.


Because my kid doesn't eat. There are only about 5 things I can get him to eat for certain, and its a crap shoot whether he'll eat them or not at preschool. I've tried introducing new foods, only to be met with them being thrown on the floor, every time. So instead of letting him scream while we ride home and then feeding him, I bring along a snack on the train to tide him over. I also clean up after my children because I realize it's not a restaurant and there's noone to bus my seat for me.


If he doesn't eat, then why is he eating on the train?

When do you plan to introduce him to rules?

My dog doesn't like the leash, but too bad - there are leash laws, and I'm not going to inconvenience the public for her comfort.
Anonymous
Post 10/11/2011 15:28     Subject: Do you let your toddler eat/drink on Metro?
Anonymous wrote:I feed my toddler goldfish because I want him to grow up to rob banks.


Maybe we should hang out. It'll save your kid the trouble of recruiting a gang if he hangs out with my maladjusted goldfish eating kids.
Anonymous
Post 10/11/2011 15:10     Subject: Re:Do you let your toddler eat/drink on Metro?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I commuted for two years with DC on metro. As he got older I had to allow snacks even though I was worried about the germ factor. We were commuting home at snack time, it occupied him when he otherwise wanted to get up and play, and I always cleaned up after us. I learned my lesson about not having a snack when we got stuck for 45 extra minutes (in addition to our hour commute) one day on the red line. From that point on I always has food on metro.

If you're commuting home at snack time, you should be better prepared. You should stop and feed your child a snack before you get on the train, especially since you KNOW that it's at snack time for your child. Why can't you give your DC a snack at the daycare before you leave? That would tide the child over until you get home. While I am sympathetic to the water on the hot day without A/C, this is just elitism. Some rules just don't apply to us, so I'll break them because the rules are inconvenient. You are just as disrespectful and bad as the teens who willfully ignore the rules.


I agree. I'm astonished at all of the people on this thread who think it's ok to do what is clearly illegal (and for good reasons). It is NOT THAT HARD to go without food for the duration of a Metro ride, people. Really, it isn't.


I agree. I can't see why you would break a rule that you agree is a good rule. I get carrying food and if as one poster mentioned you get stuck on the train for some insane amount of time then yes by all means bring it out. But to give your child snack on a regular basis on the metro is just teaching your child that they don't have to follow rules or practice any self control.

Now I am also someone who rarely even lets my child eat in the car. The exception is when we are on long car rides. Otherwise he can eat before are after we get to where we are going. I don't want my car to be mess and I don't want the metro to be a mess either.
Anonymous
Post 10/11/2011 12:12     Subject: Do you let your toddler eat/drink on Metro?
I feed my toddler goldfish because I want him to grow up to rob banks.
Anonymous
Post 10/11/2011 12:05     Subject: Re:Do you let your toddler eat/drink on Metro?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I commuted for two years with DC on metro. As he got older I had to allow snacks even though I was worried about the germ factor. We were commuting home at snack time, it occupied him when he otherwise wanted to get up and play, and I always cleaned up after us. I learned my lesson about not having a snack when we got stuck for 45 extra minutes (in addition to our hour commute) one day on the red line. From that point on I always has food on metro.

If you're commuting home at snack time, you should be better prepared. You should stop and feed your child a snack before you get on the train, especially since you KNOW that it's at snack time for your child. Why can't you give your DC a snack at the daycare before you leave? That would tide the child over until you get home. While I am sympathetic to the water on the hot day without A/C, this is just elitism. Some rules just don't apply to us, so I'll break them because the rules are inconvenient. You are just as disrespectful and bad as the teens who willfully ignore the rules.


It's called multitasking and the goal is to get home as soon as possible. Like I would hang out at daycare after I finished work for the day.
Anonymous
Post 10/11/2011 11:37     Subject: Re:Do you let your toddler eat/drink on Metro?
What amazes me is that you can eat and drink whatever you want to on the VRE trains. Somehow the VRE Train remains very clean. Yet you can't even sip water on the Metro, and it's filthy.
Anonymous
Post 10/11/2011 11:31     Subject: Re:Do you let your toddler eat/drink on Metro?
Anonymous wrote:
I've tried introducing new foods, only to be met with them being thrown on the floor, every time. So instead of letting him scream while we ride home and then feeding him, I bring along a snack on the train to tide him over. [/quote wrote:

Please don't try to introduce new foods to him on the Metro!


Not on the Metro! I'm not that masochistic. I do it at home, when I know he's hungry.
Anonymous
Post 10/11/2011 11:29     Subject: Re:Do you let your toddler eat/drink on Metro?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I commuted for two years with DC on metro. As he got older I had to allow snacks even though I was worried about the germ factor. We were commuting home at snack time, it occupied him when he otherwise wanted to get up and play, and I always cleaned up after us. I learned my lesson about not having a snack when we got stuck for 45 extra minutes (in addition to our hour commute) one day on the red line. From that point on I always has food on metro.

If you're commuting home at snack time, you should be better prepared. You should stop and feed your child a snack before you get on the train, especially since you KNOW that it's at snack time for your child. Why can't you give your DC a snack at the daycare before you leave? That would tide the child over until you get home. While I am sympathetic to the water on the hot day without A/C, this is just elitism. Some rules just don't apply to us, so I'll break them because the rules are inconvenient. You are just as disrespectful and bad as the teens who willfully ignore the rules.


I agree. I'm astonished at all of the people on this thread who think it's ok to do what is clearly illegal (and for good reasons). It is NOT THAT HARD to go without food for the duration of a Metro ride, people. Really, it isn't.


Because my kid doesn't eat. There are only about 5 things I can get him to eat for certain, and its a crap shoot whether he'll eat them or not at preschool. I've tried introducing new foods, only to be met with them being thrown on the floor, every time. So instead of letting him scream while we ride home and then feeding him, I bring along a snack on the train to tide him over. I also clean up after my children because I realize it's not a restaurant and there's noone to bus my seat for me.


You shouldn't let your kids throw food on the floor at a restaurant either, honestly.

Back to the original question. I have in the past let my DD drink things on the metro. Letting her drink anything other than a sip of water on a hot day, however, ended cold turkey the day I pulled her straw cup of milk out of her bag and opened it, blasting myself in the face/chest with milk that had gotten pressurized in the stupid cup. I managed to get most if it on myself and pulled out a wipe to clean up the small amount that got on the seat between us, while also apologizing to the people in the general vicinity. Had I gotten caught by a metro employee, I would have paid the fine without complaining because I was so clearly in violation of the law. And I haven't fed her anything on the metro since then.
Anonymous
Post 10/11/2011 11:25     Subject: Re:Do you let your toddler eat/drink on Metro?
I've tried introducing new foods, only to be met with them being thrown on the floor, every time. So instead of letting him scream while we ride home and then feeding him, I bring along a snack on the train to tide him over. [/quote wrote:

Please don't try to introduce new foods to him on the Metro!
Anonymous
Post 10/11/2011 11:18     Subject: Do you let your toddler eat/drink on Metro?
My preschooler likes to eat a sandwich every morning in the car on his way to school so the parents commuting with kids on metro have all my sympathy.

And as someone who commutes to work via metro I appreciate whatever will keep little kids quiet and happy. I use to slip DC a goldfish or even an M&M (magic!) on metro whenever DC would get antsy. Way better than a screamfest for everyone!
Anonymous
Post 10/11/2011 11:07     Subject: Re:Do you let your toddler eat/drink on Metro?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I commuted for two years with DC on metro. As he got older I had to allow snacks even though I was worried about the germ factor. We were commuting home at snack time, it occupied him when he otherwise wanted to get up and play, and I always cleaned up after us. I learned my lesson about not having a snack when we got stuck for 45 extra minutes (in addition to our hour commute) one day on the red line. From that point on I always has food on metro.

If you're commuting home at snack time, you should be better prepared. You should stop and feed your child a snack before you get on the train, especially since you KNOW that it's at snack time for your child. Why can't you give your DC a snack at the daycare before you leave? That would tide the child over until you get home. While I am sympathetic to the water on the hot day without A/C, this is just elitism. Some rules just don't apply to us, so I'll break them because the rules are inconvenient. You are just as disrespectful and bad as the teens who willfully ignore the rules.


I agree. I'm astonished at all of the people on this thread who think it's ok to do what is clearly illegal (and for good reasons). It is NOT THAT HARD to go without food for the duration of a Metro ride, people. Really, it isn't.


Because my kid doesn't eat. There are only about 5 things I can get him to eat for certain, and its a crap shoot whether he'll eat them or not at preschool. I've tried introducing new foods, only to be met with them being thrown on the floor, every time. So instead of letting him scream while we ride home and then feeding him, I bring along a snack on the train to tide him over. I also clean up after my children because I realize it's not a restaurant and there's noone to bus my seat for me.