7yo Stealing Snacks...Help!
Moms View Message Board: Parenting Discussion: Archive January-June 2004:
7yo Stealing Snacks...Help!
Posting for my sister:
Okay, my sister lets her 7yo (will be in 2nd grade next year) hang out by himself for awhile downstairs while she reads/rests upstairs while her 2 younger kids are napping. He watches a video and is usually just fine. (I'll add that this is a very high-need child who has melt-downs daily and loves attention - whether it be negative or positive...he is showing some signs of OCD as well)
Anyway, last week my sister realized that he had gone into the pantry and ate about 10 fruit snacks. She found the wrappers in the trash and sent him to his room, etc. He is NOT hungry!!! Well, a couple days later he did the same thing and hid the wrappers under the sofa. (Smart!) He got in trouble again. She tried leaving out a snack that should be appealing to him - no luck. Today, when dad was mowing and mom was upstairs, he hid in the bathroom and ate chips.
What to do?
Ignore it?
Bigger punishment?
Hide all yummy snacks in a lock box?
This is a little boy who is a constant challenge for my sister and her husband - so something little like stealing snacks is just the icing on the cake for a million other parenting challenges he presents. (I love that little guy!!!!)
Anyone with ideas, similar experiences, etc. would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Amy
Honestly, I did this for several years when I was younger but I was 12-16. I have battled eating disorders my whole life but I didn't have much of a problem at that point in my life. I really don't know why I did this. My family didn't allow sweets most of the time but when there were treats in the house I would steal, hide, and gorge on them. My suggestion is to give him 1 treat each day and hide or lock up the rest. I really didn't know how to control myself and would get up in the middle of the night to get these things. I don't have any other suggestions. Hope someone else is more help.
Not to make too lite of it, but at least it's fruit snacks!!!!! I ate a lot of kids vitamins when I was little. Thank goodness I was ok though.
I think if you just ignore it he'll stop. JMHO
Or tell him you won't buy anymore sweets if he keeps it up.
I'm not in any way suggesting he is bipolar, but one common symptom in bipolar kids is a craving for carbs. Robin will occasionally eat 3-5 slices of bread. Nothing on them, just plain, white bread. He will also eat a half dozen little fruit snacks if I let him. We've started getting healthier snacks (fruits--which a lot of different ones are coming into season now, veggies, apple sauce, pudding, crackers, etc), especially since he started gaining weight since starting a new med about 4 months ago (he's gained about 15lbs--which he needed, was underweight, but we don't want him going overboard). Anyway, you mentioned he's a challenge and is showing signs of OCD (which Robin's never been offically dx'd as, but it's been mentioned) so I thought I'd throw this out as food for thought. There's a website I visit that has lots of really great info and message boards for support. It's bpkids. Let us know how he's doing. You can also email me if you'd like. cathyliz@bigfoot.com
Well, since this little guy is having difficulties anyway, it might be time for a complete multi-disciplinary evaluation.
I'm not that familiar with OCD but I thought food hoarding and sneaking food could be associated with OCD.
How is he in school?
Your sister might have to lock up/hide certain target foods until he can be evaluated. I don't think punishing would do any good if this is determined to be a neurological/mental issue.
A good website to check out for advice from experienced parents dealing with all kinds of behavior issues including this food issue is www.conductdisorders.com
I've heard the bipolar kids website is quite good, too. Don't be afraid by these websites' names. It is helpful to any parent having behavior issues with their children even when there are no diagnoses and no need for one. It just seems more productive to get advice from parents who have actually dealt with this issue and more severe issues.
It sound to my like a typical kid testing boundaries thing. If he's a needy kid when it comes to attention, then he's now getting it by stealing snacks and basking in the (negative) attention, while also having gorged!
Can she sit down with him and talk about why he feels the need to do this? Would he be able to respond to that? If so, the maybe she can get to the root cause of this out of control snacking.
If not, then I think she needs to explain, calmly, that since he can't seem to stop eating too much snack and cannot be responsible, she must put out only one snack for him and then lock the rest away. Or, one step further, not have any snack in the house at all. Two weeks of no snacks, and he'll stop if this is a rebellion / attention getting device.
If on the other hand you're dealing with some sort of disorder or illness, then my approach may seem harsh or unsympathetic. If it is a disorder, seek psychiatric advice on how to handle it.
Good luck.
Ame
My son is 8 (just turned 8) and sometimes he will sneak food but more often than not he will ask. He wants more food an hour after a meal. He eats more than my husband in a day! He just seems to be constantly hungry. I spoke with his doctor and he feels it is a natural thing. He has gone through many growth spurts and this tends to be when he is the most hungry. My son is not heavy at all. Perhaps this child is really hungry due to going through a growth spurt?
Thanks for all the responses so far - keep em coming and I'll forward them all to my sister.
You all are the best!
I just keep the tiny chocolate bar in the house for snacks. They last forever.... and ever...
I wouldn't buy any other snacks. He don't need any snacks in the house. If he is hungry give him some toast and butter for snack.
Listen I would eat all the fruit snacks too (if I liked them) So it seems perfectly normal to me.
Actually I would eat a whole bag of potato chips
every night if I kept them in the house. I would also eat the whole pint of ice cream everynight too if I kept it in the house. I
lol Feona!
I don't think this is typical at all. I have a 7 y-old with tons of issues though this is not one of them. I would definitely have him evaluated! Wow, Cat! I never knew that was a symptom of bipolar!
Maybe you could try keeping some healthy snacks in a special place for him. Tell him that if he gets hungry that he is allowed to get something out of his basket only. You can keep a specific amount in "his basket" so that he won't over do that either. Maybe he really is just hungry.
My sister has this problem with her son, who is bipolar. She has had to resort to literally locking up the food.
I think it is a normal kid thing. Most kids love snacks and junk and have no clue about the nutrional risks and benefits, etc. If I didn't know that junk food and candy caused cavities, weight gain, etc, I would eat more of it.
Since this is an issue in the house, the snacks need to be hidden for special treats. Healthy snacks should replace the bad ones, at his level in the fridge and pantry.
I do this also. I hide the candy, cookies, sweets, etc and dole them out for special treats and surprises.
My kids can grab grapes, carrots, apples, crackers, cheese, pretzels, ice water, etc....anytime of the day, as long as they eat their meals.
I would just make the environment for him where he doesn't have access to these items. No issue made, just have your sister put them away.
I know there are many symptoms for many disorders but not every child should be evaluated. My brother, who had no problems growing up or now, no weight problems, mental issues, etc. loved to eat entire columns of saltines, at one sitting. He loved bread, buttered spaghetti. He is 45 now, active, intelligent, wealthy and doesn't eat any kind of junk food at all!
I think your nephew is taking advantage of your sister when she is out of sight because he can. Your sister and dh buy the junk food, maybe they need to stop and set up a different environment for him. 
Keep us posted!
I agree with Annie2 on this one. My thoughts exactly.
Ditto Annie2
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