# Fridge Raiders!



## neven (May 15, 2010)

My 4 yo and 2 yo have a habit of raiding the fridge, normally we catch them before any harm is done but its getting tiring. The typical pattern is, watch them like a hawk, leave the room for a second, and there they are in the kitchen, quietly reaping the rewards of their sneakiness. With work being slow, this is really adding up in costs. Yogurt, Milk, and cheese are always the primary targets, then the few times we have them, jam and syrup. They get fed a snack between each meal and often a cracker or fruit outside that schedule, so they have what they need, so its not them being starved. The worst is the nights one of them fusses through, because in the morning, you sometimes doze off for 10 minutes and you wake up to find half a jug of milk over the living room, eggs broken on the floor, or todays mixture: Mustard, maple syrup and milk in a tupperware with them using a spoon to eat it. Yelling, talking calmly, explaining why its bad, time outs, restriction of movement (worst for my 4yo, holding him on the couch makes scream like someones beating him) doesn't stop it. We have tried locks, the adhesives from them just don't work, plus, the 4 yo teaches the younger one how to open them. Most people just say, "well put the latch up high" but it wont work since we only have a bar fridge. We dont own the place or i would have just used screws through the stainless steel front and put a real lock on the fridge. We've gated the kitchen, the 4yo can scale our chain link fence in the back, so a child gate is nothing. I've moved the kitchen table and all the chairs on its side in front of the fridge (for the night), only to see them all moved and the brick of cheese missing when we wake in the morning. For a while the thrill of it died down for the kids, so we let out guard down, now they are on the offensive again. 

Any ideas on how we can stop this?


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## AWW (Apr 22, 2010)

Electrify the handle.

Just kidding 

Instead of them getting what they want and you punishing them for it, create a reward system? That would take the game away.


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

have the same prob with a room mate lol still haven't figured out how to stop him lol where there is a will there is a way.


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## Pamela (Apr 21, 2010)

Maybe instead of trying to stop the behaviour you can allow them to have certain foods that they can snack on whenever they feel like it (except right before dinner, etc). Kids love feeling independent. I've noticed that sometimes when my kids are going through a growth spurt they are insanely hungry.

You could keep a small rubbermaid type of bin somewhere in the kitchen for dry foods. You could let your kids decorate it with stickers or whatever so it's exclusively theirs. Or you could give them their own easily accessed cupboard & let them make a sign for it. You could let them select some healthy snacks for their area when they're grocery shopping with you. Things like: flavoured rice cakes, granola bars, goldfish crackers, applesauce tubes, etc.

Same idea with the fridge. Let them have a shelf that's theirs. Keep things like cut up oranges, ready to eat baby carrots, cheese slices or cheese strings, sliced salami, whatever in there for them. If they're allowed to eat a piece of cheese when they feel like it, they are less likely to go on a rampage & eat a whole block. Keep sippy cups filled with water or milk or juice so that your kids aren't trying to pour their own drinks.


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## Athomedad (Oct 8, 2011)

Every kid has a favourite thing & once you find out what it is, it's way easier to control their behavior. For my 5 yr old it is a stuffed Hello Kitty. For my soon to be 3 yr old it is Thomas the Train YouTube videos. If they don't listen, they lose them until they've been good for a day. 

I also use a lot of positive reinforcement when they are acting appropriately. Things like extra calls to grandma & grandpa to tell them how good they were are very effective. 

Hang in there. It gets easier when they start school.


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## rich16 (Mar 25, 2011)

My 5 year old does the same thing, and targets the same things: yogurt, cheese, milk...fresh berries if we have them. Sometimes waffles. Because our living room is in sight of the fridge, we can usually catch the little bugger at it. Sometimes we end up locking the fridge, but because that's such a PITA for the rest of us, we usually try distracting him. And he's easily distracted!

Thing is, I don't really care to much if he's after fruit or yogurt, or those reasonably healthy snacks, unless it's close to dinner time.

Then again, he's never done the middle of the night, smash the eggs, spill the milk thing.

Some kids just want to emulate mommy and daddy - get things out of the fridge, mix them up, and eat them...some are just grazers, that seem to eat little bits all day - that was my 7 year old when he was 3 or 4.

Sorry, not much help in this...


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## rich16 (Mar 25, 2011)

Pamela said:


> Same idea with the fridge. Let them have a shelf that's theirs. Keep things like cut up oranges, ready to eat baby carrots, cheese slices or cheese strings, sliced salami, whatever in there for them. If they're allowed to eat a piece of cheese when they feel like it, they are less likely to go on a rampage & eat a whole block. Keep sippy cups filled with water or milk or juice so that your kids aren't trying to pour their own drinks.


And I like this idea, this could work for you.


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## Grete_J (Oct 5, 2010)

It's stories like this that made me glad I can crate my furkids! Or clicker train them  Click-treat-repeat


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Hi Neven, 

Your kids have numerous talents including persistence and ingenuity. I like the way that the older one is teaching the younger one... it may be highly annoying now (as it was for us when our eldest taught his extremely young brother how to get out of the crib and walk around the house in the night); hopefully it will translate into a very close bond when they are older.

I was going to suggest something like what Pamela did -- a cupboard or container where the food is theirs and they're allowed to go into it at any time (within reason). Maybe they could help do some of the baking for it, or wash the veggies, etc. I don't think you can win the 'child-proof the fridge' battle because your kids are just too smart. 

The key thing that stood out for me, other than the stress for you, is that this is really expensive and past your budget. As the parent of 4 now very big sons, I completely understand the pricey-food thing. Yogurt and cheese cost a lot, and so do pre-baked products. It looks like they like protein. If you don't have allergies, maybe a jar of peanut butter and some Melba toast or whole grain bread in their "kid cupboard"?Their own set of plastic knives? As long as they're not storming the fridge, you could take them to the store with you and let them each pick one thing for their cupboard (you choose the rest), or invite them to bake it with you. 

Since they are so enterprising in the kitchen, maybe it's time to harness their energies to make soup. Onions, lentils, carrots -- anything that's on hand -- and 45 minutes' of cooking, and you can have a vat of "Kid" soup that would really be their own, and they could serve themselves anytime. Of course, they'd need to access the fridge for that. In which case, instead of banning the fridge, give them their own shelf?

Some kids just cannot be kept from the fridge, even with sophisticated locks. Safety is an issue, then. In that case, maybe you could at least attach an alarm that would enable you to know when they were raiding it so that you could step in?

Just FYI: My friend's son had a syndrome that prevented him from recognizing when he was full, so this was a serious health issue. They couldn't give him access to the fridge even when he was 10 or 15 because he could potentially eat himself to death. (I'm not at all suggesting that your kids have this -- in fact, it's highly unlikely given how inventive and dextrous your kids are.) You might be able to find some fridge-locking advice online from the Prader-Wili syndrome people because many of those families deal with fridge security as a life and death issue, often on very limited budgets. 

Good luck.


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## Matt & Larissa (Sep 1, 2011)

Wait. 

Your kids eat? Food?


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## mikebike (Sep 8, 2010)

I have a wireless motion detector alarm that makes a lot of noise when activated.

Great for warning me if someone is getting close to things.

I bought 4 more off Ebay last fall that come with a remote fob you can turn the alarm off with.

As anyone ho has been to my place the alarms work.
I have one to let me know someone is in the driveway.


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

THey know that if they want fruit, they will almost always get it, as long as they ask politely and its not right before lunch or dinner. We do reward a lot, but the issue with foods is the oldest doesn't eat well at meals, he will hold out in hopes of snacks, or if the fridge has things prepared, he knows that if he pigs out on what he can sneak, he wont feel hungry when he gets something he doesn't like at dinner. We even try serving him the same dish dinner, breakfast and lunch, he will still hold out. The little one is a garbage disposal, if he had a third hand, he'd be using that alongside the other two to keep a steady supply of food being stuffed in his mouth. He even steals garlic while we prepare dinner.

As for premade foods, we dont buy them, crackers now and then, cereal of course, but processed foods cost a lot with little to no health gain, and very little time gain prep wise. My wife has our sons bake with her often, the cookies or cake is always locked up very very high, and they only get the treats when they are being really good and make an attempt to eat their dinner. They 'help' with dinner and lunches a few times a week aswell. As for their own shelf, its a bar fridge, we barely fit everything in there, so it cant happen  Things like raisins, peanut butter (we use adams), breads (wholewheats or wholegrains), crackers, rice cakes etc, we leave them in reach, they are gone in no time, and their meals are spoiled. Carrot sticks, celery, the youngest will eat, but the oldest wont touch raw vegetables. We really stress to them they only need to ask for help, this way we can atleast portion it.

now on to fluids, Juice is a rare treat in this house, milk is there when they ask for it, but water is always full in multiple cups around the house 

What fixed it last time is the oldest's most favourite thing is yogurt, we had to stop buying it for over a month so he would stop running to the fridge. The yogurt got so bad that he would polish off 4 or 5 cups in the morning before we woke up, without making a sound. When we stopped the cups, and got the bigger containers, we'd find half of it gone, with a bowl and spoon on the table and little to no mess. Once we cut it out, he stopped for a good month and a half. But now the youngest is starting to do it on his own without his brother there egging him on, and he doesn't have the same pickiness as his brother... We've tried a lot of methods, but i think the real problem is the oldests love for being sneaky. He's scaled the cabinets and given a full can of cocoa to the 2 yo, he finds pens and pencils from who knows where to give to his brother so the walls get drawn on, he's rescaped my fish tanks countless times. In new west, he managed to slip through the window guards and sit on the outside of the sill, it was difficult getting him back through those window guards (with him cooperating)  list goes on and on and on, all it takes is for us to be cleaning, going for a pee, dozing off, taking the garbage out. Even with two of us home

thank you though for the many suggestions, i'll try rigging up an alarm to the fridge though, it might actually work


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

The things you are doing are amazing. I got off lucky. (Had an escape artist or two, but nobody who made it out a window or handed out the tin of cocoa.) I don't think that anyone here can give you advice. You ought to be giving it!

I think you should hire MikeBike as your babysitter. He comes with motion detectors!


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

I know this sounds kind of cartoonish, but if the alarm doesn't work, why not a simple cable lock or a chain with a padlock? Loop it around the fridge and through the handles, and you and your wife keep the keys out of sight. If it's a bar fridge, you can use 2 chains and 2 locks so they can't just lift it off over the top (lock it like you're wrapping a present). A pain, but it will save the budget and can't be fiddled unless they have boltcutters... My grandma did this with my dad as a child to stop him raiding the deep freeze for ice cream.

Door alarm is also an awesome idea. GE | Window Or Door Alarm - 2 Pack | Home Depot Canada

That and maybe stop buying "treats" until they quit on the fridge? At 4, the oldest should understand "because you won't stop stealing this, you won't get it at all".


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## Pamela (Apr 21, 2010)

One of my 5 year old twins is a real "handful" too, so I can sympathize with you. I've been told by several people (including teachers) that being mischievous at such a young age is a sign of high intelligence, so you can be happy that you have a smart kid :bigsmile:


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

Pamela said:


> One of my 5 year old twins is a real "handful" too, so I can sympathize with you. I've been told by several people (including teachers) that being mischievous at such a young age is a sign of high intelligence, so you can be happy that you have a smart kid :bigsmile:


Hmmmm, I was very "mischievous" as a kid. Hmmmm. Used to sneak away from my nanny and run halfway across town (or so it seemed when I was 4) to "visit" my brother at his kindergarten class. Went so often they graduated me with my bro. He was NOT amused, imagine that???

I also sympathize because Felicia always seems to be hungry, especially at bed time. Occasionally she is just faking it, but most of the time she's actually very hungry, even if she just ate. I had the same "bottomless pit" problem until I was in my late 20s, so I know she inherited that from me. Fortunately, she always asks before taking something.

I don't see any real easy solutions to your dilemma. It will probably have to be a combination of the above suggestions and see which works. Good luck.

Come over in the summer when I'm having a bbq and I'll stuff your bottomless pits for you (at least till they get home and start raiding again).

Anthony


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

Great advice, Pamela.


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## Adz1 (Apr 21, 2010)

I found this wonderful strap lock at wall mart in the baby area for toddler proofing the fridge.
It works great and is about to out last our third toddler.
on the down side they figured out how to open it by age 7 for the first 2.


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## Athomedad (Oct 8, 2011)

The preschool my little guy goes to has some posters up about a seminar for disciplining young children. PM if you want the info & I can grab it for you. I haven't been myself but the director of the preschool highly recommends it. 

I am blessed that my oldest is a girl who is our little alarm if my mischievous son gets up to anything. They rarely conspire against us. If anything it's boys vs girls.


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## onefishtwofish (Apr 21, 2010)

i raised my daughter on a own cupboard system. she had a set of her own everything like bowl plate knife and fork but most of her snacks were finger food. I also "Fed " her when she was hungry. i had no set eating time.I was a single parent so i had that flexibility.
I suspect the milk is a target because of the sugar in it. I was surprised to learn that milk is one step in processing from turning into pure sugar. There is a debate as to whether milk is even really necessary other than for babies. I wonder if you tried making instant milk as needed for baking and not having it in the fridge would take away the draw to the fridge. 
as for the sneaky behavior... here is a story. my nephew lived on my dads farm with them. every day my dad would go on the road and when he was gone my nephew would take a hammer and go to the hen house and break all the eggs. my dad kept close to 500 chickens so it was a significant loss. Granted mom should have been watching him closer. well one day i was on the truck with dad and we got closer and dad could hear those chickens just a hollering bloody murder and told me what my nephew did. 
well my nephews prize possession was a$100 dollar bill he kept in his wallet and coveted so much. so i told dad to tell him that he can break as many eggs as he wanted to but he had to pay for them. well he took my nephews $100 bill and gave him back about $95 in small bills...not another eggs was broken or sack of grain slashed open ( another past time he enjoyed.)

I tried the same technique when i observed a neighbors kid kicking on the window by the front door to get attention. besides being a saftey risk it was also an expense the mom couldn't afford so i suggested she tell him that if he continued to do it that he could but that besides cutting himself she would have to sell his prize possession ( his bike) to pay for it. that also worked. it is surprising how rewarding kids with things they already possess worked. They learn to understand loss at a pretty early age. I also made my own daughter give a cherished toy to the garbage man. we just waited for that nasty old truck to beetle on down to our house and we waited at the curb to hand it to them personally. That was a result of her too concocting "experiments" of various food items she had free access to and she learned that she was wating food and turning it into garbage so she might as well just give it to the garbage men becasue it was of value. On the other hand she never had to sneak anything. Actually if she was going to do anything she would come and tell me...I am just going to close my door for a little while... As it was always just the two of us, she was free to wake me up anytime she wanted to because i was all she had to go to to ask for things. until she moved out she still asked for things from the fridge that she knew were not for everyday but also would wake me up at one in the morning to let me know a friend had texted that their plans to meet the next day at noon were cancelled..........there is no easy way on this one. good luck to you.


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