Feeding my (almost) 1 yr old daughter "puff" snacks at Mass?

[regression]

I think it depends on where in the country you are. I can’t think of a single parish anywhere around here that has a cry room. (I think they’re all too old; I’ve only seen cry rooms in the more modern parishes.)

You are probably right. Growing up in Baton Rouge, LA, every church I went to had one. When I moved to Memphis, TN, every church I went to had one. Live and learn

 

[kage_ar]

I think it depends on where in the country you are. I can’t think of a single parish anywhere around here that has a cry room. (I think they’re all too old; I’ve only seen cry rooms in the more modern parishes.)

Not a one in my town either.

Children who are old enough to eat solid food should be able to make it 1 hour without a bag of snacks. Feed the child before Mass and again right after.

If the child is nursing or bottle fed, a discreet breastfeeding or bottle would be the only food acceptable during Mass.

 

[Catholic90]

I agree with the poster who said giving the cheerios (or small cereal snack) one bit at a time to a very young child is not a problem – just not anything they can spill or throw. I would take the child out to nurse, though.

I wouldn’t…

I did not go out either when my boys were babies. No one even knew I was even nursing! But they sure commented often on how quiet the baby was!

Our church does not have a cry room.

 

[Jennifer_J]

Not a one in my town either.

Children who are old enough to eat solid food should be able to make it 1 hour without a bag of snacks. Feed the child before Mass and again right after.

If the child is nursing or bottle fed, a discreet breastfeeding or bottle would be the only food acceptable during Mass.

Kage,
I think this is less about nourishment and more about distraction. If the cheerios distract the 1 year old long enough for this family to get through Mass, I see nothing wrong with doing it. The child should be “weaned” from them as soon as possible, but depending on the child, that could be until the child is 2-ish. Is food my favorite thing at Mass? No, but it’s called survival when you have little ones too young to reason with, you do what you have to!

 

[kage_ar]

Kage,
I think this is less about nourishment and more about distraction. If the cheerios distract the 1 year old long enough for this family to get through Mass, I see nothing wrong with doing it. The child should be “weaned” from them as soon as possible, but depending on the child, that could be until the child is 2-ish. Is food my favorite thing at Mass? No, but it’s called survival when you have little ones too young to reason with, you do what you have to!

IMHO, starting a habit of food as a distraction when bored is a really bad idea. The mass is singing, praying, standing, kneeling and sitting. The longest period during Mass when there is nothing “going on” to distract a child is 10 minutes for the Homily and then another 10 minutes for the consecration.

Amazing how my mom had 4 kids in a protestant service twice on Sunday and at least 3 weeknights (dad is a preacher) - those sermons alone went on for over an hour - and never had to feed us cheerios. We knew we would get to eat after church. We sat in the pew and did NOT go to the cry room.

The Church is not designed to be a place where people eat. Staff and volunteers are stretched thin enought without having to clean up after “snack time” in the pews.

 

[Jennifer_J]

IMHO, starting a habit of food as a distraction when bored is a really bad idea. The mass is singing, praying, standing, kneeling and sitting. The longest period during Mass when there is nothing “going on” to distract a child is 10 minutes for the Homily and then another 10 minutes for the consecration.

Amazing how my mom had 4 kids in a protestant service twice on Sunday and at least 3 weeknights (dad is a preacher) - those sermons alone went on for over an hour - and never had to feed us cheerios. We knew we would get to eat after church. We sat in the pew and did NOT go to the cry room.

The Church is not designed to be a place where people eat. Staff and volunteers are stretched thin enought without having to clean up after “snack time” in the pews.

(your mother must have been a saint, Kage! ) But, as a mom of 6 children, I know the pains of trying to distract a 1 year old for all of Mass (1.5 hours on average), and if you think that a 1 year old is distracted by standing, kneeling and sitting—I just don’t know what to say–because they aren’t. My littlest one–20 months old–wiggles from the moment we enter to the moment we leave, unless I’m lucky enough that he goes to sleep (RARE). While I don’t resort to food NOW, I did when my oldest 2 were little. Feeding a bit of cheerios for distraction is a quite different than eating a cookie or tub of icecream because you are sad and bored. It can be done neatly, discreetly and you are not breaking any moral law and you won’t have children who are confused about when to eat. Giving parents a hard time about this only serves to drive them away. We’re not talking a full 3 course meal, we’re talking about handing a 1 year old a cheerio to distract them from screaming and running around…

Btw, I’m not talking about the parents who abuse the use of food (or TOYS, don’t get me started on toys) in Mass: juice boxes, crinkly bags of goldfish, big boxes of cheerios, big toddler sippy cups, lol. Believe me I’ve seen it and it’s a distraction for all. But this is very different than having a small bag of cheerios that you use when little Billy decides that screaming would be fun or the wigglefest starts. It’s a clear distinction.