My 5 year old is stealing junk food in the middle of the night. Help!!?

Question

My son wont stop stealing at night and in the morning. He steals candy, gummy snacks, juice boxes to the point he wets the bed, and yes even 5 packets of cheese at one time. Help!! We have a fruit bowl out that he know he can eat from at anytime but he only takes those after asking. We have tried everything from taking away all snacks that day, to moving the snacks to the top shelf of the cubbard and all he does is get his chair and climb on up. Im worried!! He eats healthy all day long and then usually gets a snack after dinner but now he gets no snacks and is stealing more. We have taken away his TV, and toys, we have even gotten rid of all of the snacks at one point, he just started to steal other things. We thought that if we left him out a bowl a cereal on the counter that he might eat that instead but all he did was take that into his room and wait to eat it until I got up at 7. Im at my wits end and dont know what else to do please help me!!

Answer 1

If he never gets those snacks, then he is more likely to steal them. If you don't want him eating them, don't buy them.

Answer 2

When you catch him sneaking food, punish him. Don't yell at him for eating, yell at him for stealing and lying. Tell him that when he is hungry, he should tell you so that you can make him a tasty healthy snack.

Answer 3

ha i remember i did that once it was fun

Answer 4

I had to put a lock on my pantry to keep the kids out of there.  I put it high enough up that they can't reach and made sure to get one that was hard to open.  We also had a fridge lock at one point.

Answer 5

Ask your son why he does this.

Again, Hide all snacks and anything you have a fear of him stealing but my theory on it is, he might not be able to sleep, He gets bored trying to sleep and doesn't have enough patience to let himself sleep so he's entertaining himself by stealing and eating.

Good Luck. = )

Answer 6

What kind of an example are you setting?

You shouldn't have food in your house that you don't think is suitable for him to eat.

Answer 7

How much attention is he getting from his parents during the day?  This may have nothing to do with food, but more to do with feeling as if he has some power or control over things in his life.  This seems to be a surefire way for him to have your full attention, even if it's not positive attention.  Try spending as much time as possible with him during the day.  It doesn't have to be just fun or entertaining things like reading or playing games, but include him in light housework, teach him something new, find things or create things for which he can receive some positive feedback and praise.  For instance, have him help load the washing machine with direction and then you have an easy thing to say "great job" for.  There's lots of stuff you can do with him that doesn't have to cost or interfere with the basic running of the household.  It may take a few weeks for him to gain the sense of security about your presence or attention that he can let go of the undesirable habits.  

Another thought:  is there any other serious stressor in his life?  Separation or divorce?  Parent seriously ill?  Death in the family?  Something that may have happened to him without your knowing that he may not know how to come to you and talk about?  Kids that age have emotional issues and they don't have the ability to say, "mom, something's bugging me; can we talk?".  They do strange things and act out until we finally figure it out.  Or we don't figure it out and things get worse.  My son behaved strangely around the same age, suddenly without warning becoming mean, aggressive, having nightmares, etc.  The whole problem stemmed from serious performance anxiety about a school play in which he was chosen to be the lead.  Once we figured it out and the teacher let him off the hook, giving him a different job, everything reset back to normal.

My heart goes out to you in your frustration.  God bless.

Answer 8

Don't buy what you don't want him to eat.  If the temptation isn't present, he won't have to resist it.  You control what you pick up at the store.

Answer 9

let him eat all the junk food he wants. stop making food for him, and let him eat junk food all day. I remember i had this similar problem when my daughter was 7 years old, and for lucn i packed her Cheetos, and candy, and for dinner i did the same. eventually she begged me to make her spinach and such, and now she eats perfectly fine.

Answer 10

To correct the problem, we need to get to the reason why your son is craving snacks in the first place.  Insulin and various hormone levels vary thoughout the day.  The body is asking for a particular nutrient and if it does not receive it, then it will send "feed me, I'm hungry" signals.  In order to keep insulin levels from fluctuating like crazy... our bodies need balanced foods.  Anyone who has read your post can gather that you are a great parent who is trying their best for your son.  Even if at your wits end, you dead bolt the entire kitchen, he will still sneak snacks... at school, at a friends house,  after sports practice, and throughout life.  So what are balanced foods?

http://www.zonediet.com/Home/tabid/36/De...

The food pyrimad we learned growing up in grade school is non optimal and outdated.  The zone diet, is not a way to deprive yourself of goodies... it is a way to nourish the body. You don't need to measure everything out, they show you how to eyeball it.  There are also inexpensive substitutions you can make for example... use any in season fruit like an orange instead of blueberries.  It may take about a week of being on the zone before the psychological components of your son's cravings to subside.  Our brains link junk food to good emotions and fulfillment, it takes time to establish a new pattern for our brains to say "mmmm apppleeee!"  Doesn't happen overnight (I wish it did).   Also, lay off the juice... waaay to much sugar for his little body.  Our body needs the fiber from the fruit when we eat it to slow down the rate of sugar absorption.  The only thing I recommend as a juice is fresh vegetable juice, not V8 which is lacking the beneficial enzymes.  For a fun drink, I recommend any crystal light mix, kids sure love that crystal light fruit punch althought at his age he just needs water and a constant source of calcium  (its found in foods not just milk).  Lastly, I know it is a huge time constraint, but try and involve him in the food preparation for each meal you prepare, such as tearing lettuce.  You will share wonderful memories and teach him to become aware of what goes in his body...things that come from nature versus from the snack bag.

Oh, by the way, the zone diet is freeeeee!

Answer 11

how can he "steal junk food" if there is none in the house????

Answer 12

He cannot steal what isn't in the house.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with his eating lots of cheese.  Kids often crave dairy and cheese when they are having growth spurts.

Remove all junk from the house and let him snack away on the healthy foods.

Answer 13

well actaully my little sis had almost the same problem but not that bad!! um well if you try hiding the junk food it will be worse.. maybe u should try to give him a little more than usaul but w/ other healthy food of cource.. and not let him eat later that like 8 or 9:00pm. you should also try to sit down with him and talk about how this is a problem that has to stop. good luck!!

Answer 14

You need to take him to see his doc. It seems to me that this is a sleep disorder maybe related to the the fact that his father was delployed and is now back home.  His doctor will be more able to point you in the right directions for some answers... I do not see what he is eating as the issue more that he has this behavior that is the issue.  Good Luck