Why is my child sneaking and hiding food?
Children sneak snacks and stash wrappers in their bedrooms because they are using food as a comforting coping mechanism for stress or upset. The hiding is driven by shame around eating, making them want to consume treats in a private space and potentially signaling the start of disordered eating. This creates an exhausting cycle of lying for the family, where focusing on the behavior can make the food even more tempting to the child.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
Why is my child sneaking and hiding food?
- 1Restricting treats to a set amount per dayDid this help you?
- 2Throwing away remaining candy and junk food from the houseDid this help you?
- 3Threatening to dump out Halloween candy if more hidden food is foundDid this help you?
- 4Stopping the purchase of junk food entirely so it isn't in the house.Did this help you?
- 5Making the child use their own money to replace food stolen from siblings.Did this help you?
- 6Explaining the practical consequences of hidden food, like pest problems, rather than making it a battle over eating.Did this help you?
- 7Shifting the conversation away from the food to ask the child how they are feeling emotionally.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I haven't been through this as a parent, but I did this as a kid (and occasionally as an adult). In my case, it was/is eating as a coping mechanism and the hiding is because of the shame associated with that.”source ↗
“My 12yo daughter has been sneaking snacks into her room and eating them, and it has been causing a lot of trouble in the family.”source ↗
“This was me as a mid-late teen and still a bit like me as an adult. I like to eat in my own private space when I'm upset or stressed. It's the first thing I think about, and even tho I have always struggled with body image, food is a comfort, and when I didn't have access to it those times I was particularly upset or stressed, I used to steal it.”source ↗
“I'm not a parent, but I started developing habits like this around her age. It sounds to me like the start of disordered eating. If I had to go out on a limb, I'd venture to say that she feels shame around eating and it's manifesting in her wanting to hide snacks and eat them in private.”source ↗
“My 11 year old girl has been caught numerous times sneaking and hiding food.”source ↗
“Today, I found 8-10 wrappers stuffed in the corner of her room under her bed as I was swapping out her summer blanket for her fall one.”source ↗
“And I’m tired of the sneaking and lying.”source ↗
“I feel like I am just making these treats even more tempting and that she’ll just keep lying and sneaking around.”source ↗
Where this came up
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