Why We Don't Bring Food To Music Class

We get it. You're packing the diaper bag and you toss in a snack, because you know your kid. If they get hungry halfway through class, you want to have something ready. That's a caring thing to do, and most grown-ups who bring food into class are doing it for exactly that reason.

We used to let a bite or two slide. Then we had a grown-up set a bagel down on the edge of the rug, and a few minutes later a baby from across the circle was chewing on it. Everyone was fine. Another time we found food under a cushion that wasn't from the family sitting there. After that we changed how we handle snacks, and now we ask everyone to keep food packed until class is over.

Why food and a baby circle don't mix

In our music classes for babies and toddlers, a lot of kids are crawling, rolling, and grabbing whatever they can reach. Many of them are too young to have had allergy testing yet. Even if you know your own child's allergies, you don't know about the baby two cushions over. Their grown-up might not know yet either.

Choking is the other concern. A piece of bagel, apple, or papaya can drop on the rug without anyone noticing, and a crawling baby can find it and put it in their mouth. The American Academy of Pediatrics' choking prevention guidance says young kids shouldn't run, walk, play, or lie down with food in their mouths, and it lists raw apple pieces as a hazard. In class we do songs like When I'm Jumping, where everyone gets up and moves around, so it's not a good time to be eating.

It's hard to eat and listen at the same time

Toddlers are still learning to do more than one thing at once. If they have food in their hand, they'll usually focus on the food. They stop watching the teacher, stop clapping, and miss the parts of the song they'd normally join in on.

The other kids notice too. When one child has a snack, a few toddlers usually wander over to see what it is, and a couple more start asking their own grown-ups for something to eat. It takes a while for everyone to get back to the song after that.

What to do instead

A few things make this easy:

• Feed them before class. The car, a bench outside, or the hallway all work fine.
• Come in and keep any packed snack closed in your bag for after class.
• If hunger hits in the middle of class, step out, have the snack, and come back in. You're welcome to rejoin whenever you're ready.
• Closed water bottles are fine, as long as they stay in the bag.

It helps to plan a few extra minutes before class so nobody's rushing through a snack. If this is your first time with us, our post on your baby's first music class has more tips for getting ready that morning.

Sometimes "hungry" means something else

A toddler who suddenly wants a snack in the middle of class isn't always hungry. Sometimes there's a lot of noise and a lot of people, and they want something familiar. Before you head to the hallway, try offering your lap or handing them a shaker. Sitting close to you for a song or two is often enough to help them settle back in.

Because our classes are Grown Up & Me, you're right there with them the whole time, so you can usually tell pretty quickly whether they need food or just a break. If your child spends most of class holding on to you, that's normal too. We wrote more about it in why my child sticks to my leg in music class.

Nobody's in trouble if they forget

Mornings with little kids are busy. If you walk in with a snack in hand, we'll just ask you to put it in your bag for now. Nobody's going to make a big deal about it, and you don't need to apologize. We ask every family the same thing, and it usually takes a few weeks before it becomes part of the routine.

👉 Ready to come sing with us? Find a class near you on our locations page, feed your little one on the way, and keep any snack in the bag for after.

See you in the circle,
The Rockness Crew
Rockness Music