Lets face it! Grocery Shopping with kids can be a nightmare.
We can all agree that grocery shopping has really advanced in the last five years. From self checkouts to online purchases, we are seeing more and more of retailers offering these services. For a small fee you can order your groceries online and either pick them up or have them delivered to your front door. All though this concept is great and works for many of us, there are still some of us that can't avoid entering the grocery store with our kiddos.
So how can we make it easier for us parents when we have to shop with our small children?
Shopping with children can be extremely difficult, especially when shopping with younger children. Not only do you spend more then you planned, you have to deal with the eye rolls and the stares from everyone else when one of your kids decides to have a meltdown. Besides the death stares, you're also really limited on the amount of time you have in the store. This means, no extra time for browsing around or comparing prices. Forget any distractions like bumping into a neighbor or long time friend. There just won't be any time for small talk and let's hope you don't have to use the bathroom. That's a story for another day.The best advice I can give any mom is to grocery shop alone. Not only will you have more time to browse, you will have a more focused shopping experience. Some circumstances require that we take our children and that's okay. I'm not trying to put down moms who take their kids with them. If you do and it works for you, great! All children are different, just like all moms are different. You have to figure out what works best for you. For me and many moms I know, it's shopping alone. You just have this sense of peace and you feel like you can get more accomplished. Now that my daughter is older and can help babysit the kids, it's very rare that I take them with me. I can remember the days when I had no choice and thanks to these tips I've learned over the years, it has really made the shopping experience a little easier when I've had to take my babies along.
First and most importantly, make sure that before you leave the house you........
1. Have your list prepared.
Doing this will make shopping effortless. If you don't have a list you're just setting yourself up for disaster and you most likely will end up having to go back to the store at some point.
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR LIST AND YOU DON'T FORGET IT
I can't even count how many times this has happened to me. I am notorious for forgetting my list. Just ask my husband. If you're like me and forget your list often, take a picture of it on your phone or create a list on your phone. You'll be glad you did. This has helped me out on several occasions.
2. Make sure your kids have eaten.
When children are hungry and thirsty they can display negative behavior unintentionally. Taking hungry and thirsty kiddos to the store is a huge mistake unless you plan on feeding them while shopping. Which many of us have done several times. It does help distract them and keep them quiet for some time. Feeding your children while at the store may lead to them having to use the bathroom while you're there which is something you want to avoid if you have several small children.
3. Make sure your children have napped.
Just like you don't want to take a hungry or thirsty kid to the store, you definitely don't want to take a tired one. If your children take naps regularly, plan your shopping trip around their nap. If you've ever taken a sleepy toddler to the store then you know what I mean. I bet you never made that mistake twice. If you have a long drive to the store, you can always let them nap while driving to the store. Don't deprive these little people of their sleep!
4. Make sure everyone has used the bathroom.
This one can be a little difficult I know. Sometimes my kids don't realize they have to use the bathroom until we're all in the car and a mile up the road. When you have several children under the age of five it can be tough to take them all to the restroom. What I've learned to do over the years is to keep a potty chair in my vehicle. Yes this sounds gross but desperate measures call for desperate times. When one of these little folks has to pee, I find a private quiet place to park, usually near the grass or woods and have my kid pee in the potty chair in the car. Dump the potty chair in the grass or woods and rinse it out with water. I try to keep an extra bottle of water in the car so I can rinse out the chair when they're done. Never had a #2 situation but I guess it could work for that too. Just not as easy to clean up.
5. Set expectations before going into the store.
Explain to your children what behavior you expect from them while in the store. Let them know what the consequences are and always follow through. Even if it means you have to leave your groceries and come back. If you don't plan on buying them anything let them know ahead of time that you are buying food for the house and nothing else. This usually works well for my older kids. The younger ones can be a little tricky. You can always offer them a small treat for behaving well in the store.
WHILE IN THE STORE
1. Be quick.
Every second counts when you're in the store with little people. The minute you walk in that door you are running a marathon.Stay focused on your list and try not to get too distracted. It's usually these first 20 minutes that are the easiest. After that, kids become bored and restless. Bravo to you if you can get all of your grocery shopping done in 20 minutes. You are
a pro!
2. Keep your kids secured and in one area.
If your child is young, it's best to keep them in the cart or have them walk next to the cart. My 3 year old normally sits in the cart and organizes the food, the baby sits in the top section and my 5 year old keeps her hand on the cart or walks closely next to it. Once upon a time, when I was a new mom, I was shopping at Walmart and decided to let my three year old walk next to me in the store. She said she wanted to walk after watching another three year old walk next to their mom. Everything seemed to be going well, until we got up to the registers. Once I got in line, my little girl thought it would be funny to run off laughing saying "Come find me Mommy." Sigh. The look on my face at that moment probably would've made the devil cry. Here I am, a cart full of groceries with a one year old sitting in the basket, and a three year old running in the opposite direction at full speed. I had to leave my cart at the register, grab the baby and run after my girl. Not only was I terrified, I was embarrassed. Never did I want to experience anything like that again. As I went after her I lost sight of her. I began to pray and thankfully, I heard her laughing or I wouldn't have found her as quickly as I did. I followed the laughing as I was calling out to her and there she was hiding under a clothes rack. I knew she saw the terror in my face and that was the last time that happened. Ever since that experience, I've never trusted a three year old to stay next to the basket. My husband and I have tried it when shopping together and it just doesn't work. We always have that one kid that wants to run down the aisle.
3. When they become restless distract them.
If you're going to a store that sells everything like Walmart you can give them an item that they can play with while in the cart. Explain to them that you will be putting it back right before you leave. My one year old will play with just about anything and loves to chew on things. Sometimes I will just take a detour down the pet aisle and grab a chew toy. Okay....not really. But that does sound like a great idea. If they get bored with the item during the trip, secretly sneak it out of the basket and place it somewhere. If you have an electronic device and your kids use them, this would be a great time to let them play a game or watch something.This is my last resort which leads me to the next two items on the list.
4. Have them help.
For my three and five year old, I let them get involved. Read to them what is next on your list and have them point the item out and place them in the basket. Ask them questions about certain foods, let them choose which items they want and really let them get involved. This makes it fun for them. My three year old sits in the basket and loves to organize the food as it goes in.When you get to the register let them help you put the groceries on the belt. Distraction from all the candy and junk displayed at the registers is always a plus.
5. Make shopping a game.
Explain to your kids that you're going to play a game while in the store. Ask them questions about the colors of products, letters on the labels, which foods are healthier, etc. If you have the time, prepare a grocery list for the kids beforehand by drawing pictures or cutting out pictures of foods you will be buying. Have them bring their lists to help you while in the store. You can also create a list with letters of the alphabet,colors, etc and have them find them while walking down the aisles. For more game ideas, you can always check out Pinterest.
I hope these tips were helpful. If you have any other suggestions I'd love to hear about them. Let me know in the comment box below.
