Plan- This is your first and most essential step. Plan, plan, plan. Think carefully about your children’s schedule. Don’t go out during feeding time or nap time. Doing so is just asking a meltdown to attack right in the middle of aisle 7. Hungry and tired kids just can’t endure even the quickest of shopping trips.
Set Expectations- Before you and your kids enter the store lay down the ground rules. Let them know exactly how you expect them to act before you even start shopping. Don’t assume they know what the rules are. If you make it specifically clear how you expect them to behave and what punishment will befall the rule-breakers, you might be pleasantly surprised at their behavior.
Keep Them in Sight- As simple as this sounds, it’s not always the easiest thing to do. And the more kids you have, the harder it becomes. It only takes a second, a moment where your full attention is elsewhere, for your child to wander off. Or break something. Or worse. Save yourself the panic, the stress, and the money. Keep an eye on them, all of them, at all times.
Hands On Cart- This is a great way to keep them with you and in sight. If they can’t be trusted to stay with you, then they must keep one hand on the cart at all times. If they’re old enough to walk on their own, let them. But there is one rule: stay with you. If they run off, just once, they’ll have to keep their hand on the cart for the rest of the trip.
Bring Snacks- This is the number one way to ensure calm. A few crackers or grapes, and you have a secret weapon against meltdowns. Save this one for the right moment. You know when the kids are starting to wind up, you know when the meltdown is right around the corner. Whip a healthy and yummy snack out to buy yourself a few more minutes.
Bring Entertainment- Bored kids act up. It’s a fact of childhood. If you’re bored, you find something to keep you occupied. As a child, if there’s no end to the boredom in sight, they do everything they can to entertain themselves. That includes playing with breakable items on the shelves or running off to find the toy aisle. Stock your purse or diaper bag with a few small toys. I like to keep crayons and paper on hand at all times.
Make Them Help- There’s nothing young children love more than helping. So put them to work. Give each child a few items that they will each have to find. As you traverse the aisles, their attention will be on finding their assigned item. Make it into a big game and get your shopping done in record time.
Be Willing To Leave- It’s true that you can’t turn tail and run every time your child throws a fit in the store. But sometimes getting out of Dodge is the best idea. You can only push children so far. If it’s already been a long day for them, if they’re hungry or tired, it’s best just to leave and come back later. Try to have a little empathy for their side of the shopping cart.
Make no mistake, shopping with adults can be boring for kids. Keep that in mind when planning your outing. Strive to make the trip fun for them whether it’s fighting the crowds for a blowout sale or just a quick trip to the store.
