Shopping with toddlers can be a real challenge. Trying to concentrate on the shopping list with a child, thats throwing a tantrum, is a source of stress for parents. But what can you do about it? Well, we have some great actionable tips for you.
Since children are often bored when shopping, you need to keep them busy. They want to participate and have their say: accept their help! Make shopping a new experience. Rested and satisfied children behave better during shopping.
If your child is bored during the shopping process, he or she is also likely to show it. After all, they want to help out too. Kids want to participate and understand how adults shop. They want to have a say, and do what grown-ups do. Toddlers certainly don’t want to sit quietly in the cart and watch the world from above. In order to make shopping with toddlers run more smoothly, it is essential that parents include their children in the shopping process and communicate this openly to them. Imagine the joy your toddler feels when he/she can do something help mom and dad do the weekly grocery shopping for the family. By positively stimulating your child, and including him/her as a when shopping, parents will come out ahead.
It is possible to involve your child in the shopping process. Well before going to the supermarket, prepare the shopping list together, giving your child a chance to think about what’s missing from the fridge or what he’/or she will need in the next few days. Remember to praise your child every time he names an important ingredient. This will build your child’s self-confidence and make him/her proud of being involved in an important process.
When shopping with toddlers, consider forming a team: your child can take his/her little cart and go to get some of the things on the list that that are within his/her reach: toast, cornflakes, rice cakes, etc. This is the perfect opportunity to explain the importance and nutritional benefits of these foods to your child. For example, they can help mom and dad weigh the apples or the “delicious” broccoli. Needless to say, these comments will stay with the your. Or, you can let the your child choose the fruits and vegetables of the week. And to top it all off, make your child responsible for loading your goods onto the conveyor belt.. This way you will more easily pass through the cashr egister without any impatient or bored toddler whining in front of everyone.
Another key to avoiding stress at the supermarket is to make sure your toddler has had a good nap before your adventure. Avoid taking them shopping right after they’ve been through a difficult or even stressful situation. Tired or exhausted, children are even more sensitive to the often heavy atmosphere of supermarkets and are more prone to lose their cool. In addition, it is best to avoid taking children to stores during peak shopping hours and instead shop when fewer people are in the shops.
It is also quite important that children have eaten well before shopping. For once, they will be less attracted to colorful sweets. Indeed, when shopping with toddlers much of the success already happens in the preliminary stages. At the end of the day shopping with toddlers is absolutely possible and can be fun for both the child and the parent. It simply requires lots of patience and preparation. however sometimes we just have to accept that we chose the wrong day to go shopping with a toddler, and that’s also absolutely okay. Brush yourself off and try again another time.
A few mental tips in case the situation gets out of hand and what to do if, despite all efforts and preparation, the shopping turns into a disaster?