7 TIPS YOU NEED TO KNOW WHEN SHOPPING WITH KIDS

7 tips you need to know when shopping with kids.

Posted: 16 Jul 2014 07:19 PM PDT

Whether you are taking a day trip to Ikea or just doing your groceries, when shopping with kids it is so important to be prepared. Today I am going to share a few tips to help those shopping trips be a little less stressful.

1. Always take a list. There is nothing worse than shopping for hours only to get home and realise that you have forgotten essential items. Write your list the day before so you have plenty of time to add anything you have missed.

 
2. Choose the right time of the day. This refers to the best time of day for your kids and the quietest time at the supermarket. I can almost guarantee that shopping at 5pm on a weekday will result in a temper tantrum, either from you or the kids.

3. Come prepared. Make sure you have supplies packed to keep the kids occupied for your trip. I always pack lots of snacks, drink bottle, wet ones and a small toy or two. Lately I have been taking a cute little clipboard and note pad with us for Hazel to write her ‘shopping list’. My little mini me is always happy if she is doing something just like Mum.

4. Remember your funds. On more than one occasion since becoming a parent I have arrived at the register only to realise that I had forgotten my wallet or bank card. Dragging the kids home to get my wallet then back to the store is the absolute last thing I want to do after a shopping trip. Now before I leave the house, I always make sure I have my American Express card in my wallet.

5. Shopping Treats. Bribery probably isn’t the best way to get your kids to do what you want, but I figure a treat once a week (which just happens to be after your shopping trip) probably isn’t so bad. Hazel now knows that if she is a good girl while we are shopping she will get her favourite treat (a cheese and bacon bread roll) when we are done.

6. Prepare yourself for the ‘Mum can I...’ questions. Decide before your trip if you will be buying anything for your children. Let them know the boundaries before you even step foot in the store. That way they will have time to process it before they try to make a dash for the toy aisle.

7. If all else fails, quit the stores and do your shopping online after the kids have gone to bed. Make yourself a cuppa, bust out your secret stash of chocolate (we all have one!) and do your shopping in peace and quiet.

I hope these tips help to make your shopping trips with kids a little easier, but remember, we have all had one of ‘those’ shopping experiences. Sometimes a hungry baby, a toddler meltdown, a toilet training accident or a candy demanding child are unavoidable however if you are prepared and organised they should be just a little bump in your trip.

So, time to spill… How many times have you left your wallet and bank card at home when out shopping? I think I am up to about 5 or 6 times since my daughter was born 2 years ago!