Grocery Shopping with Kids

CEBU, Philippines — With my three kids, grocery shopping with them was torture. I’d feel exhausted even before we’d leave for the supermarket. But as soon as the fridge would be nearly empty, I’d just have to go.

Sometimes I can manage a quick trip alone, but mostly I have all three kids with me.  My lofty goal is to make going to the grocery store a time that we enjoy being together, to connect and have fun.  My more real goal is to make it home with butter, dog food, and my sanity intact.

So I’ve thought up strategies for making grocery shopping with kids more fun: 

1. Maybe start with lunch in the store cafe. Yeah, it’s usually not great food and grocery shopping takes more time if you’re starting with a pause, but it makes for a simple yet special time with mom or dad and nobody will be shopping hungry. When timing is right, it is going to be fun.

2. Get yourself organized.  You’ve heard it before, for sure, but making a list before shopping makes it easier. That way you’ll simply cross off the items as you put them in the shopping cart. And you can shop for a week’s worth of food without buying all the wrong stuff and wasting it.

3. Ask the kids to make their grocery lists. It’s better to haggle over items on their lists while still at home than at the supermarket.  For one, it’s a bit less stressful without strangers around throwing curious stares at you. The kids’ lists, once cleared and finalized, helps a lot in keeping them on target at the store and gives them reading practice too.

4. Set expectations before walking into the store. It’s setting the final rules for the shopping experience. A quick rundown of the things you probably had already discussed at home is good to review on the way to the supermarket.

5. Choose the store you know well. If you need to compare prices, do it beforehand. It’s stressful to be crisscrossing stores on the day itself. Go to the store you’re already familiar with and which you know has most items cheaper. With little kids in tow, you don’t want little Johnny wandering to a nook and losing his way back to you.

6. Avoid using a cart. The shopping cart is usually the cause of kids’ fights. Giving them shopping baskets keeps them occupied, literally.  And it’s double assurance that they don’t put there too much extras to load them down too heavy. They’re likely to stick to the list approved at home.

7. Keep giving jobs to the kids. If the basket they’re carrying is not yet too heavy, ask them to reach for things on the list.  From a sensory perspective, bringing something heavy like a bag of oranges, gives satisfying sensory input to growing bodies. Besides, kids would try to outdo one another in helping out mom in more ways.

Or the kids may be asked to locate certain things on the grocery list. But they should be assigned individually with specific items or arguments would ensue.

8. Have an action plan ready for tantrums and fights. There’s always a chance for tantrums and fights to ensue. Maybe one child wants more attention or another one wants something he sees at the store. Or maybe they’re trying to outdo one another in trying to impress mom. Whatever the reason, the possibility is there – so better be ready, just in case.

Sibling Fights: The most common problem is over who gets to ride on the end of the cart. If the kids start fighting, they both may lose the privilege of riding on the cart or of going with mom shopping next time.

Tantrums: Obviously, it’s not advisable to tug to shopping someone who is sick, tired or hungry – that kid tends to be irritable or touchy.  What usually works is to carry in the parent’s arms the kid in tantrum if it’s a toddler. For a bigger kid, it might mean for the parent to pause as soon as the grousing starts to pre-empt a bigger explosion; then talking to the kid quietly and extremely calmly and work on redirecting his or her mind away from the irritant issue. Or try the next tip…

9. Use “When/Then” technique. Very calmly state the order of events.  No threats, just: “When we get everything on our list, then we can go look at the kids section. Now, will you go get me the butter?”  Or “When we’ve finished getting veggies, then you can pick out the cereal…”

10. Give yourself time. It’s so much easier to be patient when you’re not having to rush.  If you can get into the mental mode of this being a playful adventure, it’s easier to relax. (https://bouncebackparenting.com)