I’m sure we could all use a few tips and tricks when it comes to taking our kids grocery shopping. I’ve just discovered this darling Grocery Shopping Book from over at Spotlight. She Wears Flowers created this perfect little felt book for her daughter to take with her to the store and help “pick” out the food. I love it.
Here’s a few other articles sharing how to manage your shopping experience with kids:
- Grocery Shopping + Kids = Chaos by Or So She Says…
- 5 Secrets to Shopping with Kids by Momtastic
- Shopping with the Kids by Make and Takes
- Grocery Shopping with Young Kids and Staying Sane by Life as Mom
- Meal Planning with the Kids by Make and Takes
I know we’ve all been there. How do you manage it all? What are some tips and tricks you’ve found helpful when you go shopping with the kids?
Written by Marie LeBaron
Marie LeBaron is the founder and managing editor of Make and Takes. Always having a love of crafts, she enjoys getting messy with glue and glitter. There’s always some sort of project going on, her kitchen counter is often cluttered with crafts. When she’s not crafting and creating with her kids, she loves to run, read, and blog! Read other posts by Marie
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
I sometimes have my 5yr old son write/draw a shopping list before we head out to the store. Then he is “in charge” of finding those items as we shop. It becomes a scavenger hunt as he searches for items in the aisles.
http://mykidsmake.com/2010/08/create/grocery-shopping-list/
I just bribe them with a small toy or a treat which they can pick out at the end of the shopping trip IF they aren’t horrid.
I wouldn’t say it’s ideal but it sure does work.
Also, I try not to let the cart stop moving. I work quickly, like a ninja.
And I’m not too proud to be really silly or sing a song or whatever I need to do to distract them from acting like beasties.
My secret is the “cookie store”. Our local grocery chain provides a free cookie to all shoppers. I tell my kids they can have a cookie when we go in. If they behave, they can have another on the way out. Works like a charm. The LOVE going with mommy to the “cookie store”.
Really? Bribing your kids to behave with sugar and toys because you can’t be the adult and set expectations and stick to them? I think you’ve totally missed the great idea of this post. Bring your list–make it together if you can!, set your expectations of how they will behave and what you will and won’t be getting, make it fun while you’re there, give them an “exciting” job (it’s all about your tone!) and keep a positive attitude. Bribing kids to behave is ludacris and only leads to you having to raise the bar as they get older to get them to listen. “Honey, Mommy will buy you a new iPod if you promise not to skip school!” Be the adult.
Supernanny … I get what your saying. It’s always best to put your A game on and be a “SuperParent”, or nanny in your case, but honestly there are days that it’s just NOT going to happen. As parents we face SO many challenges with parenting. Every opportunity is a teaching opportunity but NO one is perfect. Sometimes when you’ve spent all day creatively teaching, being patient, being ” an adult”, putting everyone and everything before yourself, keeping your house clean, and putting a hopefully nutritious meal on the table, you are so so exhausted and at your wits end, you gotta go what you gotta do to get the groceries in the cart and get home. And frankly, on those burn out days, bribing with chocolate is a whole lot of a lot better than those care givers who scream or rage or shame their kids in the cereal isle. I think your comment was not from a place of understanding and support. It was really ” holier than thou.” Please get your self esteem by doing something positive and not by tearing other mom’s down for decisions you deem less than ideal. We need all the support we can get.
Totally agree with Kellie!! 100%
Rewarding kids for good behavior in the store is just another “set expectations and stick with them” as you mentioned SuperNanny. If one chooses to set expectation of giving cookie for a good trip there is NOTHING wrong with it. They learn to wait, to behave and to be rewarded. As they grow older this can be easily dropped and replaced with some “help me find grapes from your grocery list” exercise. But I guarantee you “grocery list” exercise will not work with 18 mo old. And if you are a mom with two under 3 and doing shopping alone – cookie stop is a must!
…and you are right SuperNanny, “it’s all about your tone!”..and your tone of comments is far away from being nice
I saw this idea the other day and love it! So fun for kids–especially before they can read. My daughter likes to hold the list, but can’t read yet, so this would be great for her.
Cute, cute, cute! I LOVE it!!! My little girl would get a kick out of this! :)
I’ve always done Bingo, which my kids do well with: http://dressesandmesses.wordpress.com/2010/06/08/grocery-shopping-bingo/
And of course, getting them involved with the shopping. They love to help find things on the shelf and put them into the cart.
But if I can be completely honest. I hate shopping with more than one munchkin. I try to only take one of them with me at a time! So much easier to handle. So I go while the older ones are in school! YAY for school! :)
I have two things I do with my boys to keep them busy in the grocery store. My oldest son gets a quarter every night for helping pick up all the toys. Then when we go to the store, he gets to spend his money on something he wants. Also, I let my son hold the grocery list and the pen. He can’t read yet, but he knows letters. When we find something I tell him to find the word that starts with “a (or whatever letter)” and he points out the “a” words. When he finds it, I tell him the word and he gets to cross it off. These things usually keep them both entertained while I get the job done.
I was thinking about this post this week as we headed to the grocery store. I gave my 5yr old son a list of a few words just as we entered the store. I told him that this was HIS own list and told him that if he read the words he could go and hunt for all the items listed. Then he was in charge of also putting them in the cart himself. He thought the idea was really fun…part scavenger hunt made it exciting for him. He happily sounded out the words and then scanned the aisles for his items. It was fun and enjoyable for everyone..and I got ALL my shopping done!!
http://mykidsmake.com/2011/03/create/grocery-shopping-reading-and-scavenger-hunt/
Love the post, those are cute books!! As a working mom I usually try to squeeze in grocery shopping during my lunch hours, and I have organic fruits and veggies delivered to my door bi-weekly using doortodoororganics. BUT I like to have fun with my kids, just last week I took my oldest (3 years old) to the grocery store, armed with his shopping cart, his stuffed pals and his own made shopping list (complete with broccoli) I was armed with my mommarazzi camera and got some great pics. I just posted about it on my blog then came over here and read yours.
http://rachelagusti.blogspot.com/2011/03/caleb-goes-grocery-shopping.html
I had started having my son go through the grocery ad with me. Together we would cut out items that would go on our list and then we would tape them onto his shopping list. As we gathered the items, he would remove an item. Through the store, I thought, how can we reuse the items so we don’t have to cut everything each week. I thought…laminate and velco the items onto the list on one side of a folder and then have a ‘shopping bag’ on the other side of the folder to put items in once they were located in the store…I also knew I would label the items on the paper for the visual of the written language too… Just out of curiosity, I did a search on the Internet, figuring someone else surely has had a similar idea. I found you! I love this idea and and happy so many other people are using it. Grocery shopping is an amazing time to teach your children so much! Thank you!