I ventured into the grocery store with all 3 kids the other day and came out with my hair standing on end, a hole in my pants, a wet crotch, and other assorted injuries. Here is what I did wrong.
- Know your territory. I ventured into a grocery store that I was not super familiar with. Thus, I had to travel down a couple aisles more than once to complete my shopping list. When you have the kids in tow, make sure you know the store like the back of your hand, and know at least 3 employees by name. Quickly make them your allies.
- Put ‘em to work! Next time I plan on giving my 6 and 3 year old jobs so they can feel like big helpers. Have them get stuff off the shelf, tell me the price, etc. I made the mistake of being a dictator and adopted the “don’t touch” policy. This only made the whining and bickering worse. Hopefully, that guy in the canned goods department has forgiven me.
- Bring a toy for the baby. Our 10 month old was cranky because I had nothing for her, except my watch, which I took off my wrist and attempted to entertain her with. Amazingly (not), it only worked for like 30 seconds. Next time I will bring a couple toys for her plus a snack, and a six pack for me.
- Reinforce good behavior. My kids always respond well to positive reinforcement. Next time I plan on pointing out every little good thing they do and ignore most of the bad stuff. When I put myself in that mindset, their behavior always improves and they do very little “bad” stuff.
I am open to any other ideas? Looking forward to your suggestions.
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11 responses so far ↓
Kyle, my 16 month old loves our trips to Wal-mart. She’s found their huge store fascinating since she was old enough to study her surroundings. However, keeping her content in her seat takes some work these days. I can’t imagine how difficult three kids would be.
Now that we have a three week old, I think I’ll stick to shopping when my wife is home. Two carts w/ kids is a lot more work than pushing one around.
Awwww, now I know why you are such a big fan of Walmart, it all makes sense now.
btw, BIG TIME congrats on your new addition!
My tip-leave them home. Ha ha ha. I know it’s not always possible. Great tips Kyle.
Jennifer took my tip!!
Seriously, I like taking my son to the store since it gives us something to do.
I don’t have any tips other than to say that I try to adopt the mindset that it’s something we can do together so plan accordingly (ie don’t try to complete the shopping in the normal time). Leaving them at home is much more efficient but it’s not as fun for the kids.
We’ll see if my attitude changes after our second kid is born!
Mike
If I have bargain hunting to do, I try to leave my three little ones at home…
Otherwise, go with a very specific list, and have that list organized by aisle.
I also learned that putting your keys on a lanyard can entertain babies for a little longer than a watch (been there, done that!)
I have friends of mine who also make shopping a “race” to see if they can beat their best time in the store. This reduces whine time.
Great post!
~Christina
That is impressive! I leave the kids at home too, especially if using coupons. My rule is if I have to bring a kids, I bring one max. If I have both kids I will only go to the farmers market. They love that store!
@ Jennifer, I agree!!! And since this was my first time with all 3, I typically do, or I watch some or all of them when my wife goes to the gorcery store.
@ Mike, your mindset of taking your time and making it somewhat enjoyable is a good one.
@ Northern Cheapskate, I like your idea with the keys. I never thought of that. Also the stores that ahve the racing cart shopping carts always make it more fun for the kids. Would also play into your “race” idea!
@ Bargain Shopper Lady, oh yeah, if I had coupons, there would have been no way I could do it. Good call on the farmers market too.
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When my kids were younger and I did not have a choice but to take them, I did some prep work earlier. I cut out pics of all kinds of food I would normally need to buy and glued them to index cards. Pics came from women’s magazines/coupons and would be things like max & cheese boxes, fruits, veggies, milk, etc. I would give them the cards in each aisle and they would have to be on the lookout for the items. This game kept them happy most of the time from the toddler stage to early elementary school (when I switched to just words for reading practice).
As for the baby, always a challenge. If you can deal with the occasional “lollipop only if you sit in the cart” bribe you may be able to make it through the store.
Karen, that is a great tip! I am going to try this. Yes it would take some time, but you only have to do it once, then leave the cards in the glove box. My kids would totally dig this. Thanks for stopping by and leaving the excellent suggestion!
leave them at home….
okay, only kidding, actually shopping with three is easier for me, because I could shop with six :). I resort to bribery and give them all a lollipop to suck on while they are at the store. If I can finish shopping before they are done my trip goes pretty well.