Toddler Tip Tuesday (Late)- Grocery Shopping

This week, we're going to handle another difficult situation... THE GROCERY STORE! Ugh. It seems like no parent likes to take their tot to the grocery store. The grabbing, whining, running around and the chance of tantrum make it very hard to enjoy this trip with your toddler. Let me just say, it doesn't have to be that way.

First, let me say that you are MUCH more likely to see good behavior and engagement from your child if you set firm and healthy boundaries in every other aspect of their lives. Don't expect to see good behavior in the store if your little one is able to run the show the rest of the time.

That being said, there are a few ways you can help yourself and your toddler enjoy these outings. The Golden Rule with toddlers is to give them something to do. You can do this in several ways:

1) As you go down your list of groceries, read them off. See who can find each of the groceries first. It's helpful, if your child is pretty young, to give plenty of hints.

2)If you're the crafty type, you can make your toddler a grocery list of their own. Either print out a sheet (or make one by hand) of groceries that your toddler can get/find on their own. If you'd like to put the name of the item by the picture, that's fine but make SURE that the picture is large and clear.

3) Here's one of my personal favorites... If your toddler is small enough, put her in a Moby on your chest and facing away from you (so her arms are free). In this position, she can push the cart, grab groceries that you point out and then "check" them out when the trip is done. WARNING: You will get alot of "ooo"s and "aaaahh"s from this one. 

The worst thing that you can do on these outings is tow your child behind you or stick them in the cart with nothing to occupy their incredibly inquisitive minds! It may seem like it'll waste time by playing these little games but you will actually save time by not having to deal with fits and tantrums.

Good luck!