I feel so honoured when my fellow mommy friends look to me for suggestions. What I do certainly isn’t spectacular or earth-shattering. It’s just a matter of developing something that works for you and your child. With that, here are some ideas of shopping trips with the little one(s).
–Make your shopping list the night before. Walk through the house, fridge, pantry, wherever else and note what you need to purchase. You’ll soon find yourself creating your list based on store layout. Yes, you will become that familiar with your local grocery store—ha ha!
–Pack your diaper back/purse the night before. Make sure you have your wallet, membership cards, change for shopping carts. Include a snack for your child. Also include your favourite baby carrier. This device is a must!!! Depending on your child’s age, also include a fake shopping list for them & pencil. Or a toy that will attach to the cart.
–Layout clothes the night before. Plan what you’re going to wear. Plan what the cutie will wear. Anything that saves you time the next morning is an asset.
–Wake up before your child. Give yourself enough time to get ready at a relaxed pace. Eat breakfast. Pour out the child’s breakfast. Pack your list in the diaper bag.
–Once baby’s up, get them ready in a jiffy, fed and head out the door. I’ve found that the fresher they are when we leave home, the easier the shopping trip goes. Plus, at a young age, you’re racing against the nap clock (IE: you want to be back before the next nap).
–Say a quick prayer before entering the store. It may sound funny, but there is a confidence in knowing that God is with you, even at the store.
–Upon entering the store, get comfy. Strip off hat, mitts, unzip jackets, etc. Plant a smile on your face and have fun.
–If you wanted to do any browsing, start with that. (IE: check out the clothing sections for cute deals, etc). Be sure to keep your cart closer to the center of the aisle. Those cute little hands can grab things quickly!
–Shop away. I used race against myself, allowing 1 hour to be in & out of Superstore. Just as long as you keep the cart moving, they’ll be okay. Sing to them, laugh with them. Look for teaching moments. My girls have learned that when there are people/carts in the way, they have to call out “excuse me, please” to get by. (Of course, we’re still working on volume control—ha ha!). Teach them about price comparison.
–If they start to get really antsy at any point, stick them in the baby carrier. They’ll enjoy being closer to Mommy and getting a new perspective on the world. Plus, it’s just an extra physical workout (yay, exercise!!) for you too 😀
–Go home.
You may want to begin with only one store per trip, until you & Baby have built up a comfy routine. You’ll soon figure out what works best for you, and will be writing your own tips.
Again, these are just my suggestions. Things that have worked for me. I wanted to get them written down before Baby 3 enters the picture and just shatters this nice illusion…ha ha!