Everybody knows how much of a headache it can be to take toddlers and preschool-age children on a trip to the grocery store!
Here are a few tips to make shopping fun and manageable:
- Prepare your child in advance on where you are going, what you will be doing, and what you expect of them. You can say: "You and mommy are going to the grocery store to buy lots of food. Would you like to be mommy's helper? You can help me choose some food. Then you will go into my cart and have the snack you pick out."
- Give the child a task so he or she knows they are being the helper. You can say: "You can help me shop for fruits. Look at all the pretty fruit. You need to be gentle and kind-be nice to the fruit. Can you please put these oranges in the bag for mommy?" "Can you help mommy look for red apples? You can pick out a snack you would like to eat."
- Before transitioning the child into a content stage, so you can finish your shopping, give plenty of warnings. You can say: "Okay, at the end of this aisle, you will need to get in my cart and you may eat your banana. Mommy needs to finish shopping for our food. You can help mommy put the food away when we get home."
- Set the stage for your next trip to the grocery store. You can say: "Thank you for being a good listener at the grocery store. You really like to shop. I like it when you help me."
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