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Lessons and Tips for Grocery Shopping With Kids

admin — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:00:34 +0000

Some people love to grocery shop, others absolutely hate it. Personally, I have been in both of those camps. For me, it all depends on who is coming along with me.

Let me start by saying that I am at the point right now where I do my grocery shopping on the weekends, without my kids. I know that plenty of moms out there take their kids along during the week to run their errands, and I know I could as well. Usually, my kids are fine on smaller errands at different stores. They love Costco, are well behaved in Target, and think the mall is equivalent to Disney World. I do consider my kids pretty well behaved, however, I know their limits.

I took my older daughter grocery shopping with me when she was a baby and a toddler, before her sister was born. I never thought twice about it – it was easy. Then, her sister was born. Her colicky, “I hate my car seat,” little sister. That was rough, and I tried taking them both a few times. That didn’t last long. I wore my baby in a sling or a front carrier, but the trip usually ended in tears (both of us) while my older daughter quietly watched the chaos. It got better as they became older, and at one point it was easy. My one year old sat nicely and played with toys, while my three year old rode in the little car attached to the front of the grocery cart. It was easy, and it didn’t last.

Now that I have a two year old and a four year old, I realize it’s just too much of a hassle to take them grocery shopping. And yes, I know I could bring them along – but frankly I don’t want to. I just don’t see how I can ask kids that age to (a) sit still in a cart, (b) walk beside me without grabbing stuff, and (c) not get incredibly bored for the hour that it takes. I see other moms doing it, and I applaud them – I’m just not one of them.

I don’t expect to continue my weekend grocery trips for very long, though. My four year old actually starts preschool this week, and I think that having her removed from the equation will make grocery shopping much easier. Just having my two year old to interact with will probably give me enough brain power to both shop and keep her entertained (and well behaved) at the same time. I’m hoping my prediction is accurate, so I can stop spending my Saturday mornings at the store (even though it is a nice break…).

Looking back over the past four years, here are some of the best lessons I’ve learned for grocery shopping with kids.

Always, always park near the cart return. This may be a no-brainer, but I have to say it anyway. (Also, some stores do have pregnant-lady parking, up close to the store. This is helpful if you only need one or two things, or if this is your first baby and you are still shopping alone.)
Try to get one of those carts that are made for moms with children. Sometimes they have little cars in the front of the cart where kids can sit, or perhaps there is an addition to the cart with seats for kids to sit. These carts are great, as well as the carts that are found in warehouse stores. Costco’s carts sit two children in the seat, instead of only one.
Look for a store that has child-care. These wonderful places do exist! My local store provided this free of charge, for ages 3 and up.
Order your groceries online, and pick them up at the front of the store. If you have a new baby who fusses way too much to spend an hour or two at the store, consider online grocery shopping. It is more expensive, but I assure you it is well worth it. When I had my second daughter, I spent the first three months online grocery shopping at the local Harris Teeter. It was such a blessing to have this service, and it made my life so much easier!
Pack snacks, and remind your kids that you have them. Say something like, “once we get to the part of the store with the milk, I will give you that juice box.” If your kid knows that good behavior will earn them some animal crackers half-way through the trip, it will keep them focused both before and after you break out the animal crackers.
Have your infant nap while you shop. Shopping with a newborn or an infant can be easy, or hard. It all depends on your kid. If you have a baby who sleeps well in their car seat, consider timing your outing with their nap. Ideally, the car ride will put them to sleep. Once you arrive at your destination, you can remove the infant seat from the infant base in the car, and carry your sleeping baby into the store.
Avoid bathroom breaks. If you have a child who is potty trained, make sure and have them use the bathroom before you head to the grocery store. If the child is newly potty trained, have them go again at the store before you actually begin your shopping. And always bring spare pants, just in case.
Consider where your kids are at. For my kids, after breakfast and before lunch is the best time for an outing. Make sure your children are full and well rested before you take them to the store. Decide when their best time of day is, and tackle the store during that time period.
Last of all, DO NOT compare yourself to any other moms. If your kid has temper tantrum at the store, you can be sure that the mom in the next aisle has dealt with that as well. If you have the kid who opens up a box of cereal and dumps it all over the aisle, don’t worry. Clean it up and move on. People have either been in your shoes before, or they will someday. Keep shopping, and don’t worry about it.

- Grace

Toy Safety This Season

admin — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:33:51 +0000

Like many parents with small children, I make sure look for the safety warnings on toys as I’m Christmas shopping for my kids these days. My four year old is fine with most toys, but my two year old will sometimes stick small pieces in her mouth. She’s pretty good about not trying to chew on the little pieces anymore, but I will admit that I’ve thrown away Barbie shoes and other tiny toy parts that they won’t miss – because I’d rather not risk her choking on them.

Choking is just one of the things we moms have to think about when it comes to toys. We’ve all heard the famous phrase, “you’ll put your eye out.” I find myself tempted to say that every time my two year old finds the canon pieces that go to her Duplo circus set. This Duplo actually shoots a cannon ball out of a little canon – which they love, but makes me nervous sometimes. Usually it doesn’t bother me, but sometimes my two year old gets it stuck, and then holds it up to her eye to examine it. Yikes.

As diligent as we moms can be about toys, I think it’s important to remember that kids can manage to bump, bruise or get a “boo boo” from almost anything – no matter how well you baby-proof or how much attention you pay to toy labels. I read this blog by Brian Reid from The Post’s Parenting blog, and I really enjoyed it. I can relate to where he is coming from, and I thought I’d pass it along for you to read as well.

What do you think? How strict are you when it comes to toys?

On Parenting: Evaluating hazards of children’s toys [Washington Post]

Helicopter Parenting – What Has Childhood Become?

admin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:17:22 +0000

We’ve all heard of “helicopter parents.” Sometimes our definitions vary, but in general they are the parents who go overboard when it comes to everything related to parenting. Of course it starts out innocently enough, because we all want what is best for our kids. However, sometimes it can be taken to an extreme, which ends up doing more harm than good.

I don’t consider myself to be a helicopter parent at all, but sometimes I find myself getting sucked into the mentality that I need to be doing more. More sports, more classes, more pushing my two year old and my four year old to become little geniuses by the time they reaches kindergarten. I see other parents worry over things I don’t think about much, and it occurs to me that perhaps I should be more concerned over the issue of the moment. Because each of us wants to be the best mom to our kids, it’s certainly easy to get drawn in by the concept of doing even more for our kids, all the time, to the extreme.

This article from Time is extremely interesting and insightful. It’s good encouragement for those of us who watch other parents hover over their kids, and even if we are confident in our own approach, sometimes it’s hard not to question whether or not they’re the ones who’ve got it right. After this article, I am more inspired than ever to encourage free play, creativity, and space for my kids. I hope you find this as helpful as I did – it’s a great take on parenting, and what childhood should really be about.

Can These Parents Be Saved? [Time]

Vacations with Kids – How Much Can You Handle?

admin — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:57:26 +0000

Travelling with children can be quite an adventure. Whether you are going to visit family for a day trip, or flying on a plane to land in a vacation spot, it’s no small feat. Packing for kids, baby proofing hotels, and handling disrupted schedules may be more of a challenge than some parents realize.

We’ve taken our kids all sorts of places – some have been successful, while others have been a disaster. Some of our best outings have been day trips with family, or simple trips to the beach with friends and their children. I think the most challenging vacation we’ve ever taken would have to be Disney World this summer – with a four year old and a two year old. Between the heat, the long days at the parks, and the crowds… it wasn’t the easiest week we’ve ever had! While it was still fun, I can completely understand why people make a case against taking your young children to Disney World.

If you’re on the fence about taking your small children to someplace major (like Disneyland) you may find the post below interesting. In the end, it may be the perfect vacation and go off without a hitch, because sometimes you can’t quite tell. However, it’s good to weigh both sides.

Disneyland Plus Babies Equals FAIL [mom logic]

Operation Christmas Child – A Great Holiday Lesson

admin — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:00:03 +0000

National Collection Week begins this week for Operation Christmas Child, and we are excited! For those of you who are not familiar with this program, it is ministry from Samaritan’s Purse, an international relief organization. Through this program, you can send a shoebox of small gifts to a child in need – someone who may not have anything at all this Christmas. This is a wonderful opportunity to not only bless another person, but it is also a great experience for kids. Our kids love this project, and it helps them to focus on others who are in need. This a chance for a child to focus on giving gifts to another (as opposed to only thinking about what they want for Christmas), as well as a good lesson on helping those in need – and being thankful for everything we have.

For more information on Operation Christmas Child, you can visit their website at http://www.samaritanspurse.org.

Great Authors For Children

admin — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:10:25 +0000

Now that my kids are getting older, we’re moving away from board books and towards stories that have more substance. Sure, those books with one or two sentences per page (or per huge board…) are fine for a season, but I find my kids like a little bit more these days.

So where do I turn?

Going to the library can be overwhelming, and checking out Target for the newest releases and most popular books can even be frustrating sometimes. How do you know if a book is good, or whether or not it’s just fluff for kids and their parents? There are some great authors out there, and Simple Mom has a wonderful post that might help you in your search for them.

10 Great Authors in Children’s Literature [Simple Mom]

Study Shows That Kids Are More Stressed These Days

admin — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:55:36 +0000

No one has to wonder why a mom may be stressed out. We are always on the go, loaded down with a million responsibilities, and are being pulled in many different directions. Although life with kids can be fun, entertaining, and incredibly rewarding, it can also be stressful.

It’s a given that mothers can be stressed out, but have you ever stopped and thought about how stressed the kids may be? I sometimes just assume that kids are busy playing, doing homework, making forts, and “being kids.” It wouldn’t really occur to me to ask my daughter if she’s stressed out, because she seems so carefree. However, a study by the American Psychological Association shows that many children are not only stressed, but that we parents may be missing it.

“The study, released earlier this week, found that a third of the 1,206 children in the survey (ranging in age from 8 to 17) reported feeling more stress than they had a year ago. Nearly half are worried about school, while only a third of their parents thought their children saw school as a problem. Thirty percent are worried about family finances; just 18 percent of parents think that’s on their kids’ list of stressors. Twenty-nine percent of teens report worrying about what comes after high school — getting into a good college or finding work — but only 5 percent of the parents of teenagers think that is causing stress for their children.”

Make sure and check out the rest of this article – it’s well worth reading.

Helping Our Children With Stress [The New York Times]

Learn to Be Awesome – From Your Kids

admin — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:36:54 +0000

I love that everywhere I go, people comment on how cool my kids are. Ok, they don’t exactly say the word “cool,” but that’s more or less the idea. My two year old will march into Costco wearing bright pink cowgirl boots, and my four year old loves to chat up little old ladies and tell them all about how big she is. My girls are awesome! They are confident and secure in who they are, and it doesn’t take much to make them happy.

Somewhere along the way, we adults seem to lose that. We go from confidently marching around in cowgirl boots, to questioning whether or not we look ok at all. Rather than chatting with strangers and being friendly to others, we rush around, ignore our neighbors, and sometimes we don’t approach people at all because we may feel self-conscious.

This post from Mom Logic made me realize that I need to take some lessons from my girls. Why not smile brightly and say hi to more people? If my two year old has no problem doing it, I think I could manage to be as polite. And if she has the confidence to pair those cowgirl pants with a bold printed dress, I can be brave enough to try some new styles as well. And let’s not forget our children’s excitement over the little things… now that’s something we could all strive for.

Check out this post – I hope you find it as enjoyable as I did!

Cooler Than Me at Three [Mom Logic]

Nielsen Figures Show That Kids Are Watching Too Much TV

admin — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:30:33 +0000

We’ve all been there. It’s the end (or the beginning…) of a long day, and we just need a few minutes to have a cup of coffee, grab a shower, or tackle the dishes. So we put in a movie.

Now, I’m all about moderation. I’m not one of those parents who think that movies and television are evil, and I don’t judge moms who are having a rough day and put the kids in front of Dora so they can take a break. However, I do make sure that my kids don’t watch too much TV – in fact, this is one of the reasons we don’t have cable (or any others channels, for that matter). While it’s fun to sit and watch “Cinderella,” I also want to make sure that I balance time in front of the TV screen with time doing puzzles, riding bikes, or reading books.

According to the latest figures from Neilsen, kids are watching way too much TV – a figure that is at an 8 year high. This article from the Los Angeles Times is very interesting – and serves as a good reminder for me to make sure my children aren’t spending too much time infront the television.

Kids watch more than a day of TV each week [Los Angeles Times via KidsHealth]

Music That Both Kids and Parents Love – Nice!

admin — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:00:10 +0000

As much as my kids love Veggie Tales and Disney soundtrack, any parent can only handle so much! Don’t get me wrong–both are certainly better than some of the more annoying kid music out there, but it’s a far cry from what I would listen to if my girls weren’t with me.

I’ve stumbled across a hit here and there, heard of a great band, and had a friend or two recommend a new kid CD that parents actually enjoy. However, I am busy enough these days that I don’t stop to write down these tips, and actually take the time to compile a list.

Thanks to Mom Logic, they’ve done the work for me. Check out the link below for some great ideas to mix it up a little (and avoid losing your mind).

Kids’ Music that Doesn’t Suck [Mom Logic]