Grocery shopping and your child -- all you need to know

If going grocery shopping is an activity that cannot be postponed any ahead then take your child along. Do not worry as the outcome will not be catastrophic and you will surely have a good time out of it. If you follow the points given in the blog ahead, you will be making sure of a smooth time while shopping. So fret not and get your bags ready as we tell you on how to make the best of your shopping trip with your little one.

Why Should You Take Your Child For Grocery Shopping With You?

First let us begin with a few good reasons why you should take your child along.

1. A fun learning session: We know how fussy these little heads can be when it comes to learning something new. But taking them to grocery shopping can be an enlightening experience for them as you can teach them about numbers, letters, colours, different vegetables, fruits and so on. Get your hands on this fortuity and you will surely not regret it. If not every time, you can take your child to the store occasionally and see how much he/she remembers from their last learning session. After all they get to have all the fun on the wheels while you can be satiated about them learning something new
2. Polishing social skills: Taking your child to the store will help them learn about social skills slowly. They get to see and meet different kinds of people around plus the cashier might even hand out a candy to your child which will be an added bonus. If there are other parents like you who like to bring their children to the store, your child might soon be making new friends
3. Learning about food: Taking your children for grocery shopping can be a fun learning experience for them as you can show them different varieties of fruits and vegetables other than those you bring home. Once you have introduced them to a bunch of fruits and veggies, you can just point out to them the next time and see if your child is able to identify the same or not. The process of teaching your children about various colours can also begin here as super markets display a plethora of colourful eatables that will surely bring attention of your child. Foods which are healthy can be introduced to your child at an early age
4. Free from worries: If you bring your child along to the grocery store, at least you will not be worrying about him/her being at home with someone that you have appointed to look after. You can put your child in the cart and stroll away happily from aisle to aisle buying the needed groceries
5. Quality time: Having your child along while grocery shopping will get you a golden opportunity to bond with him/her. You can put your child in the cart, facing you while you converse with him/her throughout your shopping session. Sure a fun way to shop!
6. Empowering your child: Have your child hop out off the cart and you can instruct him/her to push the cart that might be enjoyable for them. Also you can ask them to pick up the stuff you need from the lower shelves and put it in the cart, thus, giving them an experience of shopping
7. Gaming all the way: If you see your child on the verge of getting bored, you can make up your own game like spotting the colours. For example, you can tell your child to point out all the items of colour green from the particular aisle you are in. Similarly, you can introduce a few more colours and make the entire process a fun learning session

Few Things To Be Kept In Mind

We have given you an entire bunch of reasons on why you must try out grocery shopping with your child. After reading on the above mentioned points are you still wavering with your decision? If yes then worry no more as you can read out the below points that might come handy to you before leaping ahead. Here are some tips that you can follow prior to embarking up on your shopping session with your child.

1. Know when to go: You must not take your children to the super market when they are tired or hungry. The same applies to you as it will just ruin your as well as your child’s experience. Go to the store once you and your child are full in order to avoid looking at that grumpy face throughout the time. If you are on a rush hour, you must avoid taking your child as he/she might not be able to have fun with you. You can even avoid bringing them along when you have a lengthy list to shop for as these little children can be fussy or might even get tired quickly and throw tantrums until you give up and go home
2. Being prepared: You must be prepared before heading out with your child. You must have your list of items to be purchased prepared and you must decide where to go exactly because you do not want things to fall out of place at the end moment, with your child to take care on the other hand. You must keep some of their favourite toys ready so that it can be given to him/her the moment they start throwing tantrums or get bored. In order to avoid them becoming fussy make sure they are well fed or you can carry a few snacks that they can munch on in the cart while you shop
3. Setting limits: As there are a number of items available in the store that might catch the attention of your child, you might not want to give in to all their demands. Hence, it is essential that you make sure ahead of time that a no means no, no matter what. In this way they will know that all of their demands cannot be fulfilled.
4. Treating your child: If your child has behaved well throughout the course of shopping, you can give him/her a treat they like and praise them for their good behaviour. This will encourage them to keep up with their good behaviour every time they are out in public

At times despite trying out everything at your disposal, your child might have a meltdown in the middle of all but it is okay after all they are just little humans who are on their way to learn a number of things. You can acknowledge your child’s effort for accompanying you and just tell him/her to relax for a while as you will soon be heading home where their favourite treats awaits them.

Don’t be hard on your child, take a deep breath and do your best to make sure not just your child but you too have fun with them during the same. In case this becomes a tough task on your part then make sure to take your child along occasionally when you do not have a long list of purchasing to be done.

Did you like the blog on grocery shopping and your child -- all you need to know? You know that spending quality time with your child is essential for his or her growth and development and this is one such way to do the same. Please do share your views, thoughts and feedback in the comments section below.