A quick supermarket trip can become quite an adventure once you have children with you. There are colourful displays to investigate, snacks at eye level and plenty of opportunities to hear the words, “Can I have this?”
Thankfully, supermarket shopping with children doesn't have to be stressful. A little planning and a few simple ways to keep them involved can make the weekly food shop much easier for everyone.
Involve children in the shopping
Giving children something to do can make a big difference when you're making your way around the supermarket.
Toddlers and younger children can help you spot familiar foods, count items or find different colours. Ask them to find the bananas, look for something green or help choose which apples to put in the trolley.
Older children can take on more responsibility by helping you:
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Make the shopping list
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Find groceries on the shelves
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Put suitable items into the trolley
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Weigh fruit and vegetables
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Tick items off the list
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Choose ingredients for a family meal
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Help decide what to have for dinner
Small, age-appropriate jobs can keep children occupied while helping them learn about food, choices and everyday responsibilities.
Set a few rules before you start
If your child is old enough to understand, it can help to set expectations before you go into the supermarket.
Keep the rules simple and explain the reason behind them. Rather than just saying, “Don't touch”, for example, explain that some things are fragile or need to stay on the shelf until you're ready to put them in the trolley.
You can also decide what will happen with treats before you start shopping. If you're not buying sweets or a toy that day, letting your child know beforehand can make those requests a little easier to manage when they inevitably spot something tempting.
Make supermarket shopping into a game
For younger children, there are plenty of ways to turn the weekly shop into a simple game.
Try giving them clues about what you're looking for next. You might ask, “Can you find a yellow fruit?” or “Can you spot something we have for breakfast?”
You could count items as they go into the trolley, look for different colours or play a supermarket version of “I spy”.
Older children could have their own mini shopping list and see how many things they can find.
It doesn't need to be complicated. Giving children something to focus on can be enough to stop boredom setting in.
Pick the right time for your supermarket trip
Timing can make a huge difference when you're shopping with young children.
Where possible, avoid heading to the supermarket when your child is already hungry, tired or approaching nap time. Being surrounded by food when you're hungry isn't particularly easy for adults either!
Shopping when the supermarket is quieter can also make the experience easier, especially if your child finds busy or noisy environments overwhelming.
It can help to make sure everyone has eaten before you leave and bring a drink or suitable snack if you'll be out for a while.
What if my child gets bored or has a tantrum?
Even the best-planned supermarket trip can go wrong. Young children can quickly become tired, bored, frustrated or overwhelmed.
Try to stay calm and acknowledge how they're feeling while keeping the boundaries you've already set. Giving them a new job, asking them to find the next item or starting a quick game may help redirect their attention.
And if you've reached the point where nothing is working, it's OK to cut the shopping trip short. You can always come back another day.
What if my child opens or breaks something?
Children are naturally curious, so accidents can happen.
If your child opens or eats something before you've paid for it, keep the packaging and let a member of staff know so that the item can still be paid for.
If something is accidentally broken or damaged, tell a member of staff. Don't try to clear it up yourself if there is broken glass or anything else that could cause an injury.
The supermarket staff can then advise you on what to do next.
Give children a choice – within reason
Letting your child make some decisions can help them feel involved in the family shop, but you don't have to give them unlimited choice.
Instead of asking, “What do you want for dinner?”, give them two options to choose between. You could also let them pick between two types of fruit, vegetables or suitable snacks.
They get the independence of making a decision while you remain in control of the choices available.
Remember, not every shopping trip will go to plan
Some supermarket trips will be surprisingly easy. Others will involve forgotten shopping lists, repeated requests for treats and someone announcing halfway around that they don't want to be there anymore.
That's life with children.
Planning your trip, choosing the right time and giving children something useful to do can all make supermarket shopping feel a little more manageable – and may even turn it into something they enjoy helping with.
And when you really don't fancy tackling the supermarket together? There's always online shopping.
