5 Tips For Grocery Shopping With Your Toddler

Doing any kind of grocery shopping with a toddler can be a real challenge. But, with a little preparation and a lot of patience, it can be an enjoyable and entertaining experience. Here are some tips and tricks that work for our family.

1. Bring snacks! This is probably the number one most important thing to remember. A hungry toddler is a cranky toddler, and they get hungry often. I usually bring a plastic zipper bag full of her favorite dry cereal and a sippy cup of water. This will quite often keep her happy for most of the trip through the store.

2. If he gets restless sitting in the cart, let him down to move around for a little while. If you can bring along another adult or an older child to chase him around while you get the shopping done, by all means do so. Sometimes toddlers just need to burn off some energy.

3. Let her help! My girl loves to throw items into the basket. Of course, she will sometimes grab random things off the shelf and throw them in, but I just pull them back out when she's not looking. This leads in to tip number four:

4. Let him shop! Allow him to pick an item off the shelf and carry it around the store with you. (Just make sure it isn't breakable!) If it's something you don't want to buy, odds are he'll lose interest in it long before you reach the checkout, whereupon you can either put it back on the shelf or hand it to the cashier apologetically.

5. And finally, be careful what you offer as a means of distraction! One mom I know had a cherry slush hurled at her in the store by a grumpy toddler. The less potential for a mess there is, the better.

Shopping with little ones doesn't always have to be stressful. Believe it or not, it can even be fun!

Next article: Should You Buy Toddler Size Furniture

Email this page to a friend

Featured Toddlers Product:

More Articles About Toddlers ...

Getting Toddlers To Eat Healthy
It may seem a daunting task but getting your toddler to eat healthy isn't actually the difficult task it seems. In fact, the toddler years is the perfect age to instil good eating habits in your toddler....

Treating Toddlers With ADHD
Has your child been recently tagged with the ADHD label? Has there been some unusual behavior that you have recently noticed in your child that might confirm some suspicions of the disorder? Are you feeling...

Toddlers And Aromatherapy
Have you ever considered aromatherapy for your child? Sure, pleasing fragrances are great for adult senses, but kids can benefit from the relaxing smells too. A skilled aromatherapist can suggest many...

Teresa Kolvek and her husband, Tony, are the proud parents of a beautiful and spirited toddler named Amelia. Visit Teresa's website at http://www.toddlerdish.com for great information, tips, and recipes for toddlers.

For more information about Toddlers-related resources, see our Toddlers resources section, subscribe to our Toddlers Newsletter containing news, updates and insider tips, or go to more articles about Toddler.

Related Topics ...

Search for more information on "toddler" below:

You are here: Home » toddlers » 5 Tips For Grocery Shopping With Your Toddler