Why suffer, when you actually LIKE your toddler?
Using the acronym “BRAVELY” to help you remember these seven strategies, it actually takes more planning than it does courage to help you go about your day-to-day shopping with your toddler. After all, you like your kid, don’t you So why struggle to find somewhere to squirrel them away, when with a little forethought, both of you can enjoy your trip
#1) BRING an Emergency kit. Parents of toddlers should ALWAYS be rotating their toys, anyway – so take advantage of those 99¢ green bags, and stow one in the trunk full of small toys you can hang on the bar of the shopping cart. Bring one out as your toddler gets bored with the last one.
Keep in mind, too, that to a toddler, EVERYTHING is a toy: so as long as it’s safe, can’t be swallowed, and is unbreakable, it doesn’t have to be manufactured by a toy company. Consider attaching “saddlebags” to the grocery cart or stroller, and letting your toddler shred paper scraps, or hold onto plastic containers. You can pick up a few twenty-five cent bouncy balls and duct-tape them into a small plastic container for an inexpensive rattle-type toy that will amuse for a surprisingly long time.
#2) RING-A-DING-DING. Music hath charms. You might think it’s disturbing for fellow shoppers to listen to the tinkling tunes of Old McDonald as you stroll through the Galleria or through the Stop and Shop, but trust me: it’s WAY better than listening to their “how-did-you-learn-to-project-from-the-diaphragm-like-that ” lusty wailing. Tuck a tune-playing toy along – preferably one your toddler can control on their own – and grit your teeth, and learn to love E-I-E-O.
#3) ACTIVITY. Who wants to be belted in, strapped to a chair, and forced against their will to go hither and yon Factor in some running around time to exhaust your little guy or gal, and it will pay off big time.
#4) VORACIOUS. Toddlers are a lot more sensible than we adults. They know it’s healthier to eat smaller portions more often, and they get hungry. Factor that into your planning, and shop around their appetites. Either feed them and THEN go, or bring along hand-held snacks they like. Good examples are chewy biscuits, carrot sticks, red bell pepper slices, etc.
#5) EXASPERATED. Wouldn’t YOU be After all, if YOUR favorite someone in the whole universe took YOU out and completely ignored you, preferring instead to become completely absorbed in stuff you didn’t understand and couldn’t possible be less interested in – like groceries, or clothes – you’d be pretty frustrated, too.
Try talking to your toddler while you shop. Introduce him or her to the excitement of produce, or the marvelous bias cut of the skirt you’re looking at. True, your toddler doesn’t really care about Donna Karan, but they DO care about YOU – and if they have your attention, you can turn the experience into a quality bonding time.
#6) LEARNING. Let your toddler help you, and let your toddler learn where things are in the store, why you’re there, and how they can help you find things. This is also a good opportunity for your toddler to learn boundaries and expectations. Going into a store with a list, making the trip short enough for their attention span helps, also. They can become involved, learn why the heck you’re there in the first place, and begin the foundations of learning responsibility and becoming a part of the family chores.
#7) YAWN. Whether you’re a toddler or an adult, if you haven’t gotten enough sleep, you’re going to be cranky and miserable. Plan trips around naptimes – your choice. Either let your toddler sleep at home, so they’re cheerful and involved during the shopping jaunt, or wait until you know your toddler will sleep their way through your own jaunt through the Galleria, blissfully snoozing in the stroller while you slide hangers around on the clearance rack at Macy’s.
