7am
The sun is still slumbering, the world is quiet and dark.
I figure the road works and “No entry” signs don’t really mean anything at this hour of day, so my route to the super market is much more straightforward. (constant time waster in Christchurch these days! :))
Three cars in the car park.
Hundreds of shiny trolleys lined up in immaculate rows.
Shelves laden with rows of lined up food and the faint sound of music playing through speakers.
For a busy mum… this is supermarket heaven!!
Well, that didn’t happen Saturday as our weekend was punctuated with various activities and lack of sleeping babes.
So, off to the very busy, people congested, mid morning mayhem of supermarket shopping with four kids in tow!
How did I do it without turning prematurely grey?
My 10 tricks to survive grocery shopping with kids
- Feed them, water them and toliet/change them BEFORE leaving!!
- Come prepared…. crackers, nappies, wipes, drink bottle, book, dummy… anything that could act as a distraction or time filler
- Restrain those who can be restrained :)…. I love those double seated trolleys, perfect for Curly Sue (2yrs) and Fuzz (1 on thurs!).
- Establish simple but firm guidelines for walking (running!) kids eg. no touching, be aware of other shoppers, stay where you can see mum (& she can see you… these ARE entirely different things!), when Mum says hold trolley…. HOLD TROLLEY! 🙂
- Engage with your shopping helpers… talk about the displays, colours they can see, what would they cook with eggplant (sorry bad example!!), how many packets of different peas can they see etc. Make up stories… sing songs (some are brave enough!)
- Those that can be helpful…. UTILISE!!! Get them picking up the low items (especially handy when pregnant!) and running ahead in the isle to get items on the list.
- Don’t bellow! As hard as it may be, calmly deal with any craziness. It is a well known fact that children often suffer from supermarket sillies and lose all sense of decorum, Calmly approach the afflicted and CALMLY inform them of what is not ok and then give them a job or I have the “hold onto the side of the trolley until I say you can let go” for the more severe cases.
- Don’t break the bank, but include in your shop something that will inspire piety in your helpers, that they may consume as soon as the shop is over.
- Arm yourself with distraction items for the check out and activate “mummy vision” to stay on top of check out trolley swipers! (Fuzz was in fine form this morning with the chocolate bars!)
- If you go to a supermarket where you pack your own groceries, line your helpers up on the floor beside the trolley (mine like to sit under the packing bay bench) and feed them their well deserved treat. This should buy you a little time and peace to quickly pack your items and leave before anything can destroy your successful trip to the supermarket!
Pat yourself on the back!! You have managed to undertake something that makes the single and childless quake in their boots…. and hopefully you still have a fine head of hair 🙂
Blessings
Ruth
Pulchra Doctrina 