So, as a mom of three little ones under the age of 5, it’s safe to say that any shopping experience can be challenging to say the least.
To be quite honest, shopping for the holidays with three kids is not even something I dare to do anymore if my husband is not with me. Even taking two is pushing it. I’m just not that brave.
Holiday shopping is considered an organized event in my household at this point, and my kids are not a part of it. Not because I don’t totally love being around them every second of every minute of every… single… day, but well, simply because, there are just some challenges I’m too lazy to accept. This is one of them.
But, I do remember the days where it was just one kid, and we would take him on holiday shopping sprees as a toddler.
I’ve gathered up some tips that come to my remembrance as to how we managed to get our shopping done with a happy tot. Well, a good percentage of that shopping anyway.
- Fill Those Tummies Before You Step Out
We definitely made sure to feed our toddler before we left the house. That way, we could at least check the hunger tantrum off the list of possible reasons for meltdown. You know those Snickers’ commercials where they turn into ridiculous people when their hungry? Yeah, let’s avoid that.
- Carry Snacks
Apart from making sure he was well fed and ready to go, we always made sure to bring snacks. Lots and lots of snacks. This pretty much goes without saying, but whipping out a bag of goldfish can be the best distraction for a kiddo who has ants in his pants and can’t seem to sit still.
- Take a Break
Stopping at a place where my son could run around was critical to our shopping extravaganza. Letting him burn off some energy and let it all out made it easier for him to sit in his stroller for the next half of our time at stores. It was also a good break for us to regroup to see where we were with our shopping list.
- Carry a Good Stroller
Especially one that reclines. After our masterplan to get the kiddo tired was brought to completion, he inevitably went down for a nap, and our handy dandy reclining stroller always came through. Then we could speed up the process and fit in as much shopping as we could.
- Allow Some Screen Time
We try to restrict our kids’ screen time at home, but we’ve learned to be way more lenient when we’re in a public setting. We definitely pick and choose our battles, and this is one that we are not trying to win any time soon. I know this isn’t for everyone, but you may want to reconsider making an exception for little Timmy to watch Johnny Johnny, Yes Papa on Youtube if you’re going to be out for more than three hours straight.
Of course, you can always go the route we did after our second and call up your sitter, mom, or lovely auntie and have them babysit. That would be a guaranteed tear-free, calm and quiet experience.
Happy Holiday shopping!
What an insightful and thoughtful article. Although my little ones now have little ones I still found the tips to be very helpful. I recently took one of my little ones; little one to the mall and boy have I lost a step. The stroller was headed down the street when i turned to unload the little one and cars were frantically honking at me. Shame!!!
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