Problems when taking children to the supermarket!

[age]

What problems do you have when you take your children shopping? Do they behave. What do they ask for etc.

I need to know the problems that you have with your children, or any success stories!

Also, do you have any ideas on how to make a shopping trolley more interesting for the children you are trying to entertain.

[Schlomo78]

Ha! All I can say is try to involve them in it, give them items off your list that they can get and they will feel like they are doing something instead of trawling round a supermarket. I used this technique (stolen from Supernanny) with my partners daughter and her two siblings and it worked a treat....until they started aguing over who got to get what off the list!! Hope this helps. :O)

[tradey]

my little 2yr old girl used to drive me mad when i was trying to do some shopping,the other day i let her out of the buggy so to have somewhere to put the basket,she started to run off,so i asked her to find the things i needed on my list and put them in the basket and when id finished she was given a few treats ive done the same again today and it worked she was a star

[andy-hughes]

The children who play up in supermarkets are the children who do not receive enough attention in their lives. A child who is ignored or abused (verbally or physically) for a lot of the time, subconciously looks for ways to obtain the attention he lacks. When better than a shopping trip - parents dislike it, they are stressed, preoccupied, in a hurry, and in public, a dynamite combination for some anti-social behaviour!

I took all my children shopping, but I always stressed that it's not fun for any of us, so let's co-operate, get it done as fast as possible, and then go and do something we all like. Worked every time. Plus, I just don't get stressed by shopping, and I have always maintained a constant dialogue with my children from birth onwards, so we are busy chatting away and no-one gets grumpy.

[Hellion]

Allow yourself plenty of time, make sure the child is neither tired nore hungry, with very wee ones just talk to them, older ones involve them. My 8 year old caughton to the reward thing pretty quick and started saying 'Mum can we go shopping - I'll be good and you can buy me a 'whatever'"

[tradey]

not always andy-hughes my girl always has my full attention she comes first

[andy-hughes]

Actually tradey, I think I didn;t define my 'problem' children sufficiently - I'm not talking simple exhuberance and running off because it's a big shiny exciting place, i mean the kids who weep and wail, are ignored, and then shouted at and / or smacked. Obviously your little one doesn't qualify in that context, and is just keen to see whate she can find.

If I gave any unintended offence in my original post, please accept my sincere apologies.

[lou 26]

My daughter is 3 now and whenever we go shopping, whether it be for food, clothes or anything else, she always says I want this, i want that. i need this i need that. she loves exploring and touching everything in the shop! i cant complain really, shes as good as gold most of the time

[tradey]

thankyou andy-hughes ill let you off, it just upset me to think that people could think that

[chrisironside]

andy-hughes, what utter drivel! I know this is an old topic, but I felt compelled to post a disagreement with your first post. Someone mentions a child being a problem on a shopping trip and from that you've deduced the parents are unattentive, abusive... and you've also determined the child is boy not girl. Incredible!

I like to think I wouldn't pass judgement, or being going all Sherlock Holmes... certainly without knowing the child didn't have a behavioural issue such as ADHD or Autism. Regardless, all children (perhaps even in the Hughes household?!) have their moments, and it's a perfectly healthy part of growing up. Initially discipline doesn't play a part in a child's life, but as they grow and learn and become more independent it begins to factor in what they do. It's not a concept they're familiar with, or comfortable with (if you had no awareness of what's "allowed" you'd probably want to pick up food and squash it, or throw it about or whatever the case may be!), and tanturms are just part of learning to deal with rules.

I don't feel it's a perfectly acceptable part of growing up -nothing to be ashamed of, no cause for denial (i.e. telling others your child has never had these problems because of their fantastic role models) - and it needn't mean the parent is doing a bad job.

I think it's perhaps easier to think of children of a slightly older age (~ 5/6 years old) telling lies, because this is around the time when they learn about dishonestly. A child causing problems on a shopping trip shouldn't be seen as a sign of poor parenting, but more likely another part of growing up.

You're child has probably grown up and got a job by now!!!... but I would say not to stress about these things. It's probably healthy to question if you can do a better job of parenting, but don't doubt yourself.