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Home › Articles › Holiday: Winter › Shopping Madness

Shopping Madness

How to Survive a Trip With the Kids

By Neilia Sherman

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What is more stressful than holiday shopping? Holiday shopping with your kids in tow, of course.

Your goal: to get the shopping done quickly, efficiently and on budget.

Your kids' goal: to get some loot for good behavior, while educating you about the 200 items on their wish lists. They can't take a chance that you'll buy the wrong gift after all.

"The worst is when my son doesn't want to go into stores that I need to go into in order to make my purchases," says Brian Waterman of Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. "This makes me feel very stressed. So I have to sit down with him prior to shopping to go over what has to be done, and a deal is made: I'll let you go to three stores of your choice if you let me buy Mom's Chanukah present."

Waterman also mentions that he sometimes gets coerced into buying a small toy, as well. These types of deals can quickly slow you down and can add to your holiday costs.

Prepare the Troops in Advance
Taking back control is essential, and it should start well before you leave for the mall. Tell your kids the rules before heading out and realize they may need to hear them over and over before it sinks in.

Also, let your child know your expectations for that particular shopping trip. They could be: "Stay close to me at all times" or "We will not be buying candy today." You might even want to role-play the correct way to act in a store.

Children should be well rested and well fed for a shopping trip to have any hope of running smoothly. Bring nutritious drinks and snacks such as milk, juice, raisins, apples, carrots and nuts. For younger kids, a favorite toy or book may help them to feel secure.

Battling Boredom
When boredom begins to set in, you need to get a bit more creative. Susan K. Perry, social psychologist and author of the book, Playing Smart: The Family Guide to Enriching, Offbeat Learning Activities for Ages 4 to 14, says that holiday shopping trips can run more smoothly if you keep your children entertained while you go from store to store. She suggests a couple of games that work really well in malls.

"What's Wrong, What's Right" is a game where you ask your child to point out things that could use some fixing or changing. "For instance, he might find a missing letter on a sign, an overflowing trash can or a display of toys that's in disarray," she says. Then you can flip the game and find things that are right.

Another of Perry's games, "Passing People Parade," involves making up stories with your child about the people around you. "You can take turns – supplying one sentence each – or improvise together," she says.

Waterman has found shopping with another family with kids to also be helpful, as the supervision of the youngsters can be shared among the adults. In addition, he suggests that parents shop "where there is a special event, like a live show for kids and bring along another adult with so that you can take turns shopping and being with the kids."

There are also malls with supervised daycare or play areas, which might offer a nice break for the kids and a chance for you to shop more quickly.

Let Your Child Participate
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