Making It (And Them) Work
These charming episodes aside, here are some ideas I have tried to incorporate to make grocery shopping with four, four plus children in “narrow aisle land” tolerable:

1) I did not stick with my pre-children lofty ideals. Pre-children I knew I would never bribe my children. Fast forward to TWGS, and as we enter the store, I usually pull out four lollies. Remind about running and dangers of having things in our mouths. Distribute. They savour the artificial fruit taste, I savour the quietness.

2) Although I no longer head to the grocery store with a diaper bag resembling luggage that only barely fits into the overhead compartment of a plane, I do take wipes, because invariably, being in the grocery store and near all the Fruit n Fibre, apples, prunes and coffee causes someone’s bowels to move. And those things are contagious amongst kids. Wipes are good. So is disinfectant gel.

3) When the kids ask if they can get Strawberry Smackies, or whatever foul cereal seems to tweak their interest, my reply is honest, “It’s not on the list this week”. And then I give them a choice of whatever boring fibre-happy cereal or muesli we happen to be running out of and let them put it into the cart.

4) Assign them an item to get each, or if they’re too young to spot the item, hand them an item and get them to pop it into the trolley for/with you.

5) When their begging gets annoying or if you want to head them off before they start running or begging…distract them. “What do we use eggs for?”

6) If you have to discipline, don’t discipline in a way that is going to make you angrier with the child. It takes me a good 45 minutes to do TWGS, and the last thing I want to do as I reach the produce section is leave because I have promised a vile-behaving child that if she repeats that behavior one more time we are going to have to leave. There are other disciplines that get the point home. Usually I might ask her to return an item I have allowed her to put into the cart. Not an essential item, but t something that was intended to go into school snackboxes (i.e.: yogurt covered raisins) that I eat before it ever made it into the school lunches. That’s my most common bargaining point. If your behavior does not improve, then I will make you put it back. It is your choice. They’ve seen me do it before. Heck, you Baguio mums have seen me do it before.

7) Let them help choose the yogurts, milks, apples, grapes. We minutely examine for bruises, flavours, brands and expiry dates. Jasper, who is allergic to cow’s milk, dashes up to the milk section and chooses “Jumping Soiled Milk” the soy milk that features a bean splashing into frothy white liquid. They’re not just along for the ride, they are valued shoppers.

8) They are in charge of loading the delivery items into the cart. I help with the heavy stuff, but they get to choose the order it gets placed in.

9) Avoid peak shopping times if you can.

10) Order as much as you can online. Saves time and cart space!

11) Lay down the rules ahead of time. No running in the store, and what the consequences are going to be.
12) When the kids are still in the cart, put the perishables in the back, far away from their grimy little inquiring hands.

13) Bring along an empty food container that is familiar and near and dear to the kids’ hearts. (Yakult, yogurt) When you are nearing the aisle it is in, ask the kids to find it.

14) If you are an expat, or have recently been on vacation, find items in the grocery store from your home country or recent vacation location. The triplets just did a unit on the continents at Small World Christian Kindergarten, and so as we passed through the produce section Jasper declared, “Nothing grows in Antarctica.” A half an hour earlier, in the biscuit section, Sela had grabbed her beloved President’s Choice chocolate chip cookies and said, “These are grown in Canada!” and Carys pointed to Marmite and said, “In Europe and in Adam’s house they have that.”

15) Obviously, it’s not the end of the world if you forget wipes at a grocery store…you’re pretty much guaranteed you can find them a few aisles over, and that cart is likely going to need a quick swipe down. Even if the kids were “playing” in the nearby Baguio playground, you can never guarantee that it won’t start raining, or someone won’t need to do a wee, and they’ll all come trooping in. A clean cart can save you hassles at time you need immediate action. Assume your kids will come in at some point during the shop.

16) Let them help you choose the fruit. In the earlier days, it was pretty dangerous, throwing down bananas, or smashing unwashed and unpaid for grapes into mouths, but it gets better as the kids become really interested in being grocery shop hunter and gatherers. Their holy fear of bruises makes them handle the fruit like I handled my firstborn, with reverence.

If the grocery stores are extremely frustrated at the sudden influx of children in their shops that come as a result of this article, then possibly, just possibly, they will know how I feel when I realize they have put a sale tag on an item that is only 50 cents off its original price. Not pleased at all.

Have a great WGS.

Written by GeoBaby Member - Dimsum Mum