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Short of breastfeeding, there isn’t anything a mother could do for kids that you can’t do as well. But nobody ever said it was easy, the to-do lists keep pilling and you get lost in all the pending tasks.
And when you have to do the groceries not only for yourself but also for small children who, if left to their own devices would eat nothing but pizza and sweets all day, it can be quite the challenge to survive all the confusing trips to the supermarket.
What to Do When You Have to Bring the Little Angels Along
The ideal is to simply ask them what they want, include some of their wishes on your shopping list and leave them waiting for you at home. Unfortunately, that’s not always possible assuming they’re at an age when they need constant adult supervision.
Most important thing: feed them before going. You can give them something to eat at home or you can stop by a deli on your way, but under no circumstances should you take them to the supermarket while hungry. Even adults tend to buy more on an empty stomach, now imagine what it will be like for kids?
Once you’re there you have to keep giving them something to do, either make a list with items (include pictures) they need to look for or give them bulky things to carry so they can’t pick up any other goods.
If they throw a tantrum distract them with something they’ll actually start thinking about: If they had only three things in supermarkets, what would you like those things to be? And use statement with when/then – When we finish getting butter, milk, and toast, then we can have a look for “thing they wat”, can you help me find the butter?
What to Buy?
When looking to prepare healthy meals for your kids, there are a ton of apps with the ingredients spelled out and easy to follow videos.
Here are some general guidelines:
- Low fats foods – low in saturated fat and cholesterol
- High-fiber items like whole-grain and vegetables
- Nothing too sugary, avoid getting them milk with sugary flavoring, you won’t like them when they get hyper
- Calcium-rich and iron-rich products (there are lots of fortified products for kids)
Eating healthy can get pretty expensive and when you’re shopping on only one income, you’ll really start to feel the burn. To save some money here and there, you can always check online catalogs such as Tesco offers to find discounts and compare prices.
Always Bring a List
Supermarkets are designed in such a way as to make you spend as much as possible. The floor plan, the shelf layout, lighting, and music, it’s all meant to make you give in to temptations and forget about the price, most of the time you’ll forget even to get the things you came there for.
To avoid having to drive back, you should always have a list with you. Maybe stick one to the fridge with a magnet and write down items as they run out or you can keep it on your smartphone.
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This content is sponsored by Stephen Marshal.
Photo: Shutterstock