Whole families going food shopping

[Shiningstarr]

Just came back from food shopping, there were a couple of young families in there, one in particular, the mum was pushing the trolley, her two young children walking near her and the dad was following with a pram and carrying another toddler.

Surely it would be easier for just mum to go and do the food shop, or just dad? Why bring all those children plus pram? I can't think of anything worse. Both mum and dad looked stressed.

You want one parent to stay in the car with two toddlers for an hour? When it's blazing hot or freezing cold? They might as well just come in, and then they can choose things they want too.

@Shiningstarr - yes. My 2 year old always comes shopping. Where else am I supposed to leave him?
Hes also fine in restaurants, on planes, etc as he’s grown used to stuff. I wouldn’t want to wait until he’s like 5+ before he starts learning how to be patient, wait in queue, ask for things, not shout in supermarkets.

our local is full of small children. They get given food from bakery or meat/ cheese deli by staff, the local nursery take small groups of 3-5 almost daily to choose fruit and buy milk for their snack. Some are non Walking age in trolley. It’s part of ‘daily life’ nursery curiculum. They are often taken to see hairdressers, bakery, cafe, diy shop, etc also

I only have one child but the 3 of us do the shop together. I push the baby, he pushes the trolley. Gets us out of the house, we can both pick the food we are getting (most things are repeated weekly but not everything), we are on a budget so can chat about what to sacrifice if needs be, help pack bags, etc etc. It has never occurred to me nosey fuckers might be looking at us wondering why on earth we aren't doing things their way!

I have four. I wouldn't take them with me. DH goes or I go whilst one parent stays at home with DC. Much easier this way.

I have neighbours who do this. They and their 4 children trek to the shops at least 3 times a week. Their children are 11, 6, 3 and 6 months.

They go after school or at weekends. Why they can't go when 3 of them are at school I don't know.

Even during lockdown they all had to go (there was only 3 children then).

The strangest thing was when I saw them putting all the children into their car and asked if they were going somewhere nice and mum replied "we are going to collect a takeaway"!!! Yeah cos it takes all of you to do that

Were they really doing a full weekly shop though? We do occasionally go to a supermarket as a family, but not for a whole food shop, I wouldn’t be able to concentrate! When we do go it’s because we need a few bits and something for the kids - like some new wellies for example.

We didn't have a car growing up so we all went to help carry the shopping. There were five of us.

This is....really not something I could get upset about.

I avoid supermarkets that i have to drive to and do wekly online shopping with quick top ups in nearby shops for fresh veg etc.

But I do see the value of taking a little one to the supermarket and during covid when kids were not allowed in shops (but yet I often say husbands and wives shopping together...while my single mum friend had to rely on online shopping or helpful freinds or just go without if she ran out of milk...) I think that was a big loss for kids. Even small babies benefit from seeing other people and being out and about.

A family can look stressed out in a park or an amusement park, not every minute of every outing is going to be instagram worthy!

Also very possibly one parent doesn't drive but the other one wants to do the shopping.

We had to before the days of online shopping and two young kids
Me and my OH wanted to see and buy stuff on the spur of the moment plus i only drove at the time but was useless with the shop - nothing wrong with the whole family going to the supermarket as for working parents its a couple of hours spent togther.

Lol did I say I was upset? Not upset in the slightest 😂 I found it baffling, so thought I would get others opinions on it.

It's good for children to join in with everyday life. They should know about going shopping to choose and buy food

Family group in front of me earlier, dad had child on his shoulders being a horse and the toddlers was running round chasing them screaming and jumping up and down.

In a packed supermarket before a bank holiday when the Saturday deliveries had been cancelled.

If that’s how you behave take them to the park across the road and wait for mum to finish. Bloody selfish.

I worked in a big supermarket at the weekend many years ago - it was directly opposite a park with play equipment. Every week, without fail, the same families with 2 parents and multiple kids and buggies would pile in to do the weekly shop, the kids would be bored rigid, understandably so, and would be kicking off, and the parents would be harassed. Quite why one parent didn’t take them to the park while the other whizzed round and did the food shopping I don’t know.

Yes, the family with the pram had a big trolley, and it was so full you couldn't get any more in it. It was a full weekly shop.

Everyone is welcome at supermarkets, obviously. If it annoys people, online shop instead?

I personally have always preferred not to take my children if able, but not once have I ever thought anything of other people's choices. You don't pay on entry for a calming, child-free experience. There could be a million reasons and not one of them is anyone else's business.

We go on the way back from other trip out, such as to play centre or town. So we just are together. Otherwise it's a good learning opportunity for children in how to shop and budget. It's necessary at a point

I sometimes took my two to the supermarket with me when they were little, but always avoided it at all costs. I’d much prefer to wait until they were in bed, DH would stay at home and I’d dash out. It’s so much quicker shopping solo!

I tried writing him detailed lists but he thought I was mad and refused to do stuff like smell the tomatoes

no wonder things come prepackaged to stop this nonsense! Keep your nose to yourself!

My initial thoughts would be like yours but then I thought about actually it’s good for kids to see how life outside the home works. Most kids nowadays don’t have a clue how to behave or about what goes on in the real world. Kids learn whenever they are out no matter what they are doing.

This thread isn't about single parent families, it's WHOLE FAMILIES going shopping. So families where there is a mum and a dad at home, and where one parent could leave the children with the other parent to go and do the food shopping.

Read the opening post again.

This is a good point.

Maybe she doesn’t drive so he has to drop her off and the children would’ve gone stir crazy in the car

maybe they can’t afford to go out with the children and this is all they’ve done all weekend

maybe they wanted to all go?

I thought this too! I don't want tomatoes someone else has been sniffing 🤢

Taking the kids food shopping means they learn the value of money, how to help, queue and generally be helpful. They also get to choose some of the food for treats. The kids always want to come food shopping with us for these reasons.

Basic life skills are valuable and so taking your kids food shopping is definitely not a bad thing. Fine if you don’t want to, but don’t judge others for it.

in addition supermarkets have other items like clothes you may want kids to try on. There are also cafes and as a kid in a low income household it was a great treat for us to go to the Asda cafe after doing a big food shop (they had some kind of deal at the time on kids meals if you had done a big shop).

Maybe they are all crazy?!