What are your top tips for surviving the Supermarket with young children?

[TitsalinaBumsquash]

Tesco is looming and i have to take DS1 4.11 (non trolley) and DS2 2.9 (trolley) with me.

This is alwasy a bit of a nightmare!

Can everyone post thier top Shopping tips for everyone to use should they want to?

Top tip: buy as much as possible on-line!

Lol, i do like that idea, unfortunately being the lazy person i am i haven't already ordered and booked it and i could do with going today!

bribery works for me. a packet of buttons or somesuch that my dd can open once we have paid for and left the checkout. keeps her focussed on good behaviour.

Do not, under any circumstances let the 2 year old out of the trolley.

Make the 4 year old a basic shopping list, ask them to get stuff off the shelves for you etc.

Bribery - a ceebeebies mag or chocolate buttons if they behave themselves.

Arrange your shopping list so that stuff is in roughly the same order as the aisles in the supermarket. You need to be able to sweep through as fast as possible, no doubling back for milk etc.

Go to a check out with a middle-aged lady as they are most likely to engage with your kids and avoid check-out melt down.

And the best of British luck to you .

JUST DO IT!

At least for all the recurrent, heavy stuff (laundry detergent, cleaning materials, rice, pasta, tinned tomatoes...). Once it is set up and you have a list, it really is dead easy.

but if you do venture out..top tip - get DS1 to help you shop ..picking up items encourages him to help mum - less distracted by crap..tell them names of fruit & veg and what they are used for...get them to find numbers as you shop..ie 'find me a number 3'..count cans and apples etc into trolley

Take a list! (that you obviously wont follow as you are systematically seduced by BOGOFs and Special Offers )

I agree-involve them in the shopping-counting carrots etc into a bag for you-finding items. I used to hold out a stop in the cafe afterwards as a treat. I am always amazed at those who allow DCs to eat items that haven't been paid for-until you have paid for it,it isn't yours.

pisces it's called grazing..just pay at the till

good post liath think that covers it Writing list in the order you go round the shop makes a big difference IMO as cuts down the time you are actually shopping.

I put 4yr old DS in middle bit of trolley until there is too much food in there, usually a few aisles worth of peace in it.

I take a drink and a food item in my bag (marked with another supermarket if branded) in case I need them.

I often let my nearly two year have a boc of raisins out of the multi pack I'm going to buy. I pay for them at the till so no stealing and it keeps her happy for ages

creche

I don't believe in grazing. If I did take a snack, which I don't think they need, I would take something from home, I think it is the wrong message to give to DCs that you can have something before you have paid for it.

Do an online shop today for delivery tomorrow for the bulk of it. Then just run up a SHORT list of what you need today. In and out.

Don't do it! Buy online or buy bulk of it online and dash in for odd bits of fruit, veg, meat if necessary.

Or go at the weekend/evening without the dcs.

Have a list that is written in the order in which you walk through the supermarket.

The 'involving childen' doesn't work for us. There's too much debate and discussion and a 30 min trip becomes 2 hours of hellish negotiation.

Pick a bag of grapes up as you enter and let them scoff them walking around

we sing all the way around and generally play, then get to the bread bit and ds has the top off the french stick.

I stopped going and have it all delivered.

Err - get it delivered!! Preferably in the evening after the kids are in bed. Well worth the money.