Watch KatieMumsnet discussing keeping your LOs entertained at the supermarket on Shop Talk and see if your top tips were used NOW CLOSED

[KatieBMumsnet]

Last week MNers shared their top tips on keeping your LOs onside whilst doing the supermarket shop - thank you for all your comments. Watch Shop Talk now to see if your top tips made it on the show!

Barclaycard Freedom Rewards, in association with Mumsnet, have created a new weekly online chat show: Shop Talk. Over the next few weeks, they'll be looking for MNers' shopping tips and tricks on a range of topics.

Heres what Barclaycard have to say about the show: "Shop Talk is a weekly chat show where we tackle the big shopping stories that you're talking about. A different presenter will host the show each week and first up was Andrea McLean.
Two panellists, including shopping blogger Emily and Katie from MNHQ join Andrea to discuss keeping the kids on side during your supermarket shop as well as making the most of those family days in during half term."

With regards to the Barclaycard Freedom Rewards credit card, Barclaycard say:
"Supercharge your every day shop with the Barclaycard Freedom Rewards credit card. Not only can you earn double Freedom Reward points at any UK supermarket or petrol station, you can also use it with the rewards card you already have to earn points. So you dont have to change the way you shop.
18.9% APR Representative (Variable)"

Next week's Shop Talk, hosted by Julia Bradbury, discusses reaping the rewards from everyday shopping and Barclaycard would love to hear your thoughts. What you would buy if you had an extra £50 on your reward cards? Would this differ to what you would buy with £50 cash? Share your comments on the thread here and you could win a £150 Champneys voucher.

Thanks,

MNHQ

[Theimpossiblegirl]

My top tip is to leave them at home. Failing that, give them a list to keep them occupied.

[HappySunflower]

We make a game out of it. she helps me to find things and pops them in the trolley and has her own basket to carry light things! Aside from bumping into the occasional display unit or customer, this works well.
I have books and snacks in my bag that I hand to her once the novelty of the above has worn off-which it does after about ten to fifteen minutes!

[ChildrenAtHeart]

Top tip is to do it online but if we must go it's definitely best to make them involved - counting apples, finding Heinz beans, writing the lists, ticking the lists etc. Our supermarket has recently introduced self scan trolleys which my dd loves and would spend hours doing. As you can pack as you go a lot of time and stress is reduced

[prettybird]

Grapes.

[rootypig]

I remember doing the supermarket shop with my mum, when my little sister was a baby. The technique was to dispatch older child to the snack aisle to procure a large bag of PomBears, open bag and give to small, demanding sister, then race to finish the shop before she scarfed all her crisps

Now I have 11mo DD, the idea is pretty much the same. At that age it's not difficult to give her something to hold that she finds fascinating, a shiny apple will usually do it. She is utterly delighted to 'help', and I am generous enough to buy the slobbered on, horribly bruised article at the end of my rounds . No rewards promised because she's still too small, and is it possible to have a stress free trip? not really, to be honest, we don't run a car so the shopping usually comes after a prolonged period for DD in her pram. In an ideal world I would go with DH but as the SAHP it's always works out I go on my own, during the day.

While I'm here, I am a Barclaycard customer and found the last iteration of Freedom utterly annoying. It wasn't clear at all how to collect or spend the money, and it seemed to be really patchily applied to my account? As someone who spends a terrifying amount with you, I'd prefer a straightforward cashback offer on family friendly things. Though who wouldn't.

[Tortoise]

I do mine online. I'm a lone parent and I don't drive. Nearest supermarket I can get to it 15 by train. It would be impossible to carry it all home by train! Frozens would have defrosted by the time we got home!

[Happiestinwellybobs]

DD is 2.5 and enjoys shopping. If we are doing a big shop, a steady stream of chatter gets us round without too much fuss. She also likes to put things in the trolley. She also likes to investigate other people's trolley contents.

If we are doing a smaller shop she insists on carrying the basket, until it gets so heavy that she is dragging it round.

Her one memorable helpful experience was "moving" things along the conveyor. However of the 40 or so items, the one thing she chose to move was a box of eggs, which were smashed all over the floor!

[ShatnersBassoon]

I really try not to take the children to the supermarket with me. One child on their own can be really helpful and sensible, but more than one is really awful for everyone. They are always far more silly and more likely to moan about being bored if they've got a sidekick.

I go on my own, then I get DH and the kids to unpack when I get home. They don't seem to mind that so much because they like seeing what they can instantly stuff in their mouths I've bought.

[babySophieRose]

My LO is two years old. As she likes to walk everywhere i let her take a toy shopping basket from the toys section at the supermarket and she goes along me filling her basket with some little stuff she likes. I have to take stuff out of it occasionally and put it back, but this is the only way.

[MummyBtothree]

Make a shopping list and let it be their job finding the things off the list. Ive always found that this keeps all three of mine occupied. if they find all the things we need, they get a treat!. never really had the problem of stressful supermarket trips thank goodness.

[elizaco]

Give them their own simple shopping list, with just a few easy-to-find items :-)

[mindingalongtime]

My minded children love going shopping and it is such a learning experience for them! Weighing, measuring, pricing, numbers, letters, packing items in bags, choosing fruit to try out, choosing vegetables etc, so much learning going on.

I never have tears or tantrums in a supermarket, and don't really understand why I see other children having mega meltdowns! ( But I have seen some of my minded children with their parents and that is another story, I stay out of sight!)

[emily80]

My youngest is 2 next month, I always take a tub of food (normally raisins or grapes that take a while to eat) and that tends to keep him happy as I whizz round as fast as I can. He also likes me just talking to him about what we're buying. It's been a lot easier since I started to shop at Aldi as it takes far less time to do the shop than it used to at Sainsburys, and DS loves it as trains go past outside so if he starts to get grumpy I just tell him we'll be seeing the trains soon!

[Fillybuster]

It's a relief to see I'm not the only one who prefers to do the supermarket shopping without dcs in tow whenever possible!

When I do have to take the 3 dcs (8, 5 and 3) along I try to split up the 'jobs' in an age-appropriate way. For example, dc1 is in charge of the list, dc3 sits in the trolley and 'spots' the item and dc2 is responsible for fetching stuff and putting it into the trolley. If we're shopping for naice things in Waitrose then we always use the self-scan (despite it taking longer) and they take it in turns to 'beep' stuff, and absolutely love operating the weighing scales and printing the prices for the fruit and veg.

On the whole, I do manage to avoid meltdowns, although I occasionally have to resort to opening a packet of snack food before I have paid for it bribery and corruption to keep everything under control!

[HepsibubbleCauldronToad]

I use the self scan system in Waitrose and DD3 (4.8) is always happy to collect and weigh things, as well as scanning them as we walk round. She's just learning to read, so my shop is starting to take quite a while as she wants to read stuff along the way, but we have time and she really enjoys it.

Before we go she will write her own list as I do mine - cereal she wants, stuff for packed lunches etc. Tbh I never really find it a chore. In fact grocery shopping is the only kind of shopping that I actually enjoy.

But take the other three with me (20, 19 and 17) and I am the one likely to go in to meltdown... I avoid their 'help' at all costs as it is generally accompanied by pleading for junk, wine, beer and vodka to take back to school/university and I'm damned if I'm funding their partying frankly.

Give me a food shop with my four year old. Any day.

[ipswichwitch]

2 yr old DS likes his ride in the trolley. He also likes to be given the food to examine then put in the trolley. However, putting it in the trolley usually involves launching it over his shoulder with about a 60% success rate at getting it into the trolley. This is fine if it's bread or whatever. Not so good for the eggs.

He also likes to shout "hiya" at other shoppers, and he loves getting a smile or hello back, but if he's ignored the "hiya" gets louder and louder and he's been known to pull on sleeves to get attention if I let the trolley get too close to people! At least he's happy - and I'd take him shopping any day over DH

[BarclaycardCass]

Hi everyone,

Thanks so much for all your ideas, they’re brilliant! I used to really struggle with my two when they were a little bit younger, especially at the checkouts where all the ‘goodies’ are positioned. Now I make them both write out part of my shopping list and in the shop, they’re in charge of making sure that we get the things on their list. It’s good handwriting practice and it keeps them occupied in the shop.

Rootypig – Thanks very much for your feedback regarding the way that Freedom used to work. You weren’t the only one who didn’t like it, so we had a re-think and the new Freedom Rewards Credit Card was born! We think it’s a lot easier for everyone to understand - you earn 1 point per £1 on all of your spending, double points on supermarkets, petrol and any Transport for London (TFL) spending and 3 points with selected Freedom partners. You can redeem your points with over 70 great brands, including many high street stores and lots of great places to visit with your family. Have a look here //www.barclaycard.co.uk/freedomrewards for some more information and if you want to contact me about moving your existing card onto the Freedom Rewards card you’re more than welcome to email me directly at [email protected].

Thanks again everyone for your ideas everyone, keep them coming.

Cass

[CheekyChimpsMummy]

I write my list in supermarket order ie fruit and veg first, dairy next etc, so we're in and out as quickly as possible. My LO isn't the best behaved at the supermarket but I try not to bribe him, I just try to distract him with things to look at or we talk about his day at school.

[FannyPriceless]

Thankfully we do online shopping for the big shop. Shorter trips we get by with the 'remember what's on the shopping list' games, and occupying DD with counting and adding which she thinks is very important and grown up.

[MakeTeaNotWar]

I do my grocery shopping online to avoid this scenario! But inevitably, we do end up in the supermarket once in a while. DS is 1 so he gets spun about in the shopping trolley while I gurn at him which he finds sooooooo funny. DD is 3 so she gets to "help" and merrily fetches this and that with the promise of a reward at the end. All totally exhausting

[TEErickOrTEEreat]

Shop online. Child entertains self with the two tons of toys in his own home.

[GreenShadow]

My DC are now older and don't have to accompany me everywhere, but when they did (I was a sahm for years) they certainly weren't bribed or given food to eat in a supermarket. Shopping was just part of everyday life and they either sat in the child seat in the trolley or walked alongside, helping out on occasions.
I really don't like to see children eating in a supermarket - sorry, but it's food you haven't paid for yet.

[clubnail]

Do your grocery orders online. Tis the only way!

[SalBeautyMoll]

I had a very calm, patient dd who was never any trouble out shopping. Occasionally i gave her the end of a French stick to gnaw on.

When she was older she had to job of finding the items for me and later made choices about what to buy - quite an education.

Now she's a teenager, I have my weekly shop delivered, but I make point of taking her to a supermarket in the hols so she can mastermind a shop list and get used to budgeting, choosing healthy food, etc. She'll choose recipes she's going to cook and pick the ingredients.