Grocery Store Tantrums

They’ve started. Perhaps a sign of the impending “terrible twos”, we suddenly find ourselves dealing with a 22-month-old that has decided he can throw a tantrum and get whatever it is that he wants. And we, being the novice parents that we are, have been too quick to give in to his antics.

Jack has become really good at throwing temper tantrums in the grocery store. I wanted him to sit in the cart like a good little boy, yet he had other ideas. He either wanted out, wanted me to hold him, or wanted to sit in the basket, and would wriggle around in the seat crying until I paid attention. I strapped him down. He figured out a way to suck his little tummy in so far that he could slip right out of the strap and then stand up in the seat followed by a quick lunge for my neck where he could grab on and hang for dear life. I put him back in the seat and strapped him down again. He screamed and did the tummy suck/quick stand/neck lunge until he was again a free bird. I’d walk a few steps with Jack clinging to my neck and would stop to put him back in the seat. He’d scream. People stared. Random women walked up to warn me “he’s gonna fall!” as if I weren’t 6 inches away from the kid, and acutely aware that he wasn’t sitting in the damn cart. I wanted to tear my hair out, or fall to the ground and have a tantrum of my own, or both. We repeated this episode 5 or 6 times with my patience getting thinner with each round. I finally realized that this was insane and we were either going to leave the store without our groceries, or I was going to figure out how to keep the boy entertained.

I was so stressed out by this point and was trying hard to ignore all of the prying eyes staring at this mom who couldn’t control her kid. I ran over to the baby food aisle and opened a box of fruit snacks right there. I let him eat three packs as I finished shopping and loaded up the car.

Our trips to the grocery store have become much less stressful. I have found a few tricks that work with our son and will keep him content long enough for mommy to do her shopping and make it out of the store with all hairs still intact. So I have put together a small list of ways to keep your toddler happy when venturing out.

1. Take a small shopping cart. You know the little, light-weight toddler-sized carts? Let your little one help you shop by allowing them to put some groceries in their cart as well. The kids will love helping mom and will stay entertained as they search for their special items. Pottery Barn makes a really cute one you can find here.

2. Keep a bag of snacks in your purse. Try to pack something that you don’t usually give for a snack at home and make it a “special” snack. We don’t like to give Jack certain foods, but he loves cheese curls and knows that if he sits in the cart like a good boy, he will get his treat.

3. Look for the carts with the cars on front. Yes, they are hard to steer, but the kids love them. Our grocery store has these incredibly obnoxious carts with red and yellow cars attached where Jack likes to sit and pretend he is driving. He makes the car noises, beeps the horn, and really likes to go fast. If there is an item within his reach I let him get out and grab his groceries and put them in his car.

4. Take a small toy or other item that will keep your child entertained. Right now Jack is obsessed with brushing his teeth. I carry a toothbrush in my purse so we have it everywhere we go. When he becomes restless I pull the toothbrush out and let him brush his teeth for about 10 minutes. Other items that could work: a hair brush, a pretend cell phone, a set of play keys complete with sound for the car alarm.

5. If you have older children, play the coupon game. Give each child 3 coupons for items they must find on their own. My grandma used to let us play this game and my brother and I would run through the store and see who could find their items and make it back to grandma first.

I know that I have it easy now, with only one child to worry about. But my day’s are coming and someday I will be writing about ways to keep 3 or 4 children entertained at the grocery store. Oh, heck – at that point get a sitter!