Tips to Holiday Shopping with your Preschooler
It is that time of the year again where the holidays always seem to creep up on you. Your time begins to fill with brainstorming for party planning, festive meals, gift-giving ideas, and so on.
This time of year shares the opportunity to see the magic of the season through your child's eyes. The excitement over even the littlest moments can be heart filling. However, there can be daunting tasks of getting ready for hosting, wish lists to fulfill, and knowing that soon you will be venturing out to stores with your child in tow.
Have no fear! Here are some tips to help you navigate the shops with your Preschoolers:
First, a Game Plan
Having a plan of action will lessen the distraction of veering off course from your holiday shopping objective.
In one or two words, write down your goal. Do you need to get everything done in one trip or are you going to break it up into two that week?
Is your goal to shop for food, house decorations, or gift-giving?
Helpful hint; Unless it is just a couple of items, it is best to leave food for meal planning a.k.a "hosting shopping," a stand-alone outing if you can.
Browse Online to Compare Prices
See what stores have what you want and need. Lean on your go-to-stores first. Maybe even call a friend to see if they heard of any sales going on. Check "in stock" for your items before venturing out. Some stores will have listed in-stock items if they are all low. If you arrive there and nothing available, ask an associate working to check the backroom or call another store.
Stores are usually happy to help and go the extra mile, especially when they see a mom and her cute little crew.
Don't forget your local consignment stores. They are a great place for toddler stocking stuffers, puzzles & toys, babywear.
Make Your List and Prioritize It
While at the store, get your most important items first just in case a toddler tantrum forces you to leave the store sooner than planned. Sometimes we end up making a list for our lists.
If you have three different lists, review each one to see if you need to revise and/or edit.
Backpack It
Bring a bag packed with the essentials and distractions: diapers, wipes, extra outfits, small toys, and snacks. With the last two, consider bringing something you don’t normally let your kids have, so they’re more likely to be quietly distracted for a while.
Helpful hint: Your local Bakery and Grocery store (if you ask) may regularly hand out free apples or cookies to little visitors. This might be a good incentive, “if we get everything done, we can visit the Bakery for our Cookie!” The promise of a small treat or a stop at the park on the way home may encourage positive behavior.
Eat before You Head Out
Schedule shopping outings at times that don't interfere with normal meal and nap times to give yourself plenty of time to get everything done. A 'hangry' mama and child do not make for the ideal shopping experience.
Prepare children for the trip.
Have a chat with your kiddos about how many stops you need to make, what kinds of stores you will be visiting, how long you think it will take, and what rules they will need to follow during the outing. Speak to them about safety first and use indoor voices.
Mindset
Setting intentions can set the tone for time spent. During those transitions of getting in and out of the car or when it’s time to leave the store that is eye candy to a toddler may not be a smooth exit as you might hope. Of course, this will most likely happen especially with your preschooler as your sidekick. When this happens, try at that moment to bring yourself to being present, take a couple of breaths, and find the nearest latte stand. Remember to stop and make eye contact and smiles with your little helper.
Shopping with your little ones during the holiday season can feel stressful and overwhelming, but with a little planning and preparation, it can also be fun, exciting, and rewarding for all involved.
At Peake Academy Digital Preschool, we know what it takes to support your child in their individual learning goals.
Whether you are a busy Stay-at-home mother or dad, going back to work full time, or starting to homeschool. Maybe, a family member is helping watch the kids a couple of days a week. Perhaps, you intuitively feel your child needs a little extra help with letter sounds. We understand what it takes to foster your child’s early childhood education. We know the amount of energy that goes into supporting your child in navigating the stresses, and the victories. Wearing the teacher hat can feel at times exhausting, defeating, and even lonely.
This is why we created our Peake Academy Digital Preschool Program Membership! The value in community support, at your fingertips resources, and hands-on tools to assist you in this stage of your child’s learning and development.
Have you been looking for a warm and supportive community while you embark on a year of Preschool learning with your child? To claim your spot, visit our website for our Founding Members Pre-registration. Also, join us over at our Parent Advisor Facebook Group for expert tips and resources! See you there!
Thank you for reading this content. We hope that this will help give you a jumpstart on your holiday shopping with the kids.
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