Store Behavior... Mom Needs Help!

At 15 months old, the safest place for your daughter is in the cart with the seat belt on. She is probably too little to understand why you need to go the next aisle, etc. Running free she can pull stuff off of the shelves or get run over by someone else's cart. For now, you may have to go shopping after your significant other gets home, if that is an option. Take a sippy cup and a snack with you or try putting her in her stroller and just buying a smaller quantity of stuff that you can put in the stroller or a hand basket. At home, get her a small shopping cart and have her practice shopping so she knows what to expect at the store. When my daugter was a little older (2 or so) we would take her shopping cart to the store with us. It made the trip take longer, but she enjoyed putting items in her basket and helping.

I make my daughter hold on to the basket while we are are the store. Then I let her help me shop. I tell her what to get off the shelf and let her put it in the basket. She loves it because she is my "big helper". It keeps her happy and with me the whole time. It also teaches her what things are and as she has gotten older I tell her how many I need so it helps her counting too.

I have 3 and we have been through this especially with our middle daughter. I tell them that they must hold on to the cart and if they let go they have to go in the seat and be buckled. I mean it too. I don't care if they cry or get upset, it's for their safety-I also have one of the tether things, that you don't like :), but we call it a safety and we tell them why we have it-I don't care about looks or what others think, I only care about my childrens safety and at the end of the day having them with me. We only use it though at places like the mall,airport, disney world etc. Back to the grocery store, I always start out letting them walk, if it's their preference, and if they don't do as asked(hold on to the cart), they get put in the buggy no questions asked and they remain there for the rest of the shopping and I tell them that they can try again next time but the rules are the rules and they must hold on to the cart. It didn't take many times of doing this before they caught on. They know that I mean business and if they don't do what is right and safe, they are going to the seat-I stick to my word and don't cave in regardless of how hard they beg,scream or cry. If it gets too bad I have been known to leave the store and return later, once DH gets home. Hope this helps, sorry for the book but I am passionate about my kids safety.

My son LOVED his own grocery list! I went online and got clip art of what we need (that I thought he could pick up). I made it look like a checklist and provided a pen/pencil for him to check the list as we shopped.

i agree in making them hold onto the cart while you shop...and if they wander off ...just let her scream and throw her fit in the seat...or leave and go back alone....also i agree that letting her help is a wonderfull idea...also you can play i-spy with her at the store, or tell her to help you look for the color of the container whatever item is you are looking for.