What Keeps Your 6 Yo Busy While You Are Shopping at Grocery

For me, it was the 10, 9, 8, 7, (6...HIM)...and then the 4 year old twins!
THAT seemed to keep him busy!!

**one twin had an oxygen requirement...that works as well***

Geesh...NOT to be rude...but for crying out loud, take control...or get a sitter!

Who is the parent here?

I don't think a 6 year old should need distractions while grocery shopping. My son has ADHD and even he doesn't need it. Since he was 5 he's helped me with my shopping by holding a portion of the list and helping me find the items, pushing the cart, or whatever. That keeps him out of trouble 95% of the time.

A six year old should not have to be entertained! He should be able to behave. Just have him help. Grocery shopping is a fact of life.

I know that my mom (a single mom to 4 kids) never called her mom or friends and said what do you do to keep your kids entertained in the grocery store. She told us to walk next to her and be good or else. And or else was all it took. She didn't bribe, treat, trick or in any way let us know that misbehaving was an option. I don't understand moms who have a hard time saying sit down and shut up to their kids. I am not talking about all the time. But things like this are amazing to me. Children need to learn that not all times are about them and not all times are going to be a big fun event. And that life will in fact go on. He needs to walk next to you and not run away and not spend the whole time whining and complaining. And you need to learn how to make him. Sorry probably not the response your looking for.

You would be doing your son and the world at large a huge favor by teaching your son how to be patient and how to behave in places like grocery stores and restaurants rather than giving him your phone to play with. That teaches nothing. Every moment can be a teaching moment.

I don't understand. 6 year olds are capable of understanding that they need to behave themselves. Our dd is 7 and if she isn't helping put something in the cart, her hand is on the cart or she knows she's in trouble. There's no "entertaining" her in the store. For one thing, she doesn't fit in the cart anymore so she can't play on my phone or her leap pad anymore, because she's not allowed to walk and play at the same time. So she helps or holds on to the cart.

Remind him that waiting in line at the store is just like waiting in line at school. Even my fidgety ADHD daughter understood that at six. You should also get him involved, helping you load and unload the cart, looking at labels together, talking about healthy choices.
And when you REALLY want to shop in peace? Do it in the evening, by yourself, and let him stay home with dad.

Most of the grocery stores around here offer kids a free cookie from the bakery. My kids knew that they needed to be on their best behaviour if they wanted to get their free cookie, and we didn't get the cookie until we were ready to check out. I usually gave them jobs to do while we shopped, like asking them to get items from the shelves, and loading groceries onto the belt at the checkout.

Get him involved in the shopping experience! At six, he's old enough to help you. Put the grocery list on a clip board and let him highlight/cross off the items as you get them. He can also add stuff if you think of it while shopping. Also, let him put the stuff in the cart. When you get to the checkout, let him help unload the cart.

I agree w/ SB. I think a child should be just fine in a grocery store. I have 1 child who is "spirited" and I expect that she go to the store w/ me once a week. No video games, no you tube...Just talking w/ me ! I expected this....no exceptions. What about a good old mad libs w/ a pencil. That is what I would allow. I would never give a child more technology. It's too addicting for these little kids.

I saw a boy w/ his Mom's I-pad in church setting the other day !
I was ready to flip !

I have a friend w/ 5 kids. They are ages 5 - 13. She goes food shopping w/ the 3 youngest once a week. She tells them the grocery store rules....and they are followed !

I am a tad old-fashioned w/ this response...I am just not in favor of technology in the grocery store, church, at the dinner table or for more than an hr or two a day for children.

Maybe I am just an older mom from a generation that didn't grow up with cell phones on our persons, but I have never just handed my phone over as entertainment for my kids. Really. Ever. My son is 15 and my daughter is 12.

When they were younger (even younger than 6) I didn't "entertain" them at the grocery store. I had them behave. It was just expected. They could carry the list for me, or mark items off of it. The worst was (and still is for me) waiting at the deli counter for the meat to be shaved for sandwich slices.

During "down" time like that, or waiting in line at the register, that is when I would allow them to get the free cookie from the bakery (if they had been good the rest of the shopping trip) and eat the cookie while we waited patiently. Or we'd talk. As a mom of a school aged child, there are always questions you can ask them, or quiz them on homework or spelling words. Ask them to describe something funny from school, or a book they are reading.

Believe it or not, you can actually teach them things while standing in line. Like what being a patient customer looks like (and what it doesn't---I'm sure you'll see plenty of examples of this also). What is helpful at the register (having your money out and ready or your debit card or however you are paying, having your coupons ready). Why you load your items onto the conveyor belt the way you do (all the cold stuff together so that it gets bagged together and keeps each other cold for the ride home), why the bread is last (so it doesn't get crushed under something else), etc.

Just talk to your kids. And don't go to the store without a list. Talking to your kids with no list usually results in something majorly important being forgotten, and lots of extra stuff in the cart. ;)

By 6 (and my son, like yours, has ADHD and a borderline Asperger's dx) he had a shopping list and was staying busy looking for the items on this list and keeping the cart organized.

If I needed a moment of peace I could give him a slightly needless task like weighing the produce and writing down the measurements so that I could do what I needed to (like find my brand of tampons without him harassing me about my choice of super over regular etc.)

He also liked to walk around with the store circular and find the specific items that were on sale and check them off as he found them (whether we were buying them or not).

Another option is to shop in a smaller grocery like Trader Joe's (which is my preference). The whole process is shorter and there is a table for kids to go sit down and color or play while you shop.

Consider any of those options, but don't go looking for a game for a big kid to play in the store. It just isn't age appropriate, and won't solve your problem long term.

HTH
T.

I had them help me look for something on that aisle. While they were looking I'd get the other things on that aisle I needed. It was educational as well. They got to see how things related i.e. I'd ask them why the steak sauce was by the ketchup etc. Got them thinking....

First of all, organize the grocery trips to run smoothly and quickly. My husband and I split up the list and the kids. We're in and out in 30-60 minutes.

Second, I agree with other moms here. I personally don't care what your child's "issue" is. Not to be rude, but there is no excuse for allowing bad behavior or distracting a child with electronics. As Dr. Phil says, we are not raising kids; we are raising young adults. They have to be shown how to properly behave within society.

Why do you have to stick an electronic device game in his face while you shop? This is your time to shine mom!!!

Use your shopping trip as a fun trip. It can be hands on and educational. Let him have a list, be a part of the process, count out fruit, veggies and allow him to use the scale. Allow him to help you make choices for healthy foods.

You can incorporate fun and learning with any type of shopping trip.

Don't rely on electronic games to be a steady babysitter. Sure they ard fun here and there but shouldn't be a staple of everyday life.

My 6 year old just went grocery shopping with me yesterday. At her request. She pushed the small cart we were using. She picked out the fruit and bread that we bought. She also helped me pick out things for dinner the next two nights. She helped put things on the conveyor belt at the check out. The cart return was right near where we paid, so she put the cart away and then helped me carry bags to the car.

If we take my 4 year old shopping with us, and if we are at the bigger grocery store I will get one of the carts that kids can ride in. They pretend they are driving the car and entertain themselves. If it is going to be a longer shopping trip I will sometimes let them pick out a kids' magazine to look at as I am shopping. That is their "treat" to buy. I rarely if ever let them have my phone. Usually because I have my shopping list on it. I might let my 6 year old carry the phone and read the shopping list for me.

I didn't worry about keeping her busy or entertaining her while I grocery shopped. At 6, she was capable of understanding that grocery shopping is not fun, but it is something that must be done so that we have food in the house. I taught her early on that sometimes we have to do things that aren't fun, and that after the stuff we HAVE to do is finished, then we get to do what we WANT to do.

My kids are in HS and college now. If they came to the store when they were young, there just wasn't a problem with behavior. They didn't need to be kept occupied and we didn't have electronics for them to play with. But typically, I didn't take kids to the supermarket with me. I did the weekly shopping on Saturday and they stayed home with my husband, I just didn't have it in me to trek to the supermarket after work. Of course, if you don't have a spouse, leaving your child home may not be an option! But truly, kids need to figure out how to amuse themselves or to not be amused/entertained every minute.

My youngest just turned 7, but all of my kids HELP me shop. I send them down the aisle for other things I need and they look at the prices and find the best deal. This makes it a challenge for them and they love it. I showed them how to find the best fruits/veggies so they can even do that.

This is great because not only are they helping, but they are learning as we go. Now my 10 year old can take a cart and go one direction while I go another and we cut our trip time in half. It's great!

6 year old?
First I made sure she was not hungry or thirsty.

At home I had her write the list as I called it out. We kept the list on the fridge. If we were running out of things I my husband or she would add the item. We spoke about what we would be eating for the next week for breakfast (she hates typical breakfast) lunches and dinners. I would have her look at the weeks specials in the paper every Wed.

As she got older she would be the lead for certain dinners each week.

I had her help me find the items at the store, I used to ask her, "shall we start shopping on the right or the left side of the store?" She would find the items on the shelves. I would have her pick some of the fruits or vegetables. I taught her what was a good piece of fruit or freshest vegetable.

At our grocery stores we have to punch in the codes and weigh the produce, so when she was tall enough she would do this, like my personal assistant.

In the check out I had her guess how much it was all going to cost. She used to look at the prices as she placed items in the basket. Or if she was in the middle of a book, she would read while we were in line, she always had a book with her.

She was allowed to help bag the groceries.

She was so involved in the whole thing she did not have time to be bored.

Is there anyway you could schedule grocery shopping so you could go without him? Could dad watch him at home or dad go to the store instead of you?

Crossing off items on a list. Finding needed items. At six, he should be able to go game less for a bit.

Fear!

My kids never wanted to stay home with their dad so they obeyed every rule I gave them. I could have made them walk on their hands and they would have figured it out. Seriously though, they knew the rules there was no entertaining them.

I have no idea why you would think it is a good idea to give your kid a handheld device so they can walk into people in the store. Six is more than old enough to know and obey the rules and just walk with you and talk to you about their day.

Okay just read high functioning autistic? Wouldn't it be better to plan your trips when he can stay home with dad?

Oldest is 6 and he just goes with me, follows along. No problems at all.

We do not do any electronic games or such for the kids. No tablets, computer, nothing, etc. Even at home. They can watch limited TV though.

Once they have the electronics, the child's brain gets restructured and expects immediate gratification. It's scary, and leads to a lifetime of problems down the road.

I started giving my girls the shopping list and a pencil as soon as they could read (and actually, even before then, and would have them sound out the words). They're in charge of keeping track of what items we still need to find. I organize my list by the type of item (dairy, produce, deli, etc), so when we get to that section of the store, they have just a small list of items to look through. Then I'd have them help me decide which type to buy (maybe there's a 2-for-1 deal if I get the name brand that makes them cheaper than the store brand, or whatever). I ask, "If I buy 2, how much will it cost?" So that becomes a little mental math game.

Now that my girls are older, I will give them a piece of the list and tell them what their budget is, and we see who comes closest without going over - extra points if they can get more items than are on the list. (Say, if they can get one of those 2-for-1 deals!)

They also seem to like it more if they help me create the list in the first place. They go through the fridge and pantry and see what we're running out of, organize the list into the correct categories (we use Excel, so this is also familiarizing them with the software).

So, if you have the time to let him "help" you as you prepare to go to the store, or even just as you are walking through the store, he might enjoy that. And it will be a useful skill later in life, understanding how to organize a shopping list, stay within a budget, and even where things are located within the store (I wish my husband's mother had taught him this - I send him to get one item and it takes half an hour!).

My kids always help me shop. They take turns crossing things off the list, help me find what we need, help point out new and interesting things we might want to try (my kids all love trying new foods!) If we are somewhere with the little carts we will get one of those for our youngest. My oldest loves getting the circular to see what they have and if there is anything new to try that's on sale or to see if anything we are getting is on sale. We always make sure we don't go hungry. The other option is to go without him. When the kids are in a bad mood but we have to grab something from the store my husband will sit in the car while I run in.
I hate shopping myself so I make sure to get it done as fast as humanly possible, plan the trip to get in and out as fast as possible.

If he is involved in the shopping (reading a list, matching coupons to items, picking out his favorite foods), he may not be so fidgety. I wouldn't set him loose on youtube in the store, because if he doesn't fit in the cart, he'll run into people or things walking around. You say "doesn't function well" - what does that mean? How is he in school? If he's OK in school,what helps him there? You can also break the shopping up. Maybe when you can leave him home you stock up on stuff but when he's with you, you keep to basics. I also use the scanner thing at our store (DD likes to help) and if she fusses during the process, we skip the aisles with her lunch treats entirely. If she wants gushers as a treat that week, she needs to give me time to buy them. Milk and bread and stuff for dinner first, treats last. My DD is 5.5 and isn't perfect but she can manage going through a store once a week.

ETA: in Feb you said he is slightly on the spectrum but didn't know it. I suggest you 1. include this in questions so we can evaluate your post with that information (you have a different challenge than I do) and 2. if you have any strategies from his IEP or school or aid, you should see if you can incorporate any of that when you are out and about. You didn't specify what "doesn't function well" means, but I would look at the most problematic behaviors and see what I could do to address those. Something my cousin does with her daughter is have her wear a weighted vest to help with sensory issues. Does he have anything like that?

I think this is a case where you have to take the child's personality into consideration. Obviously your son's personality is such that it is a lot harder for him in a situation like this. People with kids who are easier will not really understand. Do you try telling him items on the grocery list and having him help? My son was often kind of impossible at that age. He's 10 now and is very easy in a store. He helps, walks with me, and chats. He still begs for things like when he sees some sweet cereal or cookies. But he can handle standing in line now. My daughter is only 4 but is so easy compared to how her brother was...she likes to help. She likes to be good. She patiently waits. She will just chat with the checker or the bagger. I guess if I were you I would try just talking to him about his day, about playing with his friend, or about his latest activity. Ask him about whatever it is that interests him most right now in life. My son actually wants to talk to me in detail about his favorite video game...it's nuts. I could care less. But I ask him all about it and I listen bc I know it means something to him. While standing in line you could play "I spy". Honestly, when my son was younger I would hire a neighborhood teenager to watch him for an hour while I went grocery shopping sometimes.

We're a geek family, our daughter's grown up watching us play games involving "quests". This is what we do at the store. One parents acts as the "quest giver" the other acts as "quest guide". We have our list with us. Dad tells us what we need in each aisle and I'll guide her to the general area the item is located and let her "find" it herself. It's good for her reading and her math skills because we coach her on picking the least expensive item. If she can manage the shopping "quest" without the curse of "I want" she'll get something special once we get home. Sometimes its a sneaky treat that appeared on the belt at check out or some computer time with Daddy.

School. It was just way easier to shop on the way home from work, before picking him up at aftercare. Otherwise, having him pick out the fruit and veggies and participate.

I put mine in the basket and get a few items or I go to the store when the kids are at school.

The Eagles' Nest at Giant Eagle! It's free, and they can play or watch a movie and you have up to an hour and a half to shop in peace!

Also, all the GE Market District stores have curbside pick up. I now do almost all of my shopping online, schedule a pick up time that works and for only $4.95, they do all the shopping, bring it out to my car and load it up. It's a little bit of a further drive for me, but I can get two weeks of groceries in less than half an hour. So worth the extra $10 a month for me to have that time back!