Grocery Shopping With Young Kids

Does grocery shopping with young kids test the limits of your patience and sanity? Do rambunctious little ones and temper tantrums make shopping more drama than it's worth?

Fear not. Given the right conditions, taking toddlers and preschoolers to the supermarket can be productive, educational, and dare we say it -- fun.

Children and Grocery Shopping

"You may not realize it, but you're serving as a role model when you grocery shop with kids, especially when you stop to chat with them about healthy foods," says Jennifer Shu, MD, author of Food Fights: Winning the Nutritional Challenges of Parenthood Armed with Insight, Humor, and a Bottle of Ketchup.

And getting young ones started on the road to healthy eating is just one of several benefits. Take your children grocery shopping and you:

• Teach them what you expect from them in public.
• Get little ones moving, boosting their motor skills. Tots can help push the cart, select non-breakable items, and unload groceries in the checkout line.
• Set a good example for them to emulate.