Stop and Shop

We have a Stop and Shop grocery store near us. It used to have a Dunkin’ Donuts set up inside. Mikey would request to go so he could get a donut: vanilla with rainbow sprinkles is his favorite!

So, on a Sunday, we might head over to the grocery store with a list on a clipboard. Mikey would hold a marker and cross things off as we put them in our cart. He loved it and by this point, he had gotten very good at it.

Pushing the cart was his favorite. This was so fun for him, it really became part of the reward of going to the grocery store. He still needed supervision both inside and outside the store in the parking lot, but he was getting more independent and felt proud to be able to push the cart.

On these trips, we tried to focus on getting only what was on the list. This is especially helpful if you have a child who takes everything off the shelf that they enjoy eating on every trip to the grocery store. It can help focus their attention on the items your family actually needs for the week.

That said, Michael has gotten in a routine of putting a certain kind of popcorn in our cart every time we go to the grocery store. He used to enjoy eating it, but now, he always says no when we offer it. I am not above sneaking the popcorn out of the cart before we get to checkout. I don’t want to have a big conversation or confrontation about it; it’s only popcorn after all. At the same time, I don’t want to keep buying things we don’t need. 

For more ideas on skills to tackle during a trip to the grocery store, click the link below.