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Encouraging good behavior at the grocery store.

Kimberley Clayton Blaine: Now last thing I want to do take my high maintenance toddler into the grocery store.

Here are some tips on how to make shopping fun and manageable. Prepare your child in advance as to where you are going and what you expect of them. You can say, "we are going shopping for food, mommy needs your help. You may push the cart for a while, then you go into my cart for a snack." Make him your little helper, let him know that mommy needs to get lots of food but that you will help him choose some.

You can say, "you may shop for veggies but we need to be gentle and kind, no throwing or yelling. We like food, nice food. What color are the tomatoes?" Give a warning before you transition. You can say, "you will put the basket away at the end of this pile, then you can eat your banana that you picked out."

Provide encouragement to set the stage for good behavior on the next store trip by talking about how fun it was to help him shop with you. You can say, "thank you for being a good listener at the store. You really like to shop. I like when you help me."

Encouraging good behavior at the grocery store. Kimberley Clayton Blaine: Now last thing I want to do take my high maintenance toddler into the grocery store. Here are some tips on how to make shopping fun and manageable. Prepare your child in advance as to where you are going and what... click to read more