Shopping with Children
Young ChildrenShopping with your child can be a positive experience. For younger children, it can be an opportunity to learn colors and words. Try asking your young child to look for all the boxes or cans that are red. Or have him read the labels to find one that says, "cheese." Use these learning opportunities to increase your child's awareness of the world around him. And because these activities are distracting, it can help cut down on the chance of a temper tantrum occurring.
Older ChildrenWith older children, temper tantrums aren't as much of an issue, but the "I wants" are. Giving your child the task of locating an object will help cut down on these requests while using her reading skills to learn more about healthy eating. If she's looking for a specific food, she's less likely to end up in the candy and soda aisles.
A trip to the grocery store with you can help your child learn about food choices and healthy eating. One of the best ways to familiarize your child with good food choices is to encourage her to cook with you. Let her get involved in the entire process, from planning the menus to shopping for ingredients to the actual food preparation and its serving.
When you are planning meals with her, refer to the Food Pyramid, and try to include items from the important food groups. Explain the importance of making low-fat choices whenever possible, choosing chicken and fish rather than red meat in most cases, or choosing low-fat cheeses over higher-fat varieties. Particularly in her first few efforts at helping in the kitchen, let her select recipes that she and other family members have enjoyed in the past, so she can see what's involved in preparing them.
(c) 2001 American Academy of Pediatrics
