Buying groceries is a constant task for Moms, and there never seems to be a convenient time to hit the grocery store without the kids in tow. Thus, trips to the store quickly become a huge headache with your little ones grabbing every box of cookies they see and complaining about the healthy food you put into the cart. Or if you are like my sister-in-law Karen, you will watch in dismay as your one-year-old son reaches behind him and promptly hurls a dozen eggs on the supermarket floor.

And then there are the comments from older women as you shop, discretely critical of the commotion or unhappiness they see transpiring. If your children get too restless, disaster can strike — a tantrum.

How to avoid all this unpleasantness and make your trip to the grocery store more bearable:

• Shop at non-peak hours.
• Organize your grocery list by aisle. Arrange your list into categories, such as fruits, vegetables, cereals, canned goods, dairy, and health and beauty products. This will make your shopping experience much more efficient.
• Before you leave for the store, clear off your counters to make space for incoming groceries.
• Feed the kids before heading to the store so they’ll be less likely to crave the sweets and junk food they see in the store. And to help keep their stomachs occupied while you’re at the store, it may help to make your toddler a cereal necklace (using an “O” cereal and string that she can wear (and eat in the store. Or bring a snack along so you’ll have a bargaining chip when your little one is about to mutiny.
• Allow your child to pick one treat per trip, or agree to spend a certain amount of money on treats in the store. This should help keep your child from begging because he knows ahead of time what to expect.
• Make a game with your preschooler or elementary school age child by letting him help you clip coupons or find specific items for which you have coupons, using the picture as a guide.
• Your child can also “help” by taking non-breakables off the shelf and putting them in the cart. Let him pull the number at the deli counter and try any samples they may have.
• If your small shopping companions will allow it, consider helping to bag your own groceries so you can group items by where they belong in your home.
• When you get home, if your child needs some attention or you need to start making a meal, just be sure to put away the frozen and refrigerated items and get the rest later.
• When unpacking, put the freshest items in the back of the fridge to make sure the others with earlier expiration dates get used up first.

A few more ideas for accomodating an infant or toddler:

• Shopping cart missing the safety belt? Substitute your own belt or a fanny pack and adjust the straps to fit snugly around your child’s waist and the cart.
• Bring your child in a carrier like this Snugli Front & Back Carrier. This approach has multiple benefits — it will give the little one a great vantage point, keep your hands free, and make it difficult for him to grab items from the shelves.
• Bring stroller toys that can attach to the cart so you won’t have to dart to grab dropped or thrown toys in a crowded aisle.
• To keep your child from picking up germs when he mouths the handle of your shopping cart, wrap a cloth or blanket around the handle. Or get one of those handy shopping cart, seat pads like the EZ Carry Floppy Seat from amazon.com.

– Stacy DeBroff

Stacy is a dynamic national speaker, consultant, corporate spokesperson, and writer. She is President and founder of Mom Central, Inc. and has also written several best-selling books on household and family organization, including “The Mom Book Goes to School,” “The Mom Book: 4,278 Tips for Moms,” “Sign Me Up! The Parent’s Complete Guide to Sports, Activities, and Extracurriculars,” and “Mom Central: The Ultimate Family Organizer.” Stacy has also appeared on NBC’s Today Show and the CBS Early Show. She holds a B.A. in Psychology and Comparative Literature from Brown University and a J.D. from Georgetown University. Stacy lives with her husband, Ron, and their two children outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Visit Stacy at www.momcentral.com.