You've completed your list, done your research, completed all of your online shopping and now you're ready to embark on your mall attack. Your trips are all penciled in your agenda and now you are ready to go.
Pick an thorough time:
Backpack For Toddler
Plan the 2 hours of reckoning while a time that works well with your toddler and assures a lessened crowd in the malls. Choosing to do this while your toddler's nap time on a Sunday afternoon is begging for a disaster. Early mornings just after your child has gotten up and eaten generally works well for most moms and young children. Try to make it to the mall just after the doors open and in the earlier part of the week (Monday to Wednesday is best). Also, if your child is particularly upset, sick or annoyed that day, re-schedule.
Pack well and light:
Invest in a mommy backpack. This isn't the time to go out in the crowds with your fully loaded diaper bag. Take your list, bottled water, wallet, 2 diapers with a small wipe clutch, one container of nibbles for the limited one and the one popular toy that can't be left home. That's it. Just pack what you would sparingly need for a 2 hour period. Keep your handy pack ready at all times for your 2 hour dash.
Dress comfortably:
This isn't a fashion show and you're somewhat running a marathon today. So dress comfortably and wear flat shoes. Dress your limited person in layers so that you can assure no cranky moments due to overheating.
Talk, talk and talk some more
One thing that tends to work for most mothers is talking. Talk to your toddler; tell them where you're going, what you're doing and how you're going to do it. At this young and impressionable age, they just love hearing their mother's voice. Try using large vocabulary and words that your child hasn't heard before. When there is so much entertaining information coming through mommy's lips, there is no time to think about pulling a tantrum.
The carrot at the end of the stick
I'm not into bribes and in all honesty, bribes should not be used as a means to get things done with your child. All it does is feed the inherent to a bigger question and consistent tantrums. However, providing an incentive for your child is something that can be very helpful especially for those children who are very interactive. The carrot shouldn't be an item but rather an palpate that they will get to share with mom later on that day; something extra like baking cookies together or taking a surprise visit to Grandmother's house for lunch. The incentive should be presented to the child after the whole shopping palpate is over and in a inescapable light: We had such a astounding time shopping today, we will now go and spend some fun time with Grandma, baking cookies or anything the incentive is. This way, the child will delineate a inescapable outing with a inescapable recompense and not delineate to it as a bribe.
The goal with preparing yourself to holiday shop with your toddler is to get the job done with as limited stress as possible. When mothers are less stressed, children are less stressed and therefore more likely to be willing participants in the whole chaotic shopping experience. With the proper planning, you can turn your holiday shopping with your limited one into something fun for both of you!
Christmas Shopping With Toddlers: Part 2 - Putting Your Plan Into activity