Shopping with Kids

Every Shopping trip is a new experience. Some do it for Leisure, Others do it out of Necessity. Some do it Daily, others weekly, some only when the occasion calls for it. One thing is for certain, you don’t know shopping trips until you have done them with kids.

Shopping with the whole family is a great experience, most of the time. Dad taking the kids shopping without Mum? Well that’s completely different.

So How Often do you go Shopping?

Honestly? As little as possible! even before Kids, Before Marriage, I only ever shopped out of necessity. Food where required, and when the occasion called for it. Now I have a kid, I tend to stick to the same pattern. Although when its wet outside and the shops have indoor play equipment, they can be useful. (I call it necessity).

The reality is, now you have kids the last thing you want to do is go shopping, the preparation involved, the experience itself, and the aftermath (which can be good or bad).

How is Shopping with Kids Different?

Well it really comes down to the age of them and what you are shopping for. When they are still young enough to be in a pram, it might seem easy, but the preparation involved in ducking down to the supermarket to get bread and milk is massive. Yes it gets a little easier each time, but chances are as a Dad you won’t have too many times you do it alone, which means you are going to make mistakes, I know I constantly forgot to take different things.

Once you have finally got the hang of it, the pram gets boring and they want to walk beside you. All of a sudden everything takes longer, a lot longer. Kids at this stage are also constantly learning new things, like grocery shopping. Not only is your trip longer, but now its more expensive, because your kids are putting a lot more in the trolley, and either you didn’t know they put it there, or if you take it out a tantrum isn’t far away.

Advice for Dads

Get used to it because there is no getting out of this one. Seriously its not all that bad, there will be tough days, there will be days where you question why you decided to do it solo. But! just like parenting the good will always outweigh the bad. To make your life a bit easier, here’s a few pointers.

• Preparation is they key. You can’t pack enough supplies, whenever you think you have packed enough, pack more. If your driving there, why not throw another bag in the car. Nappies, Wipes, Clothes, Snacks, the Lot! you are going to need them. A short trip can easily turn into a long one.
• Make sure you have the time to get it done. As I said earlier, everything takes longer with kids, so leave plenty of time to complete your trip. You don’t want to be rushing, not only is it stressful for you and the kids, that’s when you make mistakes.
• Don’t be embarrassed. I know I did the first time I was out and things went a little pear shaped. All parents have been there before and know exactly what your going through. You know what your doing, its the same as being at home except all your supplies (preparation?), are mobile. Just do your thing and you will get through it.
• Enjoy the Experience. While it may seem like a simple shopping trip, you are making memories that will last a lifetime. This is quality time between you and your kids, for some dads this doesn’t happen often enough. In the end, even if the trip was a disaster, you can guarantee your partner will appreciate the kid free time you gave them by taking your kids shopping.

Top 3 Tantrums of the Week – 8/4/18

For something a bit more light hearted I’ve decided to start ranking some ‘top moments’ of the week. The idea being parents have something they can relate to and the non-parents can get a peak behind closed doors, but overall everyone can have a laugh.

Last week’s Top moments is all about Tantrums! We have all experienced them, some worse then others. Last weeks have been filtered down to the top 3.

Number 3: The Over-tired need to eat but don’t know what I want to eat tantrum.

Today I haven’t wanted to go down for a nap and its past lunch time. I’m Hungry, I’m Tired, but nothing you offer me looks tasty enough to eat.

Number 2: The I don’t want to eat whats on my plate I want whats on yours. Using your cutlery. Even though its identical to mine.

I don’t care that we are eating the same meal, I don’t care that you have foregone using toddler plates and utensils in an effort to get me to eat. I want whatever is on your plate, and I need to use your fork to eat it.

Number 1: The why isn’t there more watermelon tantrum.

I just discovered I like Watermelon, I like it a lot. So much I want to keep eating it. I don’t care its making a mess, I don’t understand why you won’t let me have anymore, the other kids clearly aren’t enjoying it as much as me.

I’ve only just noticed the running theme here of Food. Had Similar experiences? Can your kids tantrums beat mine this week? I’d love to hear your experiences as well.

Tune in this time next week for another ‘Top Happenings’ of the week.

A Good Nights Sleep

When was the last time you had a good nights sleep? Please only parents respond to that question, the rest of you don’t know what your in for until you have kids. I’m not just talking about a night where your kid(s) slept all the way through, but one were you woke up truly rested and ready to start the day.

As I write this I have just gone through one of the worst nights I’ve had in awhile. The little guy woke up 2 hours after we had gone to bed and didn’t go back down for 4 hours. That’s 4 hours of playing, singing, reading, rocking, until he finally fell asleep – as I driving him around the block at 3:30am. Then 3 hours later he woke back up. We have an unwritten rule between me and my wife that if one of us isn’t working the next day then it falls to them to deal with these nights, until we realise they are struggling then the other will always help out. This was one of my nights.

Remember those days when you were younger, before fatherhood where you would stay up all night partying and then go to work the next day? Those are long gone, as a Dad you need to take the sleep when you can get it. As a Dad, or any parent your days just aren’t long enough to get everything done. After nights like these is it worth trying to stick to your original schedule and plan or should you sacrifice that to regain some sleep.

Personally I sit on the fence with this one. On one side, I feel the need to stay on top of a schedule and feel a little disheartened when plans fall through due to a rough night. On the other we need to look after ourselves and if that means missing out on an early morning gym session or the chores falling behind then that’s what happens. What do you do in this situation?

Keeping Fit or Staying Active

Keeping Fit and Staying Active are very similar, but also very different. Keeping Fit requires a certain level of discipline to maintain and is often done by choice rather then necessity. Staying Active is something anyone can do everyday, and looks a little different to everyone. Both have health benefits, but only one is easy to stick to as a Dad.

Everything changes when you become a Parent

I’d like to think that before parenthood I kept fairly fit. I visited the gym more often then not, I could run a fair distance, and I kept in shape. This is what I call Keeping Fit. Consistently pushing the boundaries of what my body could do. While this took up a lot of my spare time, and required commitment, I enjoyed it.

When I first became a Dad I thought I could keep it up, that didn’t last long. But what kind of example would I set for my kids if I fell into that classic ‘dadbod’. I want to raise healthy and active kids, but how can I do that if I can’t commit to it myself. This is where my mindset changed. I realised living an active life doesn’t mean I need to spend every day at the gym.

Ideas for keeping Active

Now my goals are a lot simpler, to be active everyday. How can I maintain this? by looking at day to day activities and how they contribute to being active:

• Taking the dog for a walk
• Chasing my kid around the backyard
• Walking up stairs instead of taking the elevator
• Getting up and walking across the office rather then sending an email

The list can go on forever, the trick is to find what works for you. Do as much as you can, but just remember, doing anything is better then nothing. So don’t beat yourself up if you don’t get a chance to take the dog for a walk, but try something else instead.

Now I know there are some Super Dads out there that can go to the gym everyday while raising multiple kids, and I tilt my hat to them. Well Done!, Keep up the good Work!. But for me, that lifestyle doesn’t fit being a Dad at the moment, so in the meantime I’m going to focus on being a little bit more Active, Every Day.