How to Survive Back to School Shopping With Kids?

Where did the summer go? I swear it was just a few days ago that I was making Last Day of School Treat Cards for my siblings and now I have to think about helping to get them back to school. This is one of my favourite parts, shopping for the back to school supplies and helping to choose new backpacks for them.

Shopping, in general, is a hassle and shopping in general with four kids (three younger siblings and toddler son) is beyond stressful plus the added the amount of other people doing the exact same thing as you on the same day is well = a very stressful mess.

I don’t know about you but back to school shopping is an all-day event. How to make it less stressful without having to sell your kids or pawning them to a babysitter? Here are some helpful tips that should help lessen the stress. Here is my guide to surviving Back to School Shopping with Kids.

A Plan: Have a plan where you are going to shop. One-stop-shop for everyone is always the best way to go but sometimes you want to get in on the best deals for school supplies.

We typically go to Walmart and Dollarama but there are times where we want to go see if Value Village has backpacks or Payless has better shoes. That is a lot of driving so have the area mapped out where you want to go. Best places are outlet mall areas it can have everything you want in one area and sales too.

List: Believe me when I say with kids asking a billion questions, it is hard to remember everything you need to buy so having a list with you and a pen or pencil as well is a great idea. Also, have a backup on your phone. I don’t always like to only rely on my phone for my list because the battery can die on me and having a charge while in the store doesn’t always work for me. Just to be safe, I like to have my Back to School Supplies List printable with me.

Activities: Kids need to be entertained for one reason to try and avoid any fights or arguments. How to do that? Have things to do for them in the car while you drive. There are many things that can do from watching movies or playing games on a tablet or phone to having toys brought from home like a car or a doll.

What about the store? Have them help. Give your kids the task of choosing their backpack or pencils and have them place it into the cart. It gives them something to do and gives you a helping hand. You can also give them individually back to school lists and have them take over while you monitor.

Snacks: “I am hungry!… I am starving!… Can we go get fast food?” I have heard it all, every time we go to a store. To save you from this, you can bring snacks in the car or have them carry a snack with them.

Don’t worry I don’t think they will bring a large turkey but something that will hold them for a while. Sandwiches or fruit to eat in the car and a granola bar or small treats like cookies for while they are in the store. Also, hydrate. Juice boxes or a bottle of water to have on hand is a great thing to do.

Reward: After tackling a long day of back to school shopping everyone needs a reward. After all, you did just survive the day without losing anyone or losing your mind so give something to yourself and the kids.

You can grab ice creams or go out for dinner or even dine in and order something. It could even be as simple as letting the kids go to the park while you sit down and enjoy the fresh air… of course, that is depending on the time you are done your shopping. Just know that you got through the day and you do a great job!

Now you are all ready for back to school shopping. Don’t you go stressing too much, apply these simple tips and tricks to get a stress free shopping experience with the kids. If all fails… next year invest in a babysitter. Happy Back to School Shopping everyone!