Toddler "Shopping"

[Hound dog]

Now I've cared for endless toddlers over the years. But this is a first for me.......

I've had toddlers pull my pots and pans out and make music or "cook". No surprise there. Aubrey does this on occasion, and even has a little red pan in the cabnet that is her very own to do so. That way I'm not looking all over the house for my pans. lol

However, Aubrey has another thing she does that is one step up from this............

She "shops". Yup. I have a lazy susan where I keep my canned goods. Aubrey has been shopping in it since she was about 18 months old. She'll pull out cans and put them in her lil Tykes shopping cart or into a walmart bag. She also shops with other things around the house, but the lazy susan is her fav place. Doesn't bug me except when I have to search for something I wanted to cook. lol

Well this morning I come down........and well, Nana is not sweetness and light until that first cup of coffee......Only my coffee is gone. I knew that while it was getting low, I hadn't used it all. So we search, with Nana grumbling. Finally give up and have husband run out and get some.

A short while later......Nichole discovers the coffee we were looking for in her room. Aubrey had shopped it and was "cooking" with it. Now Nichole's room reeks of coffee.

Nichole had Aubrey return the coffee to me and apologize. Her little "I'm sorrys" are so darn cute. And she always means it. I told her it was ok, and to keep to the canned goods.

I never get mad at that sort of thing. My grandma let me "shop" in her cabnets for years. Sometimes she'd get in on the game and grab my play cash register and we'd empty out the food from the cabnets, set them on top and play grocery. lol Some of my fondest memories.

But other than myself and Aubrey, I've yet to see another toddler do this. Oh, and by the way....Aubrey and Darrin had tons of play food, but somehow it's just not the same. lol

 

[susiestar]

Lisa, it just really isn't hte same with play food. Play food has no weight, so you know it is empty. I can remember shopping like this at my grandmas.

I guess it won't take long before Aubrey learns to leave Nana's coffee alone. We certainly learned early not to mess with Mom's coffee - she was just plain mean with-o it.

I am glad you found the coffee. HOpefully Nichole doesn't ahve too big a mess to clean up.

 

[klmno]

It's not that bad, Lisa!! (Unless it was my coffee- I'm not too cheery without mine either!) I wonder if saving empty containers, or containers with very little left in them, could be put in a certain area for Aubrey to shop from- that way, she could have her own "store" and you could keep the groceries you need. Maybe occasionally ask her if you could "buy" something you need from her store (just not the coffee).

 

[Stella Johnson]

Aww how cute!

Reminds me of when difficult child was 2. She had a little tikes car. One day I was cleaning out my purse and had my credit cards scattered all over the floor. difficult child grabbed 2 of them and got in her little car. She said "Shop, Shop, Shop".

I don't know where she learned that.

Steph

 

[Andy]

How sweet!

I don't drink coffee - maybe that is one of my problems - nothing to get rid of my meaness? Not really - I really don't remember a time that I was grouchy in the morning. But then again, my kids' memories may be better than mine?

I think you need to always be her cash register so that you know what items she has. Then, work on having her get those items "home" (back to the kitchen).

However, I love KIMNO's idea of Aubrey having her own "store" (or "pantry") so you know where to look and asking to buy back. You may want to invite her to use the real kitchen whenever she is "cooking".

 

[mom_in_training]

I too like Klmnos idea but want to add that you need to get Aubrey a lil cash register. Shes a born shopper, Lol!!! How cute. Imagine the math skills that this lil one can gain.....

 

[mrscatinthehat]

That is soooo cute. I can just picture it. Probably not a bad idea to have an extra can of coffee on hand for emergencies though.

beth

 

[Hound dog]

LOL Aubrey does have a cash register.....complete with a conveyor belt. Remember the FP one's from the 80's, well easy child loved hers so much she searched online til she found one on ebay in excellent condition.

I don't mind the canned goods. She's smart enough to shop only what she can carry. But Nana's coffee is safely put up high.

It is awfully cute. Now I know why my grandma let me do it. lol

 

[flutterbee]

Wynter did that, too. Complete with cash register. Sometimes she was the shopper, sometimes the cashier. It was the sweetest thing.

 

[Marguerite]

We've still got a toy cash register of difficult child 3's. Now with my oldest three all getting married within a 12 month period, I'm going to keep it handy.

I love the idea. And my pantry is easily accessible, with all the cans etc in the bottom cupboards. I often send kids looking through the lower cupboards to find tins of things I need. With hyperlexia running through the kids, this means I was getting them to do this while they were still toddlers.

I've never understood why people would by all those toy groceries - expensive, and surely it's just as easy to use fewer, REAL groceries? And allowing the fake stuff also allows them to "buy" large quantities, encourages consumerism. Unhealthy. Besides, little kids cope with fewer items, it's less stressful.

About the coffee - I keep a small jar of coffee permanently out on the bench. The large jar is kept in the pantry, I use it to top up my small jar. So I'm never without coffee - when I empty the large jar by topping up my little bottle, coffee goes back on the shopping list and I buy another big jar at the first opportunity.

We're having fun with the Nintendo DS Cooking Guide - it's really hooking difficult child 3 into cooking an entire meal. And even tonight, when I was cooking something not in the cooking guide - difficult child 3 was looking up recipes and talking them through with me, while helping me with the meal.

Any game that kids play, that teaches them about life and gives them skills - it's a great idea. And if you're getting fun out of it too, that's even better.

Marg