Between million-dollar ad campaigns, eye-popping packaging, and children's apparently instinctive predilection for the sweet and salty, grocery shopping with kids can be a recipe for a junk food overdose.
So how can parents keep kids away from high-calorie, low-nutrition fare while avoiding tantrum-spiked confrontations that send other shoppers scurrying for the doors? Perhaps the most important stratagem, experts say, is to involve your child while shopping.
Though the media-stereotyped reaction of children to healthy foods is one of disdain, research shows that kids are deeply influenced by their parents' dietary habits. Exposing children to new foods broadens their palates, and over time they will naturally associate feeling energetic and alert with healthy eating.
When toddlers are old enough to make choices—and, not coincidentally, to be targeted by snack-shilling commercials—it's time to use the trip to the store as an educational experience, says Mary Ann LoFrumento, a pediatrician and author of the Simply Parenting series of books and DVDs.
"Start with the fruits and vegetables. Show them the different kinds. Have them guess what the names and colors and shapes are. If you show them how wonderful and unique these things are, it counters the marketing you see with processed foods," says LoFrumento.
From there, move on to other natural foods, then meat and dairy. Invite toddlers to participate by having them point to different foods and asking them which container to pick. Save snacks and processed foods for last, or avoid these aisles altogether. And, most important, don't hesitate to set limits. "The biggest problem is that kids are saying, 'I want, I want,' and parents don't have the strength or ability to say no. They're afraid of the tantrums," says LoFrumento.
Of course, a little junk food isn't always a bad thing, and a bit of permissiveness can strengthen the parent-child relationship. Wendy Grolnick, a Clark University psychologist and author of The Psychology of Parental Control, says she allows her own children to choose one product apiece, but she sets the rules early.
"Rather than waiting and barking out 'no's' in the grocery store, structure the situation," advises Grolnick. "If your children know the rules beforehand, they also feel you understand. So you might say: 'I know it's fun to pull things off the shelves, I know you'd like to have all the candy.' Empathize with them. They'll know that you aren't going to say no to everything, and that you do understand."
When children are old enough to stay home, says LoFrumento, it's important to keep them involved. Read labels with them, seeing which foods are the most and least nutritious. Give your kids part of the grocery list and let them do the shopping.
"Give them some responsibility. Not only should they help select the foods, they should help plan and make the meals. Everybody can chop and wash. If kids are given a part in preparation, they're not just sitting in front of the TV, playing video games, and being called to eat," she says.
Of course, kids don't stay young forever. "By the time they're adolescents, you can't control what they eat," says LoFrumento. "But if you've drilled into them how to make decisions and prepare meals, by the time they're 15 they'll eat healthy foods by choice."
