A Parent's Survival Guide to Shopping with young children by Sam Ikin

A parent's survival guide to Christmas shopping with young children By Sam Ikin Christmas shopping can be fun and exciting; a time filled with the joy of giving and finding a bargain - unless you have young kids. Then it can become a terrifying experience which strikes fear into the heart of even the most experienced parents. "A three year old and a one year old having a tantrum at the same time can be quite hectic," Nicole Storey said. "Just leaving all the shopping, putting it all back on the shelf and walking out." She was one of half a dozen mothers who had sought refuge in The Haven, a large parenting room run by the Hobart Mums' Network. Mother of three, Kirsty Shields, said she often had a similar experience. Christmas shopping with kids survival tips Plan your shopping trip Do not over commit: spread shopping over two days if you need to Start early and get a convenient park preferably not on the street Identify bathrooms, toilets and rest spots before you set out Take your pram instead of the sling/harness Tag-team shop: team up with another parent and take turns supervising the kids Make it fun: mix some activities in with the shopping "You just drop the basket and run. I don't even bother about putting it back where it goes," she said. "[I] call my husband and tell him to go and pick it up on his way home from work." Christine Jolly from the Child Health Association of Tasmania (CHAT), who is also a mother with young children, said all parents will be able to relate to stories like this. "We've all seen it happen either to ourselves or to the poor mum in the street and the little toddler has just cracked it," she said. Ms Jolly was the architect of the hugely popular Hobart Mums' Network (HMN) which boasts around 5,000 members. The group started out as a Facebook page which expanded and is now part of CHAT. HMN has become so popular it was able to open the parents' room known as The Haven, a facility many mothers rely upon to make their trip to Hobart's CBD bearable. While it is run by HMN it is also open to dads.

Parenting rooms can be a 'Godsend' Ms Jolly said there were a few things parents can do to get through Christmas shopping with children and keep their sanity intact. "It's great to have a space like this where you can break up that to do list," she said. "[For example you could say] 'we're going to go to three shops and after that we're going to grab a hot chocolate and then we're going to go to The Haven, then we're going to go to the library and then go to two more shops and then go home'. Mums take a time out from shopping at the Haven PHOTO: Mums enjoy some quality time with their kids at The Haven run by Hobart Mums' Network. (ABC News: Sam Ikin ) "It just makes the trip into the CBD that much more palatable." For Ms Jolly planning a day in the city with the kids is essential. "You have to have a plan otherwise it's just chaotic and you want to stay as far away from the CBD as possible," she said. "One of the things to do in the plan is find out 'where are the public toilets? Where are the parenting rooms?' and include that into your planning and know where they are at all times." A handy tool for parents to use is the Hobart City Council's mobile friendly website gottogo.com.au. It could come in handy for any parent in the case of the frequently occurring toilet 'emergency' or nappy blow out.

He who fails to plan Hobart City Council's gottogo.com.au page Mother-of-three Kirsty Bell said if she did not have a little help sometimes she would never get out of the house. "I don't have enough hands for breastfed twins that sometimes explode everywhere with poo," she said. "I need somewhere where there's another mum to hold ... I can't do it without somebody to help me." She is not alone. Ms Storey said she will often enlist the help of another mother to help tag-team shop. "It's good to meet a friend here with her children and one of us will duck out and do a little bit of shopping," she said. Ms Jolly also suggests parents take the pram instead of the baby harness or sling. "Make sure you have a good pram, a pram with lots of storage space where you can tuck those gifts underneath the pram or hang the bags on the handle," she said.

Shoppers urged to be considerate The one constant theme from parents battling the Christmas shopping crowds was the embarrassment caused by judging eyes when a child throws a loud and public tantrum. Ms Jolly said that it was easy for people who do not have young children to quickly rush to judgement. "I advise everybody in the community, if you see a mum with a little one who has just had a little bit too much try not to cast a judgemental eye because you were there - you were that toddler one day," she said. "Try to just give her a smile or that fist bump of solidarity." http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-04/surviving-christmas-shopping-with-children/5938524