School holiday shopping survival tips

Gwen from GwenStyle shares her tips on how to survive shopping with kids.

So…School Holidays.

I actually love school holidays, I love being out of the routine of packed lunches, uniforms and the dreaded homework. The only downside is there is no relaxed shopping time.

I have managed to train my three girls into the art of ‘browsing’, however my nine year old son sets some different challenges. He does love his clothes though, so I can capture his interest if I send him searching for a T-shirt to match his skinny leg jeans and black converse.

After 20 years of shopping with kids, I have had my fair share of shopping calamities. Tantrums galore, crying, screaming, sulking…that was just me! My second daughter (the drama queen) used to yell at the top of her voice, when she wanted something, and when I said no…’please mum don’t hit me again’!

I have collected a few suggestions for successful shopping.

There are certain stages with children, that shopping just don’t work. Six months to 18 months is hard as there is NO reasoning, and 9 to 12 year old boys are almost impossible unless you stop off at EB Games. But making the trip interesting is the key. I had my son scanning Myer for a purple top the other day, with the reward of ten minutes in the toy section.

Here are the top five GwenStyle shopping tips

1 No matter how old the children are, there seem to be a strange phenomenon that as soon as they set foot in a shopping centre they are hungry and thirsty. So pack lots of tasty healthy tip bits.

2 Have a Mary Poppins bag…a bag that you can pull all sorts of things out of. A supply of small toys and figurines that you can present at random moments.

3 Involve the kids, tell them what you are looking for, what colour etc, and get them searching too. They may save you time?

4 Give then a timeline. ‘We need four things from this shop’ or ‘only 2 shops before we go home’. You can even make a list and get them to tick off the things they’ve found.

5 If all else fails bribes do work! There’s nothing like an ice-cream at the end of a hard shopping trip.

Of course there is always the backup plan. Online shopping! If you really don’t want the stress of leaving the house or have particularly young children, that still need their daily nap, there are some fabulous stores online, and the bribes and tantrums can be a thing of the past.

Successful Online Clothes Shopping GwenStyle

· Firstly be really aware of your body shape

· Know your most flattering necklines, dress lengths and trouser shapes

· Always check if the item is new or used

· Check where the item is sized i.e. British sizing tends to be smaller than Australian

· If buying Vintage sizing is always on the small size

· Also if you are buying Vintage clothing check if the vendors have added the era i.e sometime Vintage is another fancy way of saying ‘old’. An item from the 80’s and 90’s is NOT Vintage, it is Retro.

· Read the wording of the article carefully ‘Chanel style’ is not authentic

· Check the postage fees and always ask for combined postage if buying a few items

· Keep a currency converter on your desktop and if buying from overseas, check the prices every time you buy

· Accessories like costume jewelry and handbags can be great buys

Check out some of these preferred online stores

www.sesfashions.com.au

www.valleygirl.com.au

www.laxfashion.com.au