Holiday Shopping With Kids Survival Kit - Snack Mom Edition

What’s going on tribe!

I know, I know you’re all probably wondering where the heck I’ve been and don’t worry I promise to fill you in soon, but for now you guys, let’s talk about Christmas shopping with a toddler! I’m sending you extra coffee if you’ll be tackling the holiday MADNESS with a few little ones hanging off you!

Now, I’ve decided to share with you a small holiday shopping survival kit that may just save you a few hours and a serious public meltdown — we both know I’m not talking about the little one that’s touching everything in the store! Grab your coffee, have a read and let’s go tackle this madness together!

With the holiday season being around the corner I find myself panicking trying to find the perfect gifts for my loved ones while trying to remain sane shopping with a toddler. Since it’s that time of the year I figured it was only fitting to share with you my ultimate shopping secret when shopping with my son Felix; how I keep him well behaved in his stroller, while I run around stores with an extra large coffee and a determined face. My secret weapon is SNACKS! That’s right you can refer to me as the Snack Mom! This might not come as a surprise to my friends and family, but many of you guys may not have known my dirty little secret. So I’m here to share a few tips and tricks that I use to survive a few hours at the mall with a very active boy, who eats non stop all day.

Being that mealtimes and snacks play a huge role in my busy mom lifestyle, I’m always on the look out for healthier choices for Felix. When I started shopping for snacks to carry with me at all times, I stumbled upon PC Organics Baby brand and their products have played a huge part in my daily Snack Mom wins — I’m always packing extra snacks, because who knows when either of us will have a public breakdown. My daily mom wins almost always consist of food. I can honestly say, PC products have been a cornerstone of my family's food products, long before I even partnered with them.

TIP ONE: Wake up a few hours before you’re little one is up. This will play a huge part in how your day will go, at least for me it usually does. I always need a few minutes to drink my coffee and plan out my day. I start with packing my diaper bag and making sure I have everything I need for the day. I make sure to include PC Organics Fruit, Veggie & Oats Bars — Felix loves the Orange, Carrot and Cinnamon flavour! I also pack the PC Organics Mini Rice Cakes. These snacks are great, they’re healthy and easy to pack. I’m guilt free knowing they’re 100 percent certified to Canadian organic standards.

TIP TWO: Make sure to feed you little one a yummy, filling breakfast packed with balanced nutrition. With Felix self feeding now (can you say proud mommy moment), I normally give him PC Organics Multigrain O’s banana flavour, yogurt and a banana —his breakfast isn’t complete without a banana... Can you say banana overload!? Fun fact: Felix’s Opi has a banana with his breakfast everyday!

TIP THREE: Beat the rush, get to the mall early. The best time to shop — without worrying about pushing through the crowd of people with a stroller, is between 9 am and 12pm. Coming from experience in the retail world, I noticed a lot of moms shopped early in the morning and now being a mom myself I totally can understand why!

TIP FOUR: Set a time limit. I personally can easily lose track of time shopping at the mall, but with a toddler I think it’s best to set a time limit as to how long your toddler can handle being there. With Felix I can normally get away with a maximum of three hours before he gets frustrated. It’s important to try and stick with their usual nap time, so if you can, go before. 

TIP FIVE: Bring your bestie and extra snacks to share! Shopping in general can get stressful, but when you've got a friend to keep you company, time flies by so much faster. Occupied, busy babies typically stay out of trouble!

So these are my five secret survival tips — not so secret anymore! I hope I could help make this joyous season less stressful and more fun, as it should be. Make sure you pack those snacks ya’ll. Check out PC Organic Baby brand, I'm sure you will not be disappointed! This Snack Mom is out. Happy holidays and happy snacking!

I have partnered with YMC and PC Organics Baby and have received compensation for this post. All opinions in the post are my own.