Going to the grocery store can be a fun experience for you and your child. Children begin to learn from their parents from the minute they are born, so teaching your child how to shop in the grocery store from an early age can help them to become health savvy shoppers when they grow up! If you dread taking your kids to the grocery store with you, try doing the majority of your shopping solo and take the kids with you at another time for a short, fun learning experience. Here are a few suggestions for making your next trip to the grocery store healthy and fun:

• Shop the perimeter – This is one of my favorite suggestions! The perimeter of the store is where you can find most of the fresh and non-processed foods like fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, breads, and some dairy foods. The center isles tend to stock more of the processed foods and junk foods so walking through them with a toddler can be tough! When looking for breads and pasta, try to choose 100% whole wheat which is a healthier option as whole grain products contain more of the wholesome nutrients that are needed in a healthy diet.
• Fun in the produce section – The produce section can be an exciting sensory experience for your little one!  As you walk by all the different items talk about the colors, smells and textures. Let your child feel a hairy kiwi, prickly pineapple or soft plum. Let them smell the ripe strawberries or different herbs. Have them help you pick out a rainbow of colorful fruits and vegetables, keeping in mind that different colors reflect the different vitamin and mineral content in the produce. If your child has started counting, this is an opportunity to turn picking up fresh produce into an educational experience! Let them count the items as you place them into the produce bag or into your cart.
• Explore new foods together – Let your child pick one new fresh food to try each time you go to the store. This is a great way to get your child excited about trying new foods. Getting your child involved in the selection of foods can help increase the chances that they will try eating that food.
• For older kiddos, let them pick out their own healthy snack recipe at home and make a shopping list for the ingredients and let them hunt down the ingredients at the store with your help. Teaching your children to shop for and prepare foods from a young age can help lead them to healthy culinary greatness!

Maintaining a healthy diet starts with shopping. Bring home lots of fresh, wholesome goodness and leave the less healthy foods behind.  This will help you to maintain a healthy home and teach your children to eat healthy right from the start!

How is your shopping experience with your little one? ***GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED*** Leave a comment below and you will be entered for a chance to WIN a Designed to Nourish™ Snack-A-Pillar™ Stackable Snack & Dipping Cups and My Dots™ Storage Labels!  FIFTEEN winners will be randomly selected from all comments (U.S. residents only). Check back on Monday, July 9th when we will post the winners! 

Here are the WINNERS: Chelsea A., Missy, Ann S., Leslie P., April B., Danel, Jennifer C., Danielle F., Lauren N., Peyton B., Marie, Alisha V., Danielle H., Amy C., Milagreta. If you are one of the winners you will be contacted by e-mail. Thanks to everyone for commenting!

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Chelsea A says:
June 29, 2012 at 10:05 pm
My daughter is only a month old right now, but I can’t wait until she gets to go grocery shopping with me and actually learn about the fruits and vegetables and nutrition!

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Missy says:
June 30, 2012 at 12:38 am
I always take along a container of frozen blueberries for him to eat in the store, or he’d try to hang out of the cart and eat all the fresh fruit that we pass.

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Leslie Petersen says:
June 30, 2012 at 12:20 am
We enjoy going shopping….so much to see for her and other people to say, “Hi” to :)

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Danielle Fouts says:
June 30, 2012 at 12:06 am
Honestly it used to be great but now he hates being confined in the cart and gets fussy the whole time. We keep puffs in my purse at all times though for times like that! And it has to be at the right time of day so he’s not too sleepy or active! lol

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Alisha Velasquez says:
June 29, 2012 at 10:50 pm
These were great tips! Sometimes we get so busy with life we forget to engage our children during the easiest times!!

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Lauren Nguyen says:
June 29, 2012 at 10:45 pm
My daughter loves going with me to the grocery store every week. She gets a balloon from her buddy in the produce section. My son is usually just asleep in his baby Bjorn so he hasn’t had any fun experiences yet.

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Danel says:
June 29, 2012 at 10:13 pm
My daughter loves to go shopping! The only rule of thumb with her is picking up bananas last otherwise se wants to eat one as soon as she sees them.

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April Baker says:
June 30, 2012 at 2:34 am
These are so awesome. I love letting my lil man pick out produce. hes such a great eater. we have come so far.

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Ann S says:
June 30, 2012 at 12:49 pm
I usually bring my 4yr DD grocery shopping.., she will help me keep track of the coupons, count out items and what else we need to get.., she likes to “hunt and find” for items.., and of course she likes to pick out balloons after check out for her and her brother.. haha

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Jennifer Crewell says:
June 30, 2012 at 3:51 pm
My babe LOVES shopping with me and for the most part (unless she is cranky) I love shopping with her… but she has started to get a little grabby!

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Peyton Baldwin says:
July 2, 2012 at 3:31 pm
Thank you for the tips. Thankfully, my son does pretty well. :)

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Marie says:
July 3, 2012 at 1:47 pm
My son loves to shop until he gets hungry then it’s an adventure :)

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milagreta r says:
June 30, 2012 at 2:59 am
Shopping with my 4 little ones is always an interesting event :)

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Amy Campbell says:
June 30, 2012 at 1:36 am
My shopping experience with my little ones can sometimes be trying. One child may want to sit in the cart while another one does not. Despite these challenges we always try to buy as healthy as we can while staying practical with our hectic schedule. I think it would be awesome to win your products. Thanks for the opportunity!