A quick guide to Black Friday holiday shopping with babies and toddlers

November 19, 3:58 PMEarly Childhood Parenting ExaminerAngele Sionna

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Cart covers are great, but can be a pain
for holiday shopping in crowds.

Shopping with babies and toddlers can be a challenge. Add to that the holiday crowds, and you have a potential for havoc. Here are a few tips for battling the store isles without battling your kids...

• Don't go right before mealtime.
• Put the little ones in a fresh diaper right before walking out of your house. This way they won't be crying over potential diap issues. But do bring an extra diap just in case.
• Bring lots of snacks and water and juice. Save the juice for a last ditch effort if the whining kicks in.
• A good way to save some hassles, use the mom-invented OnTray. It is BPA-free and hooks right on to the cart. Older babies and toddlers can open and close it at will to get out snacks.
• If you're going to take your baby or toddler with you to Black Friday early morning sales, put him or her in a baby carrier. This avoids both taking up space in the cart for all your bargains and also keeps baby secure. (For recommendations on the best baby carriers, see THIS article.)
• Make sure to bring hand sanitizer but ONLY use it for you. It can be toxic if ingested by a baby or toddler. And we all know how kids like to lick their hands. Instead wash everyone's hands as soon as you get home or in the restroom at the next store. (Older children should be fine using hand sanitizer. Just make sure they rub their hands together until it dries.)
• Don't forget to bring a bottle of water for yourself as well to stay hydrated. You can always use it to refill the kids' bottles too.

It's a good idea to know exactly what you want from each store before you get there on Black Friday. Use THIS guide of all the best Black Friday advertisement websites from Walmart to BestBuy and everything in between.