You can’t exactly take the kids with you when you’re picking out their presents, but you may want to have the ability to shop with your spouse. Who’s going to watch the kids? Grandma might be out getting caught up on her shopping, and if you have to pay a babysitter, that’s less money to spend on gifts.
Instead, get together with your friends who also have kids and work out a trade. Set up a little co-op deal and swap a certain number of hours of childcare. It’s best to plan in advance and give set dates and times to avoid confusion or last minute problems. You don’t want to end up without a sitter or leave your friend without one when time is ticking by. There’s shopping to be done!
You can also offer to bring a friend’s children to your home for a few hours while she makes holiday preparations, cleans, or run errands, setting up a time when she will return the favor. The kids will have fun, and they would probably prefer playing with friends than going along while you complete a seemingly endless list of errands.
You’ll save time by avoiding buckling into car seats, unbuckling, visiting public restrooms, stopping for drinks, and all the other little necessities that come along with bringing children with to shop and take care of all those extra little tasks.
It also works great because the person who will be watching your child is someone that you and he or she knows well so it won’t be awkward like hiring a new baby sitter. In fact, you might just like this system so well that you’ll want to use it throughout the year so you can plan a date night with your hubby or have lunch with a friend a little more often.
Related: Enlisting Help for the Holidays