Car shopping with the kids in tow
Shopping for A New Car With Children in Tow
It’s time to go car shopping – and there is no one to have the kids!
A car purchase requires your full attention, but as any parent knows, children tend to have short attention span meaning that their boredom threshold can quickly be reached.
We’ve put together a round up of hints and tips to make your trip to the showroom as pain-free as possible.
Plan Ahead
‘Baby Gizmo’ advises parents shopping for a new car to arrive at the showroom prepared. ‘She’ recommends having an idea of the type of vehicle in mind as well as your available budget beforehand to save both time and patience once you get there.
If the dealership has a kids’ play area in the waiting room and your kids are old enough to be left without constant supervision, take advantage of it! At L N K, co-founder Paul is famous for his box of .. errmm … tat … which the kids love.
It’s also worth shopping on a weekday if possible. Getting through all the paperwork is likely to be easier on a weekday than on the weekend which could be busier and may be closing early. The shorter your visit, the less chance of your little darlings becoming bored and grumpy.
For older kids, you could consider turning the visit into a research project. Take the opportunity to teach your kids-this is a great one for them to learn the process of negotiating and choosing a new vehicle.
Things to do
Going prepared naturally includes bringing suitable items with you to keep your children occupied.
‘Be A Fun Mum’ recommends keeping a backpack filled with little pocket games, dices and drawing materials. Make it special by instigating a rule that the games are not allowed out of the backpack at home, only when out and about. If your child carries his or her own entertainment in a backpack, they will enjoy feeling like they are in charge.
A sticker book is always a good idea- a car themed one links to the purpose of the visit and will help your child to feel involved.
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