Best Not to Shop Till Little Ones Drop

These last five shopping days before Christmas will be hectic for many of us. But here’s a suggestion from the experts worth heeding: Don’t make shopping too hectic for your small children.

Each weekend when I pick my son up from his job at Disneyland just after midnight, I’m amazed at the people leaving the park at that hour dragging small children with them. The youngsters either look like they’ve been to the wars or they’re conked out, their endurance long gone.

Is a fun vacation day worth putting youngsters through hours so incredibly long?

Now comes a new warning from a group called the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children: Long shopping isn’t healthy for small children.

We don’t mean to cause them stress or harm. But our minds are on all the gifts we have to buy. And we have no choice but to take our children with us. Problem is, society officials warn, their little muscular systems were not meant for such an ordeal. Besides, it’s extremely boring for them; there is simply nothing to occupy their minds. The society warns that not only is it not fair to the children, their system isn’t always up to it. Too often they wind up sick from it.

I asked my own family pediatrician, Dr. Bernard Cohen of Irvine, his opinion. There’s no doctor I’d trust more. Cohen also warns against such endurance tests for children, but for a slightly different reason.

“Make sure they’ve had their shots,” Cohen warns, “because when you take them into large crowds this time of year, you’re exposing them to any number of communicable diseases.”

I did find one dissenting note, from Dr. James Harte, a manager for children’s programs at the Orange County Health Care Agency:

“There is some risk of over-tiring your youngsters, perhaps. But the alternative is to leave them home. And for the holidays, I’d rather see parents spending time with their children, even shopping.”

The Massachusetts group does have some pretty good suggestions you might want to heed these next five Christmas shopping days. They are posted at https://www.apbnews.com:

* Set a goal to limit your shopping to a few hours; then don’t exceed it.

* Make sure your child is well rested and well fed.

* Remove coats or sweaters once indoors. Nothing worse than shopping when you are overheated.

* Point out security guards to your children, so they’ll know who to approach if they get lost in the crowd. And keep them close by at all times.

* Let the child take a book or toy. It helps keep him or her from tiring out when you have to wait in line.

And here is my favorite tip from the group: Shop with another adult. That way, one of you can pay attention to the children while the other is browsing.

I miss the old City Shopping Center in Orange (where the Block is now) because it had day care for holiday shoppers. My youngster loved it, and it left me free to concentrate on my buying.

I called numerous shopping centers in the county and didn’t find any such holiday day cares. But several malls pointed out one thing that can reduce tensions a little: Pick up a stroller at the door, even if your child might normally be just above stroller age. Almost every mall has them, either free or for a nominal charge. The stroller can free you from worry about your child wandering off, and make the day’s shopping wars more tolerable for him or her.

Jerry Hicks’ column appears Monday and Thursday. Readers may reach Hicks by calling (714) 564-1049 or e-mail to jerry.hicks@latimes.com.