Do you use dressing rooms with your kids?

Have you ever tried to try on clothes while you shop with your kids? It’s pretty hilarious right?

It usually plays out something like this: I miraculously manage to stave off meltdowns while I grab a selection of things I’d like to try on. The dressing room attendant watches as I wheel up with my kids and tells me I can’t bring my shopping cart in the dressing room. Great. I opt to take a risk and run in quickly anyway, hoping my son and daughter will be entertained by Elmo’s latest YouTube video.

Before I can get my pants unzipped my son has chucked my phone to the side, signaling he’s through with that song. He’s making the motions to watch the Wheels on the Bus video instead. I select that song then resume taking my pants off, and grabbing the new pair I want to try on. Mid-shimmy into them my son is also doing a shimmy under the dressing room door, making his escape.

He planned this he whole time, didn’t he? He knew I grabbed the wrong size pants.

I grab his leg and pull him back under my side of the door, and decide I’ll have to try again another day.

There are typically two ways I love to shop for my clothes. I like to shop online and I like to shop at an off-price department store where I can grab a gazillion things at once and either try them on really quick at the store, or take a chance and try them on at home.

When Big T was smaller I could push him into a big stall at the store and try on my max-6-items at Ross, but I had to be lightening fast if I didn’t want him to get upset. Nowadays I can forget it, because he’s discovered he can fit under dressing room stalls and escape back into the store.

I know it seems like I’m complaining about shopping with my kids a lot lately. And I don’t mean to scare anyone who isn’t there yet. To be honest, it really wasn’t bad at all with my daughter. Something about having a second kid—Well, a second kid who loves to run away and take part in anything that could be dangerous, that makes it extra hard. Before this phase it wasn’t so bad. And I’m sure it’ll get better.

Until then, I try to find other ways to make things easier. Sometimes that means going shopping when my husband is off to be home with the kids. And sometimes I take my chances with online shopping, and hope the item fits and looks good on me.

If I were to come up with an ideal situation, I’d be able to browse online for items I think I’d like to buy, choose the sizes I’d like to try on, and they set them aside and have them ready for me when I get to the store. This is an ideal situation that’s available starting now when you shop at Sears.

Don’t ge it? Watch this:

Their new Reserve It service allows us to shop from the convenience of our home, then put items on hold that we’d like to touch and feel in the store, so you can try it before you buy it. They’ll hold it for 48 hours and when you arrive at the store, it’ll be set aside for you and ready to go.

I can’t wait to give it a try, along with their in-vehicle pickup service. And I hope these are services other stores will pick up on soon, so I can enjoy shopping with my kids again sooner rather than later.

Do you use dressing rooms with your kids? Have any advice for making it through? Does Reserve It sound like something you’d use?

*Thanks to Sears for sponsoring this discussion. All opinions (and typos) are mine.

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