Taking the kids shopping can feel like running a marathon – only with less endorphins and more exhaustion at the end of the experience – but it doesn’t have to be that way. 

If you’ve got the kids in tow, opt for a child-friendly shopping precinct like Skygate, and experience the closest thing to smooth-sailing shopping with children for yourself.

Whether you’re just here for groceries, need to pick up a present for the umpteenth birthday party this month or need new clothes because they’ve had (yet another) growth spurt, follow this guide to shopping with kids at Skygate.

1.    Before going, check to see if there are any kids’ programs on
Before leaving home double check the Skygate Facebook and Instagram pages to see if there are any child-friendly activities, programs, or deals to keep the small shoppers entertained.

Most school holidays you’ll find an action-packed agenda, with the likes of Bluey coming for a meet and greet or a scavenger hunt across the precinct with a bevvy of prizes to be won. In addition to this, keep an eye out to see if there are any Kids Eat FREE deals on offer. 

Outside of school holidays, Skygate’s What’s On calendar keeps the young (and young at heart) entertained. 

2.    Keep hunger at bay with plenty of child-friendly cafés 
Every parent knows food is essential shopping fuel but finding a café that gives more than just a nod to children with a kid’s menu can be tricky.

Enter Skygate Dining, whose retailers know what parents want – affordable prices, quick turnaround, plenty of space for prams, and enough room for the bigger kids to run around and play while parents supervise. 

What’s on the menu at Skygate Dining? You’ll find a taste of most of their favourite cuisines under the one Skygate Dining roof, from Japanese (Sushi Station) to Mexican (The Burrito Bar) and more.  

If a sit-down meal is more your speed, The Coffee Club and Transit Tavern deliver, both with menus for piccolo palettes. 

3.    Take an intermission and swap shopping with golfing 
A 17 hectare, state-of-the-art golf entertainment complex might be the last thing you’d expect to find in the Skygate precinct, but you’ll find it here at Golf Central BNE.

Featuring an expansive 18-hole mini-golf course, 50-bay driving range, and grass tee hitting zone, chipping, and putting green – Golf Central BNE is the perfect sweetener for any shopping trip with little ones.

If your kids are still too little for the big green, you can tour the world without a passport with their putt-putt course designed to entertain and bring out some healthy family competition.

4.    Sweeten the deal with something from their favourite store

What’s a little bribery between parent and child for a moment of peace and quiet?

Choose your bargaining chip from one of the child-friendly stores at DFO.

For the child who has fashion on the mind, stores like Converse, Hype DC or Platypus will delight in being leverage.

For stationery, Smiggle will have the pencil case popping, while clothing essentials picked up at Bonds Outlet, Ollie’s Place or Cotton On Kids make the perfect reward for tantrum-free shopping.

5.    Kill two birds with one stone and do your weekly grocery shop
With free onsite parking, make the most of the fact you don’t have to navigate child seats for a little longer and pick up the weekly shop too while you’re at Skygate.

Open day and night, Skygate Woolworths also happens to be the only 24/7 Woolworths in Queensland.

You can expect a full-size Woolworths with the same products and prices as your local supermarket – right here in Skygate. 

While you’re at it, you might like to pick yourself up a block of chocolate or something stronger from Dan Murphy’s next door – you deserve it for taking the kids shopping!