Alas, our local Aldi has almost completely gotten rid of the old checkouts. Now it's typically one staffed checkout lane, with the rest all being self checkout.
I don't mind self checkout for small purchases, but when I've got $200 worth of groceries, plus family in tow, I really don't want to deal with self checkout at all.
I only have one tiny human in tow whenever I hit up Aldi, but my trick is this: Let them run the scanner gun. The minion hates going to the store, but they love being able to pull that trigger. I just have them hold it and then I point the barcode in their direction and say "Scan" or "Fire." That makes the self-checkout halfway livable.
Our local discounter has scanner guns you can give your kids to scan everything while shopping. At the checkout, you just put it back, pay the total and off you go.
It keeps the kids happy and if you put everything directly into your bags it's all packed and ready to go.
I don't mind self checkout for small purchases, but when I've got $200 worth of groceries, plus family in tow, I really don't want to deal with self checkout at all.