Why do shop assistants give you funny looks when you're...

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...buying an item that's specifically for kids?

Today I was in a DVD store and I was looking for a DVD for my boyfriend's friend's son for his 4th birthday (it's a preschool film). But when I paid for it, the girl behind the till gave me strange looks as she scanned it and put it into a bag. I gave her the money and she stared at me as she took it, hiding a tempting smirk.

Is the rule something like you have to have a baby or a child with you if you are buying a child's item? Why don't people just use their brains and think "just because a customer is buying something doesn't mean the item is for that person." And so what if I WAS buying it for myself? The shop assistant's job is to take money, not judge their customers. So unprofessional.

You could just say it's not meant for you but meant for a child you're buying it for, etc. I don't think that is a big deal to tell that to the shop owner, or the employees.
They can find it funny, or weird, if you don't tell them, because they'd assume its for yourself.
Also, this isn't judgement but is a matter of the impression they're getting from you. If you aren't clear about your intentions, you can't have high expectations towards how others will treat you or look at you.
So, work on your communication with others, including strangers and people you don't know. That's important.

Us Aspies tend to mature mentally at a lower rate than NTs so maybe she picked up on you being mentally younger or got the vibe & factored that in.

She didn't seem that friendly, and it felt awkward for me to just suddenly utter "oh it's not for me it's for a child." Most people don't tell the shop assistant who they're buying for every time they buy something. Surely they get many customers every day who are buying something that is not "age appropriate".

Most people aren't that dense to need an explanation of something that obvious.

That's happened to me over the past 9 years when I was buying Christmas and birthday gifts for my niece. I also had to explain to the staff at various toy stores.