dumb question: how do you grocery shop with an infant?

amother

Mon, Sep 30 2013, 11:40 am

How do you grocery shop with an infant? I'm used to putting my toddler in the child seat of the shopping cart, but now I'll have the infant and the toddler too.

heard some people put the carseat into that seat in the cart. Is that safe? does it actually latch?

Can I put the carseat into the big part of the shopping cart, and then I guess I'd stuff all the food all around it? That not safe? Wierd?

What do you all do?

I could just push the snap n go, and try to stuff up the basket as much as I could but that's not so much. Also what would I do with my 2 yr old? hates walking around.

Can I push the snapngo with one hand and the shopping cart with another hand?

Thought of using a carrier but don't really have a good one.

Never knew this would be so complicated lol.

thanks in advance!!

syrima

Mon, Sep 30 2013, 11:48 am

You will not save any money when grocery shopping with a 2 year old, first of all. You need to buy something to bribe them to behave. The carseat does not really lock into a big shopping cart.
if you have to buy a few things for dinner that's OK but not major shopping.
Better- shop without the 2 year old and use the snap n go as a cart.
best- call in a delivery to your local store, or shop at night by yourself. Rolling Eyes

lifesajourney

Mon, Sep 30 2013, 11:49 am

Putting the car seat in the cart (in the seat part, not the food part) is VERY dangerous (albeit very common unfortunately). It causes the cart to be unbalanced and can tumble over chas v'shalom. You can put it in the food part, but I wouldn't put the two year old in the cart also, because he may just drop something on the baby's head lol. At that stage I just stuck to online ordering/calling it in, or just buy less things at once so you can put it under the stroller. Another idea is to get a babysitter and go at night. Good luck!!

solo

Mon, Sep 30 2013, 11:49 am

I had the same dilemma. Ppl do put the car seat into top part of wagon. It isn't safe. My toddler was a disaster if not strapped in so I put him in the cart seat. And car seat in the back with groceries. Or pushed the double stroller with one hand and held a basket with the other.
But mostly if it can't be ordered I don't buy it

SplitPea

Mon, Sep 30 2013, 12:03 pm

The only way I shop is with a baby carrier. I have 3 under 3 and its just not possible other wise. My kids never have the snap and go carseats (we go right to a convertible) so I need to carry them Smile

This is the only picture I had of me shopping but shows the idea (though a little over board I had to take all 3 to the sore this day :/) I use a GOOD infant carrier (NOT A BJORN) one that supports the babies spine and supports my back. The pic below is a soft structure carrier (similar to an ergo but I prefer a brand called Tula) an infant size is on my front and a toddler on my back.

I have different carriers I use for different times in life. for newborns I use a ring sling... (in the pic below I am actually nursing my nb while using a stroller with dd1 in it going to a dr appt. I am 100% fully covered while nursing Smile

Putting a baby on top of the cart is a sakana in my opinion. babies have literaly died

Last edited by SplitPea on Mon, Sep 30 2013, 12:08 pm; edited 1 time in total

SplitPea

Mon, Sep 30 2013, 12:06 pm

PS I am located in far rockaway and welcome anyone ot come over and learn about good baby carriers/try mine out and see what might work for you. Standard I recomend a ring sling from Sleeping baby productions until about 3 months and then a tula infant carrier from 3-15ish months and from 15ish+months a Tula toddler carrier.

http://www.sleepingbaby.net/
http://www.tulababycarriers.co.....riers

edit to add I am NOT selling these carriers and this is not an add. I just love helping mamas find good things to help them carry their babies. I am not affiliated with these companies in any way.

doublemama

Mon, Sep 30 2013, 12:07 pm

We had this padded thing that turned the front seat into a bed for the baby, it buckled around the front seat part. It was very safe and we never had any problems with it. Then my older one sat in the back. He was a little trickster but he stayed seated if I would hand the food to him and then he 'arranged' it in the cart for me. We would arrange cereal' boxes like a 'throne' for him...it was very low, and safe, kept him seated and we didn't care about eating food out of squished boxes...lol

seeker

Mon, Sep 30 2013, 12:10 pm

A good baby carrier, especially for second child when you have other things to need your arms for, is a very worthwhile purchase not just for shopping use. I don't know if the deals are still live but there were sales on Ergo carriers from $57 this past week, or you can look for something used, or a different flash sale though that would be harder to find. BEST INVESTMENT EVER. And good resale value if you want to make some money back when you're done with it. I had a junky carrier for baby #1 and barely used it, and got a Beco before #2 was born and have not looked back, it came in handy soooo many times even though I'm not an avid daily babywearer, and I do not spend that kind of money easily but I haven't regretted it once. It was about $80 on sale.

So, if you must take both kids shopping, you put the 2-year-old in the seat and wear the baby in the carrier.

Ideally, once a month or so find some way to leave at least one child, preferably both, home with DH or a babysitter and do all your big/nonperishable shopping at once. It will take probably less than half the time and energy - enough that the babysitter will practically pay for herself. Then you'll only have to take the kids on little shopping trips for things like fresh produce, bread, and such, which can more easily fit in bottom of your stroller, or if you do the carrier and cart combination you won't kill yourself wearing the baby for too long while doing too much.

SplitPea

Mon, Sep 30 2013, 12:10 pm

syrima wrote:

WOW you have way more stamina than I did.

wearing two at once can get a bit tiring BUT with a GOOD baby carrier I can easily wear my 30lb todler around for an hour or so with no pain or strain on my back. my infants are a walk in the part. my 5 month old is taking a nap on my back right now Smile

Isramom8

Mon, Sep 30 2013, 12:24 pm

It's hard to reach the products while wearing a baby. Israeli supermarkets have some shopping carts with built-in infant seats - those are good for infants. Babies who can sit up on their own can sit in the seat of the cart - you can rig a seat belt with stretchy clothing. And give the baby a bag of Bamba to eat while you shop.

You can push a stroller or use a carrier, pick up a few items, place them in your cart that you park in the store, and keep doing this. It only works in a store where they don't empty your cart if you leave it sitting. My supermarket never empties carts.

In any case, it's a hassle. I've totally paid for two hours of babysitting so that I could do my weekly supermarket shopping.

Isramom8

Mon, Sep 30 2013, 12:36 pm

SplitPea, you must be blessed with wonderful coordination to be able to maneuver three children and shop. My kids would get whacked with cans and boxes if I tried that!

When I had two babies too young for gan, my oldest daughter's seventh grade teacher told her that she should do Ima's shopping. And for a few months, my daughter went with a list and did it all - a huge undertaking. Gotta love Israeli morot. I'd never have thought to ask a 13 year old.

the world's best mom

Mon, Sep 30 2013, 12:37 pm

I shopped in the supermarket with a double stroller when I had a baby and a toddler. There wasn't much space for packages though. I tried to go shopping at night when dh was home with the kids.

At risk of sounding stupid, what's unsafe about snapping the infant car seat into the front of a shopping cart? The cart is built to carry a weight at either end without tipping- that's why you can safely put an older child in the seat and it won't tip. That's also why they make carts with a built in car seat. My car seat snaps in, though it has to be laying back a bit more than usual. My babies are always strapped in and they've never tipped, or even came close. So what's the problem with that? I think it beats the built in car seats because it's much cleaner, and I don't have to wake the baby up to transfer him/her in or out of it.

momX4

Mon, Sep 30 2013, 12:45 pm

I did 2 shopping carts.

Baby in carseat inside a shopping wagon and toddler seating in another wagon. I didn't have a snap-in-go, if I did I definitely would have used it. I pushed one wagon and pulled the other.

Some people smiled and some stared. I didn't care. I faxed in an order once and had to run out anyway. They didn't send everything.

Snapping a cart seat ontop of a shopping wagon is an accident waiting to happen - don't ever do it.

imasinger

Mon, Sep 30 2013, 1:35 pm

Love the pictures, splitpea!

The other option (though I like baby carriers better) is to push a stroller and carry the groceries in a backpack or bag. Stop and Shop even has a program for users to scan each barcode with a smart phone before putting it in, and then just scan a code at the end, and pay, without ever unloading the groceries onto a conveyor belt.