tell me your grocery shopping w/baby procedure

shoebox4

okay, baby & grocery shopping virgin here.... can you guys tell me step by step on how you handle baby in car seat to the shopping cart to loading groceries in your car and getting baby back into car.

I'm going grocery shopping with LO tomorrow and was wondering which steps do I do first especially when I will have a cart full of stuff to load into car and a baby!

 

Hyfagal

Make H go with me, plop carseat in the large area, fill in gaps around her with groceries.

If I have a big list or H is not available I go alone while he watches her or she visits grandma.

CC.to.be

Pea pod by stop n shop! I order online and have delivered next day. Sorry, I know that doesn't help you. Or I get a babysitter and go alone. When he is bigger and can sit in the front part of the carriage then I will bring him.

Jaylea

I totally put DS in the top of the cart - GASP! Sideways, usually, since it fits well that way. Then I don't let go of the cart. If I am only getting a couple of things, I put him in the larger part.

I unload all groceries into my trunk, push the cart to the corral, then carry DS and his seat back to the car.

It's easy.

Now when DD is with me too - that gets challenging.

JJsMom211

I use my moby. Do you have a carrier? It's a lot easier to go with a carrier of some sort. If not maybe you should ask your H or a friend/family member to help.

SarahTx5701

put baby in cart, pack groceries around them.

check out and put baby in the car?

never take them out of the infant carrier. Its super easy...

When I take jmy toddler and the baby for a long trip I usually wear the baby in the moby so I have more room in the cart

themissizz

We go together. I put LO in the stroller and one of us pushes the stroller while the other pushes the cart.

If this isn't an option, I either go when my mom is watching him, or I take him and just put him in the big part of the basket and stack stuff around him. This doesn't result in very big grocery trips though.

Smores730

I put the carseat in the big area because my chicco doesn't fit well up top. I load groceries around her and put a lot of things under the cart that I never would have pre-kids.

I unload my stuff into the car, bring baby with me to the return the cart, carry him back to the car. 

JustDoIt62009

I have an Ergo that I strap her in, it'll be much easier once she can sit up on her own, but she doesn't mind the Ergo and she looks around a lot. The few times I've left her in the car seat, I park near one of the shopping cart corrals, grab a cart and put her in the large part of the cart. When I'm unloading the groceries, I put her in the car first, then unload, and slide the cart back into the corral. I have an SUV so I can hear and talk to her when loading groceries.

jess1984

Lol. I remember being like this with ds. But now I have 2 kids to go grocery shopping with and dh works too much so I have to do it myself. I get ds out, he Touches the car, get out dd walk into the store holding ds's hand and carrying the infant seat, Plop dd into the basket of the cart, ds into the kid part. Go and fill around dd carseat and around ds (with milk and big stuff). Pay. Go to car (I try to park near the cart return). Get groceries into the truck, put dd into the car cause she's quicker, put ds into the car, push cart into the return (usually right next to the car) and away we go...not always easy, but a neccessary evil Good luck.

Wufroggy79

H and I take turns with one staying at home watching her and the other going shopping alone.  I won't take her shopping until she can sit in the cart without the carrier since that thing takes up sooo much room.

xxcaityx

I went yesterday & got a big cart full of groceries. I wore C in the Ergo & it worked great. I suggest wearing LO until he can fit in the cart seat. Mine gets annoyed of being in his car seat too long & I usually would end up taking him out of it halfway through our grocery trip & carrying him + pushing a cart = disaster.

Mrslovebugs

I put her in the Moby. She loves being out and looking around. It makes for bending over to get stuff on the bottom shelves or unloading the cart onto the cash register difficult, but I can't see over the car seat when it's in there, and it takes up too much room. I can't wait till she can sit up on her own and I can put her in the cart. But for now, I carry her in the Moby.

Megs12411

The hubs and I go together. Not for convienence's sake but because neither of us trust the other to get the "right" things. We are mean, paranoid, controlling people

(if it was up to my husband we would exist solely off of Mallomars, Cheeze Whiz, and Budweiser)

If I don't put Claire in her Moby then we put the car seat in the top part. Before someone has a stroke let me point out that our car seat actaully has the ability to lock onto the cart.

At that point it's a race against time to get all of the shopping done before she gets ticked off and Princess Pissy Pants makes her royal displeasure well-known. We've gotten pretty efficient at racing through Kroger like crazy people.

bmqcmg

I BW when I have to take Juliana and I am by myself. I load her into the Ergo in my car, go in and grocery shop, put her back in the car seat, and unload groceries.

CelticWife

Make DH go with me, or leave her at home.

When we do go out alone, I usually park next to the cart return, grab her car seat, go into the store, put it in the main basket, shop, then go back out. Since I am next to the cart return, I don't have to worry about putting her in the car first.

If I need more groceries then the basket and the area around her car seat will allow, I put her in my moby and carry her around.  With the winter weather and now the rain, though, I don't use the carrier that much unless I am going to be taking a while (i.e. mall trip).

acarlson3

Abbs gets locked into the top part of the cart while still in her car seat. Sometimes she likes to help mommy pick the produce though, because by the end of the trip she's done entertaining herself and wants to be entertained. But she gets carried with me when I go get the cart, and when I'm unpacking the car she's the last thing to go in because she returns the cart with me and I carry her back (in her car seat). If it's raining she gets put in the car and I ditch the cart in the bushes by the parking spot. I try not to be "that lazy person" though, which is what my reaction used to be when I saw carts in the bushes!

RIBRIDEY

Car to top part of the grocery cart then baby back in car and I unload groceries into car. 

LittleGus

Baby Bjorn.

izzourclue

Hyfagal:

Make H go with me, plop carseat in the large area, fill in gaps around her with groceries.

If I have a big list or H is not available I go alone while he watches her or she visits grandma.

This is me.  I go with her alone if the list is small because there isn't a lot of room for groceries with the car seat.  Or I go on a sat morning when H is home to watch her.  Roll it all out to the car.  If the bagged groceries don't fit with the car seat have a bag boy help with another cart.  Load her in the car, load groceries (all go in the same door of the van).  Shut door, put cart away (because I park next to cart corral) and go.

alohler

This exactly. We have a car seat that locks on the cart, so we strap him in and shop. I always go with my H, he pushes the cart and I run around the store rapidly grabbing groceries hoping that DS does not wake up or get fussy in his seat.

pawstech09

My procedure is basically the same as everyone elses, but X2. Fortunately, here in Arizona people are absolutely against putting their carts back in the cart return (understandable when it's 180 degrees outside, but they do it all year round) so I can always park right by an abandoned cart. I'm usually alone so I grab one baby in her car seat, put her in the large part of the cart, grab the other baby and put her up on top of the handles. You can actually fit quite a few groceries around the babies car seat, and I've gotten a few small freebies when small things have rolled underneath the car seat and aren't found until we load the car (I'm pretty sure Walmart can afford it).

My loading the car procedure is opposite of unloading, and it's gotten a lot easier with a van that has automatic side doors and back door. I just open everything up, click each baby in and then unload my groceries into the back. And that's my excuse for why I don't return my car to the cart return, I don't want to leave my babies in the car alone Plus, then I wouldn't fit in! People might think I was strange...

ABizzity

We do our shopping on the weekends, together as a family.  H pushes LO in his stroller and I push the grocery cart.  -OR- H stays home with LO while I run out.  Until LO can sit up on his own, its easier this way.  His carseat does not fit in the back of most cart and even if it did, I couldnt fit any food around it. 

Chicky0727

I usually do it while hubby is at work or late at night when the kiddos can stay with him. I prefer the latter bc than i also dont have to deal with a bunch of ppl. But if i do have to take the kids than i try to do it while my oldest is in school. I put LO in my Moby since she really doesnt like her car seat. Than i just work my way around the grocery store. The place i shop at is really helpful and will help me unload my cart and will help me unload it at my car too. That way i dont have to worry about leaving the cart out since that is one of my pet peeves.

butterfly8199

Jaylea:

I totally put DS in the top of the cart - GASP! Sideways, usually, since it fits well that way. Then I don't let go of the cart. If I am only getting a couple of things, I put him in the larger part.

I unload all groceries into my trunk, push the cart to the corral, then carry DS and his seat back to the car.

It's easy.

Now when DD is with me too - that gets challenging.

 

This exactly. She fits sideways in teh top part of the cart. She has been fussier and fussier about being in her car seat shoping so I am going to try wearing her in my ergo next trip 

 

marleena

First, make a list of exactly what you need. And make sure to hit the important items first.

I try to park near where customers return carts, this way it's easier for DH and/or I to put DS in the cart. His car seat locks in the front of the cart, but I hold onto the cart since there is a risk of the cart tipping. Once the groceries start piling up in the back, the weight is distributed. If DH is with me, it makes a world of a difference. I'm a big couponer so if DS gets fussy, DH is able to take him from the car seat and walk him around in his front carrier [Snuggli] while I check out deals. If I'm alone with DS I remember to bring one of his favorite toys and be quick, usually a "no coupons" trip.

When it's time to go back to the car, I load in DS, then groceries. Return the cart to the cart area if I'm right next to it. If not [or DH isn't with me] I just have to be a butthead and put the cart between my car and others. Upon getting home, DS goes inside first, then groceries.

Bailey81

I take him out of his convertible seat, strap him in the Ergo, and away we go. 

insertclevername

I wear LO when grocery shopping.  If price is a factor there are cheaper carriers.  In fact LO hates the Moby and is not a fan of the Ergo but he enjoys the Infantino Flip that I bought for $23.  He really enjoys looking at everything in the store and my usually vocal fussy butt LO is calm and quiet in the Infantino.