shopping carts and kids... wdyd?

Nancy_Drew · September 2009

Just curious what you guys do when you are shopping with the kid(s) and have a shopping cart with no shopping cart return close by? Do you bring the cart back with the kids in it then haul them back to the car or do you leave the cart in a non designated place? (ie in front of your car)

I feel weird putting the kids in the car then returning the cart, but i feel equally as bad leaving the cart. It's a pain in the butt to bring the cart back to the return, then to carry tge infant seat AND a 2 year old back thru the parking lot to the car. (think Costco)

From now on if I see a parent with kids loading the car, I'll offer to take the cart! It's such a PITA to return it! Or I'll be sure to park close to a cart return even if the spot is further away. lol

AshleyKimberlyn · September 2009

Park right next to the shopping cart return.

I will park far out if it means I will be next to the return. Makes it so much easier!!

pinktulips · September 2009

Ditto on parking next to the return. If I am not close by, then the kids go with me to the return and then back to the car.

newmommy74 · September 2009

Nancy_Drew:

From now on if I see a parent with kids loading the car, I'll offer to take the cart! It's such a PITA to return it! Or I'll be sure to park close to a cart return even if the spot is further away. lol

You read my mind as I just thought this the other day! It is such a pain to have to return the cart & I would never leave DD in the car so I kind of push the cart up out the way when it is too far, otherwise park near a cart return. So I am with you when I see another parent now at the shops, I will be offering to take their cart for them and hope the favour is returned!

It's a bit like opening doors for people with strollers. Yesterday a rude LADY opened it in front of me then let it go in front of me & I'm like "Hello can you not see me!!!!"

Obviously she wasn't a Mom!!!

massagegirly · September 2009

AshleyKimberlyn:

Park right next to the shopping cart return.

I will park far out if it means I will be next to the return. Makes it so much easier!!

this exactly!

WatchPot · September 2009

Now DS is old enough to walk with me, but since you have a little one, that's not option.

If there is no return, I'll walk it back or find another customer and say, here you go, a cart for you, I made sure all the wheels work and it pushes straight.

braveangel2 · September 2009

Wow, I feel like a bad mommy...I leave E in the car. I figure it's safer in the car than with the crazy drivers that zoom through the lot. I donno...you do what you can I guess, but yeah parking next the cart return has helped.

seattlestef · September 2009

Yep, I just park close to a shopping cart return. I try to park out far anyway since I need lots of space to get both girls out of the car and loaded in the stroller.

tfarabians · September 2009

Its a pain huh! I do both, if the cart return is close or its nice out I push cruz to the cart return and then carry him back but if its far away I put him in the car, lock the car and take the cart back.

tfarabians · September 2009

braveangel2:
Wow, I feel like a bad mommy...I leave E in the car. I figure it's safer in the car than with the crazy drivers that zoom through the lot. I donno...you do what you can I guess, but yeah parking next the cart return has helped.

no your not a bad mommy! I do the same thing! I also leave cruz in the car when I run into the cleaners! I can see him the whole time and its just safer than juggling him and the cleaning around cars.

KNemo · September 2009

massagegirly:
AshleyKimberlyn:

Park right next to the shopping cart return.

I will park far out if it means I will be next to the return. Makes it so much easier!!

this exactly!

This big ol' butt could use the exercise. I purposely park close to the farthest away cart return. Then I get some needed calorie burn, and I can return the cart w/out worring about what to do with the kid!

CDMay2006 · September 2009

A friend of mine said when her kids were young enough to not unlock their seatbelts, she would get them in their seats, lock the car and take it back. This makes sense, but i'd want to keep an extra key, just in case!

pearly1 · September 2009

KNemo:
massagegirly:
AshleyKimberlyn:

Park right next to the shopping cart return.?
I will park far out if it means I will be next to the return.? Makes it so much easier!!
this exactly!
This big ol' butt could use the exercise. I purposely park close to the farthest away cart return. Then I get some needed calorie burn, and I can return the cart w/out worring about what to do with the kid!

I'm dreading dealing with this in the pouring rain though.?

I usually end up using the ergo, I've gotten pretty good at transferring him without waking him.?

JDCSKF · September 2009

I always park next to a cart return with a cart in it. It's faster to load and go shopping, then walking to get the cart.

Seattle_JiLLn · September 2009

I try to park near the cart return or near the door so I can quick run it back after putting Ben in the car. But with just Ben, it's not htat hard for me to bring the cart back with him in it, since he can just walk to the car.

I sometimes do put it in a bad place, but I make sure it's really secure - like on a planting strip or something - so it wo'nt get other cars.

Whole Foods is where I have the hardest time b/c the race car carts don't fit in their regular cart return areas. In that case, I have no qualms about leaving it somewhere less than perfect. fix your cart return areas!!

chibipoe · September 2009

I rarely go to the store without DH but when I do I try to park next to the cart return and just take DD with me to return the cart. Last time though, I wasn't thinking and put DD in the car first and then I was like "What the heck am I supposed to do with this cart!?!" I used to be courtsey clerk for a grocery store and I just can't bring myself to leave carts in the parking lot so I ran as fast as I could to the nearest return and ran back to the car - it felt wrong!

Seattle_JiLLn · September 2009

CDMay2006:
A friend of mine said when her kids were young enough to not unlock their seatbelts, she would get them in their seats, lock the car and take it back. This makes sense, but i'd want to keep an extra key, just in case!

When I do leave him in the car, I triple check to make sure my keys are in my hand the whole time. I lock the car, but if it's warm I will also roll down the windows a bit. Just in case I'm hit by a car on the 2 minute walk. I'm pretty paranoid so I really don't like to do this. But if it's like 5 cars away or something, I'll do it fast.

CDMay2006 · September 2009

Seattle_JiLLn:

CDMay2006:
A friend of mine said when her kids were young enough to not unlock their seatbelts, she would get them in their seats, lock the car and take it back. This makes sense, but i'd want to keep an extra key, just in case!

When I do leave him in the car, I triple check to make sure my keys are in my hand the whole time. I lock the car, but if it's warm I will also roll down the windows a bit. Just in case I'm hit by a car on the 2 minute walk. I'm pretty paranoid so I really don't like to do this. But if it's like 5 cars away or something, I'll do it fast.

You could start the car, then it would be the right temperature (warm or cool) and use your second key to open the door when you get back... maybe i'm overthinking things : )

Seattle_JiLLn · September 2009

but see then I'd be afraid it would get car jacked.

tfarabians · September 2009

CDMay2006:
Seattle_JiLLn:

CDMay2006:
A friend of mine said when her kids were young enough to not unlock their seatbelts, she would get them in their seats, lock the car and take it back. This makes sense, but i'd want to keep an extra key, just in case!

When I do leave him in the car, I triple check to make sure my keys are in my hand the whole time. I lock the car, but if it's warm I will also roll down the windows a bit. Just in case I'm hit by a car on the 2 minute walk. I'm pretty paranoid so I really don't like to do this. But if it's like 5 cars away or something, I'll do it fast.

Soon it will be raining all winter and you won't have to worry about a car being too hot!

I never realized so many people wouldnt leave their child in the car for a few seconds? I forget stuff in the house all the time and run back in the house and leave Cruz in the car all the time and never think anything of it?

You could start the car, then it would be the right temperature (warm or cool) and use your second key to open the door when you get back... maybe i'm overthinking things : )

pixelvixen · September 2009

I try to park close to the cart returns. If not, I have no qualms about leaving the kids in the car while I go return the cart. I have the keys in my hand or purse and if I ever have doubts about their safety, I will lock the doors or just leave the cart in a planter or something. I have run into 7-11 with the kids in the car too. The doors are locked and I can see through the windows to make sure they're ok.

Usually when I go to 7-11 its because there is something we need (milk usually) and the kids are in meltdown mode, so I wouldn't think anybody would WANT to jack the car with two screaming/crying kids anyway.

Seattle_JiLLn · September 2009

tfarabians:
I never realized so many people wouldnt leave their child in the car for a few seconds? I forget stuff in the house all the time and run back in the house and leave Cruz in the car all the time and never think anything of it?

There are so many scary stories of kids dying in the car, it makes me paranoid. Plus, I worry that someone would see him and call the cops on me. I have a friend whose husband actually did forget his kid in the car while he was in the grocery store on vacation in Florida and they have a no tolerance policy on it - he was in jail for a weekend, ended up having to spend a lot of money on lawyers to not have to go back and serve a real sentence, and then when they went to try to adopt a baby, they were pretty much told no way since he had a record of child neglect issues.

I won't say I never do it, but I feel terribly nervous and guilty whenever I have done it. I did it once when Ben was asleep - I left him in the car parked directly in front of Papa Murphys - I could see the car the whole time, I had called the order in, the register was by the front door, I was gone for 3 minutes, and still I was nervous the whole time. It's irrational probably, but that's my story.

Nancy_Drew · September 2009

the temperature in the car is the big issue for me. it's HOT in there! I feel bad enough that I gotta put 1 kid in one side, shut the door and go around to the other side and get the other one in all before I get in and get the a/c going.

I too feel weird about leaving the kids in the car. when i take A to daycare and pick her up, I bring Ryan in with me, even though i'm parked right out on the sidewalk in a neighborhood and i can see the car the whole time. lol

I have left A sleeping in the car at home. We were going to be leaving again in 10 minutes, so it was not worth it to me to try to move her for that short of a stay at home. It was fairly cool, so I unrolled all the windows and just ran in to pee and gather what we needed. I checked on her every few minutes.

I'm ashamed to admit, before posting this question.. i never thought to park on purpose further out to be by a cart return. lol

pinktulips · September 2009

Just so you know, it is against the law to leave a child under the age of 12 alone in the car with the car running. My cousin left his 11 1/2 year old and 3 year old in the car with the car running to grab something from Home Depot and when he came out less then 10 minutes later, there was a cop and a $185 ticket waiting for him, even though his daughter was 6 months shy of being 12.

Seattle_JiLLn · September 2009

Nancy_Drew:

the temperature in the car is the big issue for me. it's HOT in there! I feel bad enough that I gotta put 1 kid in one side, shut the door and go around to the other side and get the other one in all before I get in and get the a/c going.

I too feel weird about leaving the kids in the car. when i take A to daycare and pick her up, I bring Ryan in with me, even though i'm parked right out on the sidewalk in a neighborhood and i can see the car the whole time. lol

I have left A sleeping in the car at home. We were going to be leaving again in 10 minutes, so it was not worth it to me to try to move her for that short of a stay at home. It was fairly cool, so I unrolled all the windows and just ran in to pee and gather what we needed. I checked on her every few minutes.

I'm ashamed to admit, before posting this question.. i never thought to park on purpose further out to be by a cart return. lol

Ben used to take ALL of his naps in the car - like even at 18 months old. It was the onl yway I could get a good nap out of him. I would just park him in the garage - which stays pretty cool - with a monitor out there. He'd sleep for 2-3 hours.

I'm cracking up that it never occurred to you to just park by the cart return farther away.

Want a personalized experience?

shopping carts and kids... wdyd?

Re: shopping carts and kids... wdyd?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards