Ftm - grocery store - shopping with a baby

ssm1218 · September 2014

How does this work? Do you take the car seat out and put it in the shopping cart? I know this is a random question but I am trying to get a sense of the logistics. What does everyone do? Do some of you shop with the stroller? I swear this is a real question as silly as it sounds!

chicorojo · September 2014

I put the carseat in the big part of the cart with both when they were little. This time I plan on just wearing baby while I shop.

MaggieN2028 · September 2014

I'm a FTM too but I'm going to either take the full car seat out and with me
or, which I really hope works, wear them in a sling or in an Ergo type thing. We'll see how that works!

AllTheTeaInChina · September 2014

Never put a car seat on top of a shopping cart. If you take the car seat in, it needs to go in the basket. I usually wore DD. If I only need a few things, I would put her seat in the basket or clip it into the stroller and use the stroller basket. Or DH did the shopping.

BabyRN2009 · September 2014

Don't put the carseat in the top "seat" part of the cart like everyone seems to do...it makes the cart top heavy and it can tip over! I like to just wear baby in a Moby or Ergo (depending on age...tiny baby in my Moby). They usually sleep the whole time when worn and that leaves all the cart space for shopping! :-)

love2travel2014 · September 2014

AllTheTeaInChina said:

Never put a car seat on top of a shopping cart. If you take the car seat in, it needs to go in the basket. I usually wore DD. If I only need a few things, I would put her seat in the basket or clip it into the stroller and use the stroller basket. Or DH did the shopping.

Just wondering why you can't put it up on the kids seat part? Does it not clip in?

Eora3 · September 2014

AllTheTeaInChina said:
Never put a car seat on top of a shopping cart. If you take the car seat in, it needs to go in the basket. I usually wore DD. If I only need a few things, I would put her seat in the basket or clip it into the stroller and use the stroller basket. Or DH did the shopping.

This! NEVER clip a carseat into the seat of a grocery cart. It is not safe at all.

I also either put the carseat in the basket part or wore baby in a carrier/wrap.

mlee116 · September 2014

With DS, I took his entire carseat because he was usually sleeping from the car ride. I put the seat down in the basket of the cart (because I've heard it can fall off pretty easily if you sit it on top) and then put the groceries in the front part or wherever they would fit. I didn't do any heavy shopping if I was by myself with him if I could help it. I saved really big trips for when DH could either come or just one of us would go.

This time I plan to babywear if I take baby.

AllTheTeaInChina · September 2014

KimberlyC1984 said:

AllTheTeaInChina said:

Never put a car seat on top of a shopping cart. If you take the car seat in, it needs to go in the basket. I usually wore DD. If I only need a few things, I would put her seat in the basket or clip it into the stroller and use the stroller basket. Or DH did the shopping.

Just wondering why you can't put it up on the kids seat part? Does it not clip in?

No it does not clip on. It may seem like it does but it is not safe. It could damage how the seat clips into the base. It makes the cart top heavy and and can easily tip.

abcmom12 · September 2014

that is unless you find the 1 shopping cart with the built in car seat that you can sanitize before putting in baby. otherwise, I wore/pushed her in one cart while shopping with another

colliebabe · September 2014

I mostly wore DD at the grocery store when she was an infant. When I did put her carseat in the cart it was always in the big part of the cart, never on top.

I will probably wear this one as well, although I am guessing I would have to put DD in the cart at the car and then put the baby on after DD is loaded in.

Wow, this makes me want to leave the kids with H and go shopping by myself!

MaineMama · September 2014

When I go shopping I usually wear my youngest. I especially like wearing them when they are NB because if some random person wants to touch them it is easier to evade them, AND they are more likely to stay away from baby's face because it is so close to your boobs

And I love the D14 ladies! I only popped into this thread to mention carseat/shopping cart safety and its been thoroughly covered, whoo hooo!

love2travel2014 · September 2014

AllTheTeaInChina said:

KimberlyC1984 said:

AllTheTeaInChina said:

Never put a car seat on top of a shopping cart. If you take the car seat in, it needs to go in the basket. I usually wore DD. If I only need a few things, I would put her seat in the basket or clip it into the stroller and use the stroller basket. Or DH did the shopping.

Just wondering why you can't put it up on the kids seat part? Does it not clip in?

No it does not clip on. It may seem like it does but it is not safe. It could damage how the seat clips into the base. It makes the cart top heavy and and can easily tip.

Wow, I had no clue! Thanks!!

nesenotes · September 2014

I put baby in my Ergo. Makes shopping a million times easier.

nesenotes · September 2014

@colliebabe‌ oh Jeeze I never even thought about the logistics of having to shop with both! Although if it's ever possible I try to ditch the toddler since she will not sit in the damn cart anymore and has to help me shop and check out. X(

JunkieBrewster · September 2014

KimberlyC1984 said:

AllTheTeaInChina said:

KimberlyC1984 said:

AllTheTeaInChina said:

Never put a car seat on top of a shopping cart. If you take the car seat in, it needs to go in the basket. I usually wore DD. If I only need a few things, I would put her seat in the basket or clip it into the stroller and use the stroller basket. Or DH did the shopping.

Just wondering why you can't put it up on the kids seat part? Does it not clip in?

No it does not clip on. It may seem like it does but it is not safe. It could damage how the seat clips into the base. It makes the cart top heavy and and can easily tip.

Wow, I had no clue! Thanks!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6DYfo8Ybkk

[Deleted User] · September 2014

The user and all related content has been deleted.

Eora3 · September 2014

NandaB said:

colliebabe said:
I mostly wore DD at the grocery store when she was an infant. When I did put her carseat in the cart it was always in the big part of the cart, never on top.

I will probably wear this one as well, although I am guessing I would have to put DD in the cart at the car and then put the baby on after DD is loaded in.

Wow, this makes me want to leave the kids with H and go shopping by myself!
Yep. Park by the cart corral and put her in first. You CAN lift a toddler while wearing a baby, but its tough. Lol. If she'll sit nicely you can put her in the big part by lifting the "secret hatch" (the part of the cart where the seat is that lifts up when they are pushed together) G thought that was super cool.

I am about to learn how to do this with three under three! Lol!

With two, I load everyone in the parking lot (easier to use my own sanitizer wipes to clean the cart first anyway). I put the older kiddo in the basket and then load my younger kiddo into the seat. The new baby will go into the wrap/carrier last so I am not lifting toddlers while wearing him.

perfectlove09 · September 2014

nesenotes said:
@colliebabe‌ oh Jeeze I never even thought about the logistics of having to shop with both! Although if it's ever possible I try to ditch the toddler since she will not sit in the damn cart anymore and has to help me shop and check out. X(

Dd also refuses to sit in cart anymore. It's like pulling teeth. They are testing their independence lol.

ssm1218 · September 2014

Thanks for everyone's input! I have some thinking to do but I am in the right direction now!

brittandjp · September 2014

AllTheTeaInChina said:

Never put a car seat on top of a shopping cart. If you take the car seat in, it needs to go in the basket. I usually wore DD. If I only need a few things, I would put her seat in the basket or clip it into the stroller and use the stroller basket. Or DH did the shopping.

This exactly.

PLEASE do not put your baby in the top part of the shopping car, or even hanging over the edges in the main part of the cart. If you take a car seat in, it needs to be set down INSIDE the actual cart. It's incredibly unsafe. I wore DD most of the time, or waited to do shopping on the weekends when I could go alone.

soulcupcake · September 2014

I put baby in a carrier (babywear) when I go grocery shopping, or in the basket area if I'm just getting a few quick things.

racheldiaries · September 2014

FTM as well. I plan on either using a carrier and or will be using the Pea Pod grocery delivery service because DH will not be around most of next year due to work.

nopegoat · September 2014

I always wore my boys as infants.

With two, I put my oldest in the front and wore my youngest until he got a little bigger. With 3 my plan is wearing my youngest, middle kiddo in the front, and oldest rides in the bug part or walks and helps push the buggy.

Even before I knew just how dangerous it was, I couldn't put the infant seat on the top part of the buggy. I am not tall enough to see over it lol!

missmissie82 · September 2014

I wore the baby, MUCH easier to shop that way!

drpayne · September 2014

Not to make light of your concern... I really can remember the first time mom questions. I just have to laugh a little because now that I'm expecting #3, I have no idea how the logistics of one child ever stressed me out. Ditto baby wearing or putting the car seat in (not on!) the cart.

feeshah · September 2014

I hate grocery shopping almost as much as I hate doing laundry.

I always used to put the car seat in the cart the they way you aren't supposed to do it. That was 9 years ago and I don't remember any safety warnings about it. DD made it without any injuries.

Then came a day a few years ago where I was going to the store and I saw a family pushing their shopping cart with the baby in the baby seat "clipped" on top. The baby was old enough to move and was wiggly in the car seat. The mom looked away for half a second and the fucking car seat fell off the cart, baby strapped in, and landed on the pavement, baby side down.
It was HORRIFYING!
Mom and everyone within a 10 foot radius freaked out. She picked up the car seat and baby was fine. Wasn't even crying. Looked a little stunned. She was bawling and left HOPEFULLY to take her kid to the doctors.

I kind of made a mental note to not ever do that.

MeganK81410 · September 2014

Baby wearing can be your best friend!! I have a Moby wrap and an Ergo-type carrier that I still used with our 2-year-old up until a few weeks ago (mostly because my hips are killing me on a good day - the extra 25 pounds wasn't helping). The Moby was my favorite for the newborn phase. They can snuggle in nice and tight and you have two free hands.

pregnantinstyle · September 2014

When my first was born, I went with my husband. This way i could push the stroller and he could push the cart while I load groceries in. This time I'm getting a carrier shirt or sling to put baby in so I could be as close as I can to her.

BLH2014 · September 2014

I'm skipping the infant seat entirely and going directly to a convertible. My intention is to babywear as much as possible in situations where the baby seat would be lugged around or a stroller used.

mlee116 · September 2014

God bless the moms who shop with 2+. I think I could manage with DS and the baby before she gets mobile, but I fear the day I have to shop with two kids who can run. DS already acts like a crazy fool in the store and I can't imagine chasing two.

AnonnAni · September 2014

Dont know if it was mentioned but there are a lot of stores that have the attached infant seat on the carriage so i would just grab one of those and throw a blanket in and put the baby in there so you have the whole carriage.

AlwaysForgetful · September 2014

@ eldunlap , all it takes is for an older child to get on the cart side just right to tip it. Yep, a child under 30lbs can tip that cart with a sibling in it. Even with it next to you. Happened to my ex. Luckily baby was NOT in that top spot... which carts clearly state that no car seat belongs. Look for it on the plastic seat part that flips down.

Those shopping with more than one, They make child harnesses... or you can teach your 2 year old to hang onto the cart. Yes, your 2 year old can do that and reasonably last a hour shopping trip if you keep them engaged. Like have them "help" you pick out items or try to put them in the cart. I do it all the time. I shop with 5 kids 7 and under and one is on the spectrum. Fun times right there.

When new baby comes, #5 will be 14 months. So she will ride in the seat, I will wear #6, and the others know the drill. Yes, I use the dreaded leash on my eldest on his bad days. I can't send SO shopping because with the amount of groceries we need, the cart is to heavy for him to push. Sometimes we go as a family (SO too). I dislike that. He is one of those rude shoppers who go down the middle and leaves his cart there. :-/ Makes it hard to pass.

I could go shopping without the older 3 (now in school) but it is actually part of #1's therapy. He needs the interaction and the learning to handle experiences.

MaineMama · September 2014

eldunlap said:

We always put her in the top part in her car seat. I'll probably get flamed for it, but I never walked away from her while she was in the cart.

Not flaming, BUT not only does it take very little to tip the cart over (like you walking with it and tripping or slipping and putting pressure on one side of the handle while trying to not fall) but it can also damage the clip part of the seat making it so that it wont attach to its base properly and you wont know its damaged until you've been in a car accident and it too late.

Prob most of us have done the carseat on top of the cart before, but once you know better you can do better

mlee116 · September 2014

MaineMama said:

eldunlap said:

We always put her in the top part in her car seat. I'll probably get flamed for it, but I never walked away from her while she was in the cart.

Not flaming, BUT not only does it take very little to tip the cart over (like you walking with it and tripping or slipping and putting pressure on one side of the handle while trying to not fall) but it can also damage the clip part of the seat making it so that it wont attach to its base properly and you wont know its damaged until you've been in a car accident and it too late.
Prob most of us have done the carseat on top of the cart before, but once you know better you can do better

Yep, it doesn't take much for it tip. Or for the seat to get bumped off. I was shopping once and saw a carseat start to fall because the cart went over a transition piece on the tile floor. Scared the crap out me, but luckily the mom caught it.

AnonnAni · September 2014

@eldunlap I will have to agree with some of the PP on the tipping and have actually stepped away from DS in the cart to grab something off a shelf when he was about 1yrs old and the cart fell forward on top of my niece that was standing there (not touching it) and while neither one of them were hurt I have to say as bad as it sounds had my niece NOT been standing in front of it and able to take most of the impact and hold the cart that slammed her down (she was like 10 so not a terribly small child) DS would have been hurt very bad and that was as a toddler I cant imagine a small baby.

AllTheTeaInChina · September 2014

MaineMama said:

eldunlap said:

We always put her in the top part in her car seat. I'll probably get flamed for it, but I never walked away from her while she was in the cart.

Not flaming, BUT not only does it take very little to tip the cart over (like you walking with it and tripping or slipping and putting pressure on one side of the handle while trying to not fall) but it can also damage the clip part of the seat making it so that it wont attach to its base properly and you wont know its damaged until you've been in a car accident and it too late.
Prob most of us have done the carseat on top of the cart before, but once you know better you can do better

It wouldn't be flammable if you didn't know it wasn't safe (@eldunlap not MM). You don't have to walk away, you could be grabbing an item off the shelf and someone else bumps into your cart. It really doesn't take much.

Heidig14 · September 2014

Wow I'm So glad I read this. I have always known people to put the carseat on the seat part. I typically stop at the store on my way home from work, and dh will be picking up the baby, so I'm hoping to avoid this problem most of the times I'm grocery shopping.

AlwaysForgetful · September 2014

I use to put baby there. I will not lie. With my first 2 kids I did. Like many, I never looked down at the plastic seat thing in the cart that has the warnings. I saw other mom's do it and well, the car seat did seem to "click" and lock on..... and then one day I put #1 in the cart (still on his heart monitor) and #2 was in his baby carrier and #1 wanted to touch him. I went to grab something off the shelf, right next to the cart, and I turned back and the baby carrier was tipping back. The part that locks was near his head, but the foot area could still move back.... Never again. Even though there was no tipping of the cart, it clicked in my head. And then I saw the warning on the plastic seat in the cart...

Now, I don't care how well it may "click in". I know better. It doesn't happen. Kinda like with car seat safety. I use to do a lot wrong. Someone mentioned something to me one day, I looked into it and let's just say that within a week I had found my local CERTIFIED car seat tech and we met. Just because a police officer or firefighter says you are good doesn't mean so. If they are not certified, then it is not certain (as in my case).

Heidig14 · September 2014

AlwaysForgetful said:
I use to put baby there. I will not lie. With my first 2 kids I did. Like many, I never looked down at the plastic seat thing in the cart that has the warnings. I saw other mom's do it and well, the car seat did seem to "click" and lock on..... and then one day I put #1 in the cart (still on his heart monitor) and #2 was in his baby carrier and #1 wanted to touch him. I went to grab something off the shelf, right next to the cart, and I turned back and the baby carrier was tipping back. The part that locks was near his head, but the foot area could still move back.... Never again. Even though there was no tipping of the cart, it clicked in my head. And then I saw the warning on the plastic seat in the cart...

Now, I don't care how well it may "click in". I know better. It doesn't happen. Kinda like with car seat safety. I use to do a lot wrong. Someone mentioned something to me one day, I looked into it and let's just say that within a week I had found my local CERTIFIED car seat tech and we met. Just because a police officer or firefighter says you are good doesn't mean so. If they are not certified, then it is not certain (as in my case).

This. My dh is a firefighter and everything I've read says "go to your local firestation to have them check it. I know he has no idea about car seats. He looked into it and in our area none of them do. We have a once a month clinic at a car dealership where someone certified can check it for you. So definitely don't just assume you can go to the firestation/police station.

AlwaysForgetful · September 2014

Oh, because I hate editing and then putting the reason... yet I will type this...

Anyway, I love the Moby wrap (takes a time or 2 to get use to it) for newborns and in cooler weather. When baby has neck control I switch over the the Mei Tai. Those are just my preferences though.

@drpayne lol I know! Not making fun of new mom's, but I just laugh over the stress of shopping with 1 or 2 kids. Yet I do remember back when it was one baby and 2.... or when the older 3 were little and I had 2 who did not walk and 1 who did but not the best... I had the 3 kids under 3 (14 months and 13 months apart). I use to want to pull my hair out at first.

Now, the biggest stress isn't what to do with new baby and how to manage 6. NOPE, it's still, how to manage #1 and how to make it through shopping successfully with him.

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