braving the grocery store (alone)

By Erin Brazofsky

If you’re like me, the idea of grocery shopping just isn’t fun. The carts, the people, the parking lots…add two children to that mix and well, you have yourself a ready-made adventure.

Typically, I do one ENORMOUS grocery shopping trip a month filled in with quick runs for milk, veggies and fruit as needed. And, because my list is usually so large, my adorable and darling husband comes with me and we make a family date of it. It ends up being a lot of fun and it’s much easier for me to handle the cart of groceries than the cart of groceries and another cart of babies.

A couple months ago, I had to make my monthly trip by myself. Before a snowstorm. With both boys.

I gave myself the best pep talk ever. “You don’t have any food in the house! If the snowstorm comes, are you willing to eat Seth?” (I’m just kidding; we would never eat Seth. Maybe Levi’s thighs, but never Seth.)

So I went and braved the elements and arrived at the store. Now, normally, if the weather were amenable, I would pop Seth in my Moby wrap and stick Levi in the cart and off we would go. But, because I live in an area where reaching 20 degrees in February is a good day, I opted to leave Seth in his warm car seat. This necessitated me getting two carts.

Pushing the boys in front of me and pulling the other cart behind me, I weaved and twisted my way through the grocery store. I handed Levi items that he couldn’t rip into to keep him occupied and kept Seth amused with his favorite teething rings. I tell you, I was awesome and looked like a pro. People were staring at me and smiling and offering up, “You’re so brave” comments and I would nod graciously to my adoring public. Until I hit the checkout.

I thought it would be brilliant to switch the order of the carts, so that the boys were behind me instead of in front of me. The line behind me was getting longer and longer, and I was getting more and more frazzled. I began to see it was a mistake to keep the boys behind me. I was trapped between two carts and no one behind me could unload their groceries because of the boys. Oy.

I did make it out safe and sound and with the resolve to not have to do that again for a long, long time. But this got me to thinking, what do my fellow BBers do?  What are your tips for successful grocery shopping with both kidlets? Feel free to leave your best tips in the comments.

**No one was harmed during this grocery trip, and Erin kept her temper. Both Levi and Seth also still have all their extremities and were unharmed.**

More tips for braving the grocery store: Grocery Shopping with the Kids, Because We All Have to Eat, Baby Bunching Q&A: Taking 4 Under 4 to Store

Comments

[Erika]

I have an 8-month old & a 2-year old. On the not-too-infrequent occasion that I have to shop with both, those silly carts with the car in front are my saving grace. My 2-year old thinks they are AWESOME. They have seatbelts to keep her strapped in. They do have drawbacks:
1. she can reach stuff on the shelf and grab it (after checkout I've found shoplifted candy bars more than once -- I always check before leaving the store!)
2. The carseat doesn't fit inside the cart so I have to sit it up high on the handle, which always seems kinda dangerous
3. They are MISERABLE to steer

But, I can get shopping done with 2 kids relatively painlessly.

[Heidi]

Right now I put the 7 mo old in the Ergo & the 2 yr old in the "car" cart. When little bit is a little older they'll sit side-by-side in the cart (the carts at our local store have a double 2 seater) & the "car" carts also fit 2 kids. I love the carts at Target that have a 2 seater side-by-side & a 3rd seat on the basket- I see this in my future...

[Samantha G.]

You are brave, or maybe it's necessity (or both).

With only one child, we can still get away with one of us watching our boy and the other (usually me) heading out to the market sometime over the weekend.

It used to be a chore, but now it's a little alone time for me. I think my husband enjoys the one on one time with our little one.

[Susan]

I hate to admit it but if I can't go alone, I use the delivery service. My son is 2 and daughter is 1 and they are both extremely coordinated, agile, fast and fearless; I know how these trips can make me feel after the fact (basically all the judging comes from me judging myself) so I save my free delivery coupons for just this reason. I know the wimps way out, but it works! However, I love Costco trips for fruit and milk because the double seats are the best!

[Mara]

The car carts are my saving grace. At one point, I refused to shop at a store without any. In a pinch, I would put the young 2yo in the cart seat and the baby in the bucket seat into the cart and wedge things around the baby and put items in the bottom of the cart.

Now that they are 3yo and 18mo, they both fit in the car cart and IF they are "good shoppers", they SOMETIMES get the free cookie in the bakery that most stores will give little kids.

I do over 50% of my grocery shopping with my littles and they've just gotten used to it. I also go in with a specific list though. And the 3yo sometimes wants to walk and help me push the cart.

[clare]

You seem to have so many more options cart wise in America than we do here in England. I either have the option of putting my 2 together in a double seated one or one has to be in the ergo whilst one is in the trolley. I get my big monthly shop delivered so we only have to pick up fresh stuff every few days. Normally both kids are happy sitting next to each other for about 30 minutes but anymore than that is pushing it.

[Alisha]

Snacks snacks snacks! If I don't have snacks, I open up something and let them eat and pay for it at checkout.

[Nicole]

I have 3 under 3 and grocery shop with them every week. They are pretty good MOST of the time...I do recall some instances of screaming tantrums and projective vomiting :) But, for the most part, I put two in the double stroller and one in the shopping cart. Then I push the stroller and pull the shopping cart behind me. This lets me put more groceries in the cart than if I have someone sitting in the back. Sometimes I carry my 6 month old in the carrier and try to fit my 1 and 2 year old in the cart, but that's only for a quick trip without a lot of stuff! :)

[Brandi]

Now that they are bigger I put the two of them in the double seat "rocket ship" cart and let them "drive" while I shop. I also bribe them with the free cookie from the bakery followed by the fresh fruit samples they always give my cuties in the produce section and then any other samples we can find along the way. So I keep their mouths full and they are happy. When DS2 was little he was in the Babyhawk and DS1 had the cart to himself.

[Jane]

Hey if anyone is interested in homemade organic baby food that is delivered to your door please take a look at the Tasty Tots page on facebook.

[Rachel O.]

I try to stick grocery trips in after other events (since we're already out and about) so I never fill the cart more than my big baby can handle...
When the weather is nice I put them both in a double stroller and walk to the store, then load up only as much as my basket underneath (with some hanging off the handles) will hold. Little trips are my lifesaver, I think.

[Buddha Mama]

Two carts in the push and pull configuration. I go extremely early in the morning. The place is quiet and sometimes the extra checkout guy with nothing to do will push my second cart :) And I feed them breakfast while we shop. A sippy of milk, a cup of berries and a cereal bar per kid. We do it every week and they've gotten used to it. To date, I've had no major tantrums.

[GSMommy]

Once baby was sitting up steadily I started going to a different store where the carts will seat two side by side. They do pretty well, though I'm always looking for the handicapped checkout line--wider means they can't reach stuff so easily. The other day we had to go through the regular line, and the baby hit the touch screen on the card reader and cancelled my transaction. Yay.

[brandi]

im loving the early shopping trip idea! breakfast while shopping with two carts even! excellent idea!

[Renee']

Oh this site is such a blessing! I'm trying to figure out the logistics of 16mo twins and a newborn... (God's grace is with me BIG time lol). So the push/pull method it is. There is hope! :)

[get stuff for free]

The article that you posted is very interesting, i enjoyed a lot while reading this! I am hoping the same best work from you in the future as well.

[LouisaQuinn23]

It is great that we can get the home loans and that opens completely new possibilities.

[Ava]

I love the self scanner my supermarket has!
Although I have learned not to let my son get a hold if it.

[cheap jordan cement]

The Air Jordan III's had poor sales when first retro'ed in 1994. On the other hand if they happen to be re-retro'ed they marketed outcheap http://www.jordan3cements.com design might be marketed for over 300 bucks on a variety of internet websites, one in particular remaining eBay.

[cheap jordans 13]

The Air Jordan III's had poor sales when first retro' http://www.jordan1onsale.com ed in 1994. On the other hand if they happen to be re-retro'ed they marketed http://www.retrojordan13.org might be marketed for over 300 bucks on a variety of internet websites, one in particular remaining eBay.