Grocery shopping

So maybe I am over thinking this, but I just need to ask. My husband is in the military and deploys every 2 months, so him going with me is out of the question. Even when he's home I do the grocery shopping, it's just not his thing. How do you manage your twins and do your grocery shopping? Do you just limit it to small shopping loads? I normally go grocery shopping every 2 weeks, but I don't know if this will be possible anymore!

 

There are two different options that I know of:

Take double stroller in and use the basket underneath - this would be a strategy for those who like to get out of the house very often, and you could pick up a few things each time.

Second option, pretty easy once you get the hang of it, put one in the carseat in the shopping cart and carry the other in a carrier on you. I use the Infantino Euro Rider... got it for 20 bucks and I love it. I take them places this way all of the time. I acually practiced at first with my husband with me, so I knew I would be comfortable on my own.

Others with more experience might have more ideas. GL

 

I used several different strategies if I had to take them with me when they were very young, I would either -

1. Take the double stroller, filling the basket underneath with groceries & sometimes carrying a basket as well if I needed more

2. Put one in a carrier of some sort on me & put one in the shopping cart in their carseat.

3. If your grocery store has the shopping carts with the infant seats attached, you can strap one in there & put the other in the back of the shopping cart in their carseat. If I did that, I would get one of the handheld baskets & put it under the shopping cart to hold extra groceries, since the babies were taking up all the room!

4. I have also, when they were little & the stroller was easier to handle since they didn't weigh very much, pushed the stroller with one hand while pulling a shopping cart. That strategy is best if the store isn't busy, though, because it can take some maneuvering.

As soon as they are old enough to sit, I tried to find grocery stores with the double seat carts that they could both sit in (really hard to find here).

 

I had considered doing the carrier thing! We have 2 Infantino EZ riders, I think? We got them for our baby shower, one for the hubby and one for me in case we ever want to carry them both. Definitely a good idea to practice it with the husband there first! I'll have to convince him to go grocery shopping now lol

 

When they were under 3 months I used my tandem stroller that has the bassinets and would wear one baby in a sling while pushing the other one in the stroller, using the empty bassinet for groceries.

I have, on rare occasion, pushed the stroller while dragging the cart with groceries.

I have a Maximom carrier and sometimes wore both babies while shopping, though it's tough when they start to try to sleep.

I have, once, put both babies in the cart in the seat.

Now that they can sit independently, I put one in the cart and wear the other.

Grocery delivery wasn't economical or convenient for me due to the delivery schedule - when I got around to putting together an order on the website the delivery was still about 2 days out and I wanted the groceries right then and there (wolf!) so I dreamed of delivery but never did it.

The BEST thing I learned, I learned a little late:

WHOLE FOODS HELPS!!! If you have a WF near you, it might be worth the increased prices to go there because all you have to do is ask for a courtesy clerk to help you. The clerk will push the shopping cart for you, guide you to where things are, advise you about products, and help you from the time you get to the store to the time you leave, helping you right to your car. I only learned that about a month ago. I wish I had known about that before having the babies - my husband was out of town a lot the first few months and through a lot of the winter. It would have really been nice to know.

 

Wow! That's great to know about whole foods! Unfortunately we only have 1 here in Hawaii and it's quite the drive and you couldn't even begin to imagine the price differences between just civilian grocery stores (safeway, anywhere) and going to the commissary (military) and prices are cheaper and no tax for us.

 

I haven't made it out yet ardon: but my plan of attack is going to be to either wear one or put one up front in the carseat (as usual) and one carseat in the back of the cart. If I go this route I will hook up some of those fabric bags to the cart w/ carabiners to stuff more groceries in...those under-cart racks don't hold much and I really don't want to tote a basket. The upside to this is that I can put all of the refrigerated/frozen stuff in one bag so that if I get home and have to put stuff away in a hurry, at least all of the perishables will be in one spot so I can prioritize.

I know plenty of people take two carts or their double stroller, but I just can't imagine doing that in my busy grocery store.

Eve

 

I always pushed the stroller and pulled the cart behind me. I did run over my heels a few times, but then I became a pro. I still do it on occasion. ardon:

 

I guess it'll be a trial & error thing! The commissary is always ridiculously busy so I can't imagine having the stroller and cart. For the first few months I have the Baby Trend double snap and go and I just don't think that basket underneath will hold enough. So I will probably try wearing one in a carrier and leaving the other in the carseat in the cart. But I've definitely decided that when my husband is not deployed, he can just watch them and I'll go grocery shopping by myself, or he can come along w/ the stroller lol

 

:wavey: Commissary shopper here too! Ours is always packed of retirees and surprisingly when you push the stroller and pull the cart, they get out of your way. You will get a ton of comments (but that is anywhere). Just smile and keep walking (even if you are walking away and answering one of the millions of questions). I have done the wear the baby, put baby carrier in cart for short trips, but usually I push the stroller and pull the cart. It's actually really easy (and builds arm muscles). At the beginning I would ask DH to stop by the commissary on his way home from work, but I'm one of those "get out of the house" people and looked forward to picking up what we needed for dinner that day.

BTW: VERY jealous that you are in Hawaii! Hopefully I'll be needing your advice on living there one day!

 

i like to get out and about pretty often and i have found this to be indispensable! you can use them to hook a shopping basket onto your stroller so you can fill the basket and the basket under the stroller all the way up.

but you are right, it is ALL trial and error! good luck on the rest of your pg!

 

I've been practicing when dh has been with us on our bigger trips to Sams. I am able to put all three of mine in the cart and still fit plenty in the cart. I'm hoping to do bulk shopping at Sam's and there is a store up the road from our house that has a twin seat up front and a car in the front that my toddler can sit in. I have 12+ months of doing this alone, I hope to figure something out! LOL!

 

Yep, same here!

 

I'm impressed with those stroller-pushing/cart-pulling mommies. I've done it, but always find it really tough.

I've also hooked bags and baskets to the stroller. I use a Mommy Hook: http://www.themommyhook.com/

The Thanksgiving shopping trip, however, proved a little too much as the groceries ended up weighing more than my 2-month-old babies and nearly tipped the stroller!

 

Yes it is trial and error. I've done the push the stroller, pull the cart and it worked, but I learned how uncordinated I really am! I've also worn one and put one in their carseat in the front of the cart, but my favorite way to do it (the way I do it the most anyways) I didn't see mentioned. I take them both in their carseats (park next to a cart corale, even if you have to walk a good bit into the store!). I put one in their carseat in the front and one in the back part (where the groceries go). Now, if I just have a few items to get, they can fit around the carseat. But, more often than not, I am making a big trip. So, the one in the big part of the cart, I pick up the carseat and turn it 90 degrees, so that the front and back of the carseat sit on the sides of the cart, and one side of the carseat rests against the very front (or back depending on your perspective) of the cart. There's a good bit of room for groceries under the carseat then. I hope that made sense.

Another way I've done it is to have my 4 year old push one of the kid's carts (if the store has them) and I fill the little cart up along with either the basket under my stroller or the space around the carseats in the cart.

 

I wear one in a front carrier, and put the other in her carseat on the top front of the cart. That way I have the whole cart part free for groceries.

 

I've done many of the things mentioned here, but one baby in the carrier, one in the carseat (or now, sitting in the shopping cart) has worked the best.

However, I've also had good luck (if it's a small trip) with hooking one of the handheld baskets to the stoller handles with small bungee cords. I just keep them in the back of the van so I always have them if needed.

 

I go to the grocery very often......helps me feel like I go out.


When they were still in carseats I put one carseat in the basket part and clipped the other car seat in the seat part and I pulled a cart behind. If I only needed a few groceries I filled a basket up and put it under the cart.

Now that they can sit up I get the cart with the car front and give them snacks.

Actually they LOVE going to the store.

GL!!