Grocery Shopping-How do you do it?

I am just curious how all of you go grocery shopping; especially if you have a toddler.

 

I always pushed my stroller & pulled a cart. My 2nd son would often sit in the cart.

 

Easy - I go alone
I usually wait until the weeked when my husband is home and that is my little "outing" for the week.
Of course if I need something during the week, like milk, etc, my hubby will pick it up on the way home.

 

I put Josh(3), in the cart and pull it, while pushing the stroller. It's a pain! Two-seat shopping carts should be mandatory! I could have Josh walk if that were the case!

 

I don't have a toddler but...
We go on the weekend. We each put a kid in a cart, divide the list and I start at the back of the store and he starts at the front. We meet somewhere in the middle and the shopping takes about 30 minutes.

I agree that double carts like they have at costco should be manditory!!

 

I like the stores that have the car carts.Kroger has a cart with a car that will hold two kids up front and two in the car. I put my toddler in the car and the twins in the front. Otherwise I push my double stroller and pull the cart. The grocery isn't so bad at least it is possible. I am waiting for the day I can take all 3 to the mall by myself!!

 

I also wait until DH is home and then go late at night or on the weekends. Sometimes I take the boys and then I am pushing the stroller while pulling a cart. That is always good for lots of stares and pointing from other shoppers.

 

I used to put one in the cart and the other in a bjorn (front carrier/pouch). I couldn't coordinate the pushing/pulling thing!

 

Dh holds one and I hold one. I ordered a floppy seat so I can sling one and have one sit in the cart. When I am alone, I push the stroller and pull the cart. I have my DS hold onto the cart to help "steer."

 

I'm not brave enough to go grocery shopping by myself so Dh pushes the cart and I push the boys.

 

I do not go grocery shopping with my twins and 6 year old!!! DH or I go on the weekends or a week night after he is home.

 

If it take the twins by myself, I usually take the stroller & just pick up a few things that I have to have. For big shops, I try to go alone or take one of the older kids to help push the cart or stroller. It definitely helps that I have the older ones around! I do like the "one in the cart, one in a sling/carrier" idea, though.

 

Either one of us does it alone or we get a grandparent to sit.

 

I have my oldest dd walk, I put one baby in the bjorn and one in the seat part of the cart.

 

I go during the day (on my lunch hour) while the nanny watches them or I go at night or on the weekend when DH is home so he can stay home with them.

 

I made a "cart cover" that basically just is a soft place for them to sit and then sit them in the front of the cart facing each other. Their legs touch, but these days it is just something for them to play with (nibbling on each others toes is the game du jour!) It's really not bad until they get antsy, but I time it so that we're freshly up from a nap and fed already. That buys me a good 45 minutes to whiz through the store.
You can do it!!
Nicole

 

I put one car seat in the grocery part of the cart,and the other seat I click onto the seat part of the cart,my 3 year old holds onto my back pocket and we go grocery shopping it goes so smoothly.recently I tried another way b/c they are now starting to sit up on their own so I put one car seat in the grocery part and sit one baby in the seat part and she site right there.You can do it.

 

I go on Wednesdays because it is "Double Coupon" day, and someone watches them while I go (one of the grandparents.)

 

I don't have anything to add. I just wanted to give a great big salute to all of you who do this regularly. The few times I have been out with all three of my children (and my daughter is no baby) have been trying at its easiest and nightmarish at its worst.

You ladies are putting me to shame.


Cat

 

I don't have a toddler either but if I'm alone I just put what I need under the stroller in the basket or I go on the weekend with dh and we put one in each cart...I agree the double carts like they have at Sam's club are da bomb!

 

I put one baby in the seat another in the basket with my toddler wedged in between. I stuff the groceries around everyone. I get a lot of comments.

 

quote:
Originally posted by becky5:
Two-seat shopping carts should be mandatory!


I AGREE! Mine are the age of your toddler and my only kids, but I have always either gone alone while DH watched the kids or we all go together so each can be in a cart. I have done the occational solo trip with them in their stroller. If I don't need much I put groceries in the bottom of the stroller. Or just pull a basket behind me.

 

i do all of my big shopping online. shoprite delivers my groceries right to my dinning room table for 15 extra bucks!! my MIL gets delivery from the butcher and i just stick my order on hers. about once a month i go to costco (no kids). if i have to run in the store during the week i will usually bring my oldest DD (14) to sit in the car with the twins. however, on occasion, i just put them in the stoller and pull the cart. really i hate going food shopping with the twins because we are open targets, like a freak show. what should take 20 minutes turns into an hour!!

 

When I take the twins and toddler I push the snap n go and have the toddler walk beside the cart...and pull the cart ( or vice versa ). Its a pain in the rear end but well a families gotta eat LMAO

 

I have only gone alone... usually do for any errands.

 

First - it takes two carts. In one cart I put a baby carrier (with baby) in the part where a child sits. In the next cart I put our four year old in the child seat. Next, baby B gets put in the bjorn strapped to my chest. Finally, the six year old holds on to the cart with the baby in it (he and the four year old will fight if they are near eachother).

I go in with a list on a WEDNESDAY EVENING. The day is important - I have found that Meijers is less busy on that evening. This way I don't get stopped as much by people.

Having one baby in the carrier is also a key. Most people don't even notice you have twins at that point so you don't get stopped as much

Hope that helps. We really are a sight when we grocery shop. I only do it once every two weeks - I do menus and make sure I have a list so I don't forget anything!

I do it by myself. My husband is just added chios if he comes along!

Good luck!

Angel

 

Thank you for the advice ladies! Maybe one of these days I will be daring and try it.

 

I go in the weekend by myself or in the evening before dinner and after the kids are in bed. Or I go when I have my baby sitter for my twins and I take my toddler before or after the class we do together. Once I've taken all 3 of them. But you just can't buy much ... it's fine for a few small things. I did take the twins on a walk, but again, small stuff only.

 

Funny, I just returned from my first trip without infant seats. I used to use two carts, an infant seat in each, my toddler in one, groceries in the other. Today I used one of those with the two seats in front and put my toddler in one seat, one boy in one seat, and one baby in the cart seat. My 4 year old walked or rode standing on the front of the cart. It was surprisingly a very pleasant trip. The hardest part was getting into the store. I wore one baby in a wrap, and carried one, and held my toddler's hand and his sister held his other hand. All in all, it was doable.

 

It's quite the production for us - we put the car sets in a stroller and load the other 3 in one of the carts with the seats attached.

We actaully need 2 carts for groceries since I don't go that often, so DH or I has to pull one and push one while the other pushes the babies.

Let me tell ya, we get a ton a stares! It's like some kid of grocery caravan.

When we're lucky my mom comes and watches the kids for a couple hours so we can just go alone, but usually we make a family trip out of it.

I've tried going alone, but we get so much stuff it's too hard for me to do it all.

 

I used to use a snap-n-go stroller when they were younger (3-yr old walking) and load the groceries in the basket - loaded way more than the limit of 5lbs! Now I stick all of them in one grocery cart. The twins in the basket facing eachother and the 3-yr old in the big part with all the groceries. I usually don't buy too much at a time because the grocery outings are fun for us and it gives the twins something to look at and keeps them happy. We get out of the house as much as possible. If I have to do a major trip, I will wait until night when hubby is home and they are asleep.

 

quote:
Originally posted by Callen:
I always pushed my stroller & pulled a cart. .


The only way. I rarely get to go alone, but sometimes I get the luxury of taking only one with me and then I use the Baby Bjorn. I don't have a 'single' stroller yet.

One of the grocery stores that I shop at has offered to send someone along with me to do my shopping/cart pulling...

 

I used to put one in the cart in the infant seat and one on the top seat part... and pile groceries around the baby in the cart or I would do one in the carrier/seat and one in a sling. I didn't have a sling. Now we all go DH takes one in a cart and I take the other.