where do/did you put your one-year olds while grocery shopping?

i tried to search a few different ways and couldn't come up w/the right wording. so, please endulge me!

where did you put your babies when they were this age and you took them shopping?

i still generally keep one in my ergo carrier and push the other in a stroller. that doesn't leave much room for groceries, though (i use one of those reusable bags and hang it over the stroller as i fill it). if i need to spend more time shopping, i take along our bob and fill a bag/s the same way (i know! we def need a smaller double. i just haven't had time to look around yet). however, my guys just hate getting strapped in and out of that and then in and out of the car!

i think we are ready to use the shopping carts in some ways, but i just don't know how! please let me know what the rest of you do.

thanks!

~~jl

ps: i'm not the only one whose babies hate getting strapped in and out of things, am i? please tell me i'm not!

 

I am a crazy lady everyone talks about ...I will push a double and pull a shopping cart behind me....or if I don't have a lot to get I will have one sit in the seat in the carriage and the other in the basket with the food. It just depends on how much ....if they are napping...what ever works at the time.

 

QUOTE(twinsmommy11007 @ Jan 23 2009, 02:29 PM) [snapback]1159200[/snapback]
I am a crazy lady everyone talks about ...I will push a double and pull a shopping cart behind me....or if I don't have a lot to get I will have one sit in the seat in the carriage and the other in the basket with the food. It just depends on how much ....if they are napping...what ever works at the time.


I do the same thing with the stroller and cart. I haven't braved letting one sit in the carriage yet, but will put both in the seat. At 11 months they fit like this. It's a little tighter fit now so each one bends a leg and the other leg goes in the whole. The ones at Target are great b/c the sides of the seat are high. The ones at Walmart are lower and I'll only do this in a pinch. Normally, it's easier for me to push the Graco so they can eat and be entertained while I pull the cart behind me. Everyone is so in awe that they get out of the way pretty quickly.

 

Honestly, at that age, I took my Duoglider and bought whatever could fit under there. After that, I was done. If there was real grocery shopping needed, they stayed home with their dad. I was not coordinated enough to push a stroller, a cart, and keep my kids from hitting each other while in the stroller.

 

Starting from that age I would have them walk in with me if I couldn't find a double cart in the parking lot, if I could I park near it and load them in there. I ONLY shopped at places with a double cart! I now will make short stops in places that don't have double carts, but not at that age.
My grocery (Safeway), Whole Foods, Sam's all have double carts.

 

I used to put them both in the top of a single cart with their legs crossed over the other ones so they were both in leg holes. Half way through I would switch their legs around so no one lost feeling from being crushed. It worked until they were about 2.

 

Well, I've done the push/pull thing pulling the stroller behind me but once they were out of their infant seats and into the convertible seats, I stopped doing that. Most often, I put them both in the basket of the cart and I put all the groceries in the bottom. Challenging to get the loose items sometimes to stay put under the basket but that's how I do it...and the kids very often do not stay seated the entire time. So I am constantly saying "sit down" and so on. So far no accidents.

I didn't do this at 1 year of age as my two were small and we stayed in the infant seats to about 14 months I guess.

Hope this helps.

Sotto

 

I leave them at home!! Seriously- Since the boys have been born, I've done 99% of all our grocery shopping after they've gone to bed or on the weekends when DH is home. My double stroller can't be pushed one handed, so unless it's a quick trip for things I can fit in a carry basket on my arm, or to Costco w/ the double carts, I go by myself! I'm PUMPED about moving to San Antonio this summer though- HEB has double carts!!!! WHOO-HOO!!!!!

 

QUOTE
I am a crazy lady everyone talks about ...I will push a double and pull a shopping cart behind me


That is what I do and for me, it works really well. But I've noticed it is much easier to do with my sbs than the duoglider.

I just started going to Costco and they have double seats, but I'm afraid to put them in there (don't know why??).

 

If it's a quick trip then both in the front of the cart like PP or the stroller works fine. If it's a big trip DH and I usually both go on the weekend and put one in the front of each cart. The boys love these trips. I wish groceries all had double carts. I'm about ready to try the ones with the car on the cart though. I think the boys could manage that now.

 

QUOTE(MrsBQ02 @ Jan 23 2009, 02:11 PM) [snapback]1159264[/snapback]
I leave them at home!! Seriously- Since the boys have been born, I've done 99% of all our grocery shopping after they've gone to bed or on the weekends when DH is home. My double stroller can't be pushed one handed, so unless it's a quick trip for things I can fit in a carry basket on my arm, or to Costco w/ the double carts, I go by myself! I'm PUMPED about moving to San Antonio this summer though- HEB has double carts!!!! WHOO-HOO!!!!!


Oh, yeah, me too. I keep them home with Dad. It gives me a chance to shop in peace. It's actually started counting towards some of my "me time". I go to Wal-Mart and do a little browsing, then hit the grocery side. Pathetic, I know...The sadder part is, I don't even mind!

I know not everyone has this option. If I didn't, I would do the double cart stores only thing.

 

I have my groceries delivered ! $10.00 delivery fee is totally worth it to me, AND I never buy any extras so we actually save money. When we do pop in to the grocery, I put the twins in the SBS and hang a basket from an s hook. I hang on to my just turned four year old by his hair . We usually only go out to grab Starbucks, and then maybe milk.

 

My kids have always gone shopping with me. I would put one in the cart & one up in the child basket. The one I can trust not to get into things goes in the basket. I put groceries in the cart and on the bottom.

 

We all go on the weekends usually. If I have to go by myself I use the stroller and put as much as I can in the basket.

 

sometimes the stroller, sometimes the double cart, sometimes the single cart with one in the sling, sometimes each in their own sling...

whatever, wherever, however I gotta do it so it gets done.

 

I put them both in the basket part of the cart until they're legs got too long and I had to worry about them climbing out of the cart. Now I use one of those obnoxious carts with the cars attached b/c the basket part of the cart has 4 leg holes and 2 seatbelts. This works really well although I still try to do my monthly 'big' shopping trip after the twinnies are in bed or on the weekend when DH is home. We also do alot of shopping at Sams club, their carts are made for 2 kids to fit in the child seats.

 

thanks so much for your responses and suggestions, all!

for various reasons i do most of the shopping while the boys are w/me, so i appreciate all the different options.

btw, kristi, what is a double cart? whole foods is our only grocery store, but i don't know what a double cart is (others mentioned, as well).

thanks, again!

QUOTE(excitedk @ Jan 23 2009, 11:57 AM) [snapback]1159247[/snapback]
Starting from that age I would have them walk in with me if I couldn't find a double cart in the parking lot, if I could I park near it and load them in there. I ONLY shopped at places with a double cart! I now will make short stops in places that don't have double carts, but not at that age.
My grocery (Safeway), Whole Foods, Sam's all have double carts.


(oh and btw, i can't wait 'till the day i can walk in w/them, but they only started walking a few days ago. they are still just ten months adjusted)

 

QUOTE(happychck @ Jan 23 2009, 11:56 PM) [snapback]1160021[/snapback]
btw, kristi, what is a double cart? whole foods is our only grocery store, but i don't know what a double cart is (others mentioned, as well).


A double cart is a cart that has room/seatbelts for 2 kids. Look for the ones that have cars on them or that have an extra piece on the back of the cart (by the handle), most grocery stores have at least a few, I circle the parking lot to find one in the cart return so I don't have to carry them all the way into the store.

 

Hey JL!! I started reading this before I realized it was you. I was wondering the same thing. Most of the time I have to do the shopping by myself with the kids too. I usually have the boys in the stroller and have my almost 4 yr old DD walking next to me. I try to fit as much as possible into the bottom of the stroller. It does get interesting sometimes though. I'm constantly telling Rachel to leave stuff alone, put it back on the shelf and to keep up with Mommy. Now I have to repeatedly tell Joshua to stop trying to take stuff off the shelves too. For big shopping, I'll sometimes go down and pick up my mother and bring her with me so I have the boys in the stroller and I push DD in the cart. But she lives about 30 min or so from me, so I don't usually do that unless I am going to be out that way anyway. Either that or I will just wait until DH is home and try to go by myself - that way I also have a little escape without the kids! There is one store around here that has some double carts, but I haven't used them yet. Now that Matthew can sit without falling over, I think I may try it. Hope you and the boys are doing well. If you figure out an easier way to go shopping, please let me know!
Erin

 

erin, honey, so good to "hear your voice!"

sounds like things are rolling along w/your little guys. so glad to hear it... mine have started walking--it's crazy!
so, yea, if i find something that works, i'll let you know. we actually went to whole foods today but i was in a rush so i did my usual ergo/single stroller routine. i will look for a double cart next time. do'nt know how you do it w/a toddler in tow to boot!

take good care of my boys and rachel!

xo, jl

QUOTE(drumaj @ Jan 26 2009, 09:01 PM) [snapback]1163555[/snapback]
Hey JL!! I started reading this before I realized it was you. I was wondering the same thing. Most of the time I have to do the shopping by myself with the kids too. I usually have the boys in the stroller and have my almost 4 yr old DD walking next to me. I try to fit as much as possible into the bottom of the stroller. It does get interesting sometimes though. I'm constantly telling Rachel to leave stuff alone, put it back on the shelf and to keep up with Mommy. Now I have to repeatedly tell Joshua to stop trying to take stuff off the shelves too. For big shopping, I'll sometimes go down and pick up my mother and bring her with me so I have the boys in the stroller and I push DD in the cart. But she lives about 30 min or so from me, so I don't usually do that unless I am going to be out that way anyway. Either that or I will just wait until DH is home and try to go by myself - that way I also have a little escape without the kids! There is one store around here that has some double carts, but I haven't used them yet. Now that Matthew can sit without falling over, I think I may try it. Hope you and the boys are doing well. If you figure out an easier way to go shopping, please let me know!
Erin

 

Pushed the stroller & pulled a cart. With our family getting only a few things in never an option

 

Double carts when available, but when they're not, both go in the basket part of the cart, and I use the seat and underneath for groceries. And "Alice/Royce sit down." "You're not sitting" "Sit all the way down" are so in my vocabulary I say it in my sleep.