The Carts I’ve Been Dealt
Posted on August 8th, 2008 – 12:26 PMBy Kay Krhin
Here are my recent trivial shopping cart tribulations.
Two separate shopping trips.
Two separate shopping cart troubles.
It all stems from the fact that Vivi’s grown out of her “car seat baby bucket.” That baby bucket - the reason for many visits to the masseuse. Those awkward seats can really throw you off kilter. But I have to say, that thing clicked into just about any shopping cart like a charm. Now I’m finding that not all stores can accomodate a sitting baby and a toddler for strolling in a cart.
#1) I went to Kowalski’s recently to pick up some things for a BBQ. It’s a smaller store so they don’t have those awesome “car” carts to stroll around in. What to do? They did have mini shopping carts - so I attempted a maiden voyage. Ben - pushing a cart by himself in a well-appointed grocery store. Let’s just say- not. a. good. idea. This fan of Thomas the Train thought it would be a good idea to shunt everything and every display in his way. (”Shunting” is one of the new train terms I’ve learned from the Thomas series. File it under words that sound dirty on the Island of Sodor that aren’t…) He started by shunting the cart right into my Achilles tendon. Ow. Then he shunted the personal size watermelon display. Luckily none came toppling down. Oh, this was going to be a difficult grocery trip. We made it out alive, especially after the nice baker came up to Ben and offered him a cookie. This distracted him enough to make it through the checkout line. Thanks nice baker lady!
#2) My next shopping cart tale came from a trip to Super Target for much needed diapers. I had gotten used to grabbing those monsterous extended shopping carts that accomodate Ben sitting down in the toddler seat and clicking Vivian into the handlebar area. So my first trip to Target sans baby bucket was surprising. I found the enormous shopping cart as usual but was shocked to find the area where she was supposed to sit and dangle her legs was screwed shut with a piece of red plastic. All of the big carts were like that. (I don’t know why. I’ve asked many a Target customer service rep and they shrugged their shoulders. I’m assuming it’s a safety issue). Which is fine but - there I was holding a baby with no place to put her. I wasn’t about to turn around and leave. I needed those size 3 Pampers Cruisers, and I needed them now!
Yes, I did consider putting Vivian in the front and having Ben tumble around freely in the cart. But there was a little sign with an “X” through a picture of that very scenario on the front of the cart. I didn’t want to break the rules.
So being a mother of invention - I found a solution and managed to look like a complete idiot while doing so. I put Vivian in one cart feet dangling and Ben in another - got between the carts and pushed one while I pulled the other behind me. I think I took up an entire length of a shopping aisle as I plodded through the store. Being a SuperTarget, I had to walk nearly a quarter of a mile to the furthest corner of the store to aquire my box ‘o diapers. Cardio requirement for the day. Check.
So lessons learned - no individual pint size carts for Ben, bring the double stroller, call in back up support, or best case scenario - shop alone whenever possible!
19 Responses to "The Carts I’ve Been Dealt"
I couldn’t agree more with your shopping cart analysis. By the time kids are “ready” for little carts, they’re too old for them and the GIANT carts should require a trucker’s license. I often thought how happy I am NOT to try to parallel park one of those honkers.
Just now at 7 and 5 are my children good shoppers - helpful even, but not one minute before.
I have this same problem and was just thinking about it the other day. I have a 2 yr old and a 9month old. I wish more places would find a way to make it easier for parents with a toddler and a baby to get their shopping done! FYI-Costco has great carts for 2 kids that can sit up!
Isn’t that in-between stage hard? I had to ditch the car seat bucket at about 4 months with both of my boys due to their size and also my back. So at that point they couldn’t even really sit up in the stroller. Talk about difficult. Thank goodness for the Baby Bjorn! I toted them around in that for a while and always got a lot of smiles!
Our Super Target has new heavy-duty plastic carts which are a breeze to maneuver. I wish they had those when my kids were in that in-between stage. I always got the car carts but they were always dirty and had broken “doors” on them, often with jagged edges. How hard is it to make a decent cart that can accomodate kids better? 
One word for you: Ergo. 
What about wearing Viv? M out grew the bucket before she was cart ready, so I had a sling, and bjorn. And I just got a Beco now that she is older, similar to the Ergo mentioned above. Heav-en!
I had thought of wearing her - that is a great option - but I just passed the baby Bjorn I had on to a friend.
I was just thinking my days of wearing her were numbered since she’s getting so ginormous and so mobile
I’m going to have to check out this Ergo you guys mentioned and the Beco thanks to your glowing reviews!
I hate to admit this (and potentially bring the shrieking wrath of the on-line community down on my head)…but I HAVE in fact let my boy (almost 4) sit alone in the big part of the cart while the baby sits in the proper sitting area, strapped in. I know it’s not recommended, but…if it’s a choice between that and having him run loose in the store, I’ll risk it!
And I will also admit that I’m lucky in that he’s never been a daredevil or even very adventurous, so he stays sitting the entire time and has never done anything risky there. I am very firm about sitting the whole time, and he has been a good listener.
But I agree that a better solution would be welcome! And here’s hoping no one calls CPS on me…
I second the Ergo. I still wear my 30-pound, 11-month daughter in it, and she loves it. It is the only way I can get through a shopping trip.
I’m with Katy - I put Maya (2) in the seat and Zoe (4) goes right into where the shopping should go in the cart - IF she asks to. Otherwise, she’s pretty good about pushing her own mini-cart. Her speeds are pretty civilized, but I do have to keep reminding her to look around the corner before charging on.
Here too Mini 2 goes in the reg seat Matthew 5 walks now or rides in the cart always has.
I only have one kid and carts are my nemesis. He likes the toddler seat carts, because he feels like he is pushing the cart, but if I am in a rush, I throw him in the mei tai or ring sling. 25 pounds, and he is still VERY comfortable to carry in either (says the lady who carried him in the MT for over two hours walking around DC without sitting down).
Have you tried a carrier that converts into a back-pack carrier? The Ergo does that, as do Kangaroo carriers (kangarookorner.com). I carry Frank, the 1 year old beast, on my back with the Kangaroo. We both love it. Keeps him under control during shopping adventures.
I do have to agree, though, that shopping alone is easiest. Or at least shopping with only ONE child.
I guess I will risk possible wrath but sometimes the four year-old sits in the cart while the two year-old is strapped into the cart seat. The large “SUV-style” carts are often not available at my local Target so this is my solution when the four year-old is in one of his “let’s run around the store” moods.
Shopping alone is (obviously) the fastest way to go but is often is not feasible when diapers (or milk, bread etc.) is running low. You just need to do what you can to get the needed items and head to the checkout as fast as possible!
Do you have a double stroller?
I kept my bucket seat in the trunk for this exact reason. It wasn’t safe for use in the car anymore (we had been in an accident) but anytime it was easier for my son to be in it I’d take it out of the trunk and strap him in. This worked until he was big enough to be in the toddler seats.
Two words: online shopping. Diapers.com, amazon, Byerly’s, drugstore.com. No more shopping carts!
The king size carts at my Super Target have two big kid seats, plus the seat in the cart. Plenty of room for a 1 yr old and 4 yr old, plus I strap my purse into the extra seat. They are way better than the old style SUV Target carts, but the basket is a little smaller.
And Missy, Becky, Maria, any one I missed, I will be buying a sling and wearing my child all the time if we have a 3rd someday, and all thanks to the 3 of you.
Welcome to the world of a mother of multiples. I didn’t realize how good I had it when they were in those baby buckets and I could put them both in the basket section like they were meat on display and hook my shopping basket to the handle. Now they are 16 months and I can no longer go to a normal store without someone else or breaking out the double stroller. Boy is that fun in a tiny store like the Kowolski’s on Chicago! Our Target has those stretch-limo carts, too, but sadly we aren’t allowed…both girls are fascinated with buckling and unbuckling seat belts, and I am afraid that they will spring free and bite it on the linoleum floor. Why can’t the Targets, Kowalski’s, Rainbows, etc have those double kid carts like Costco and Sam’s?? Seriously, those carts also have extra large baskets-HELLO?! More space for you to buy stuff!! Or why don’t they have a drive up store for diapers, bread, yogurt, and whole milk? Seriously, someone could make a KILLING!!
LOL - thanks for the shout out Kim.
I can just barely make it through the store with two kids now, only if I’m wearing one and holding the other’s hand - or forcing him into the cart (although he looks too old, he just turned three).
I also highly recommend the ERGO - check out my post on it here:
http://missymarketingmama.blogspot.com/2008/07/few-thoughts-on-babywearing.html
And for yet another expensive piece of baby gear I feel is a neccessity for the shopping/restaurant eating parent: A cart cover. I was frugal and bought a gender neutral “sock monkey” pattern with baby #1 that we are using now for #2. Of course I went custom with one from:
kozypalcartcovers.com
