Shopping along with 2 kids can be a daunting task, especially if they are very young. Here are some tips to make your first and every outing run smoothly!
Every time I go to the grocery store, someone inevitably sees me wearing Owen and pushing Ryan in the cart (or on my hip.. that happens a lot too!) and says some form of, “God bless you.” I don’t know how it is where you live, but here in NJ that phrase is usually more of a show of pity and awe than an actual blessing. And it’s because taking a barely-2-year-old and a 2-month-old to the grocery store by yourself can be scary. To be honest, some days when I know I need to make a grocery run I dread getting the boys ready and heading there. But I suck it up and go because you know, I’m hungry.
After count trips shopping with a baby and a toddler, I feel like somewhat of an expert (I kid!) so I thought I would share my knowledge with anyone who is looking to survive shopping alone with 2 kids.
How to Survive Shopping Alone With 2 Kids
-Choose your time wisely. Things to keep in mind: what times and days are most busy at your grocery store? What times are our children the crankiest, neediest, or easily upset? Avoid these times. For us, in the morning right after I feed Owen after his first nap work best for us. Ryan is well rested, has eaten, and also gotten a bit of his wiggles out, and Owen is full and happy. I have found that if we go after Ryan’s nap it’s a disaster. Remember also that these times may change – after Ryan’s nap used to be the ideal time for us to go.
-Wear the smallest child. I could sit here all day long and preach to you about babywearing, but I won’t because that’s annoying. What I will say is that wearing the smallest of your crew – be it in a wrap, sling or structured carrier – is my number one tip for how to survive shopping along with kids. Yes, you could put the car seat in the cart but if you have more than a few items it gets tricky. Plus, your oldest can turn around and poke him and wake him up. Not speaking from experience of anything..
-Bring a list. I have always taken a list with me to the grocery store, but it’s usually a half-assed attempt at one in the notes of my phone. Nope, won’t cut it. Create a list as detailed as possible and categorized. Write the exact amount of tomatoes you need and put them under “produce”. You have enough to worry about with multiple kids – don’t also worry if you remembered everything you needed.
-Know your kids’ limits. Look, you can have the sweetest, most patient kid in the world – even he has a limit to how long he is willing to sit nicely in a grocery cart. I know that if we get too far past the 30-minute mark, Ryan will start to get restless and either want to be held or climb out. So I try to keep my shopping shorter than that OR have a secret backup to give him if I’m taking longer than expected – a special snack, toy or an app on my phone are perfect for these moments.
-Bring a snack from home. Toddlers get hungry always. If I go to the store with Ryan and forget to bring a snack, I end up buying one because as soon as we get to the produce he’s screaming, “APAHHHH!” at all of the produce, regardless of it being an apple or not. Let’s just say it doesn’t end pretty. I usually cut up some apple slices and throw them into a plastic bag to bring with us. No matter what you bring, make sure it’s very clear that you brought it from home.
-Be prepared for it to take longer than anticipated. I’ve made the mistake many times of going to the store and expecting it to take X amount of time so I can be home by a certain time and make lunch/dinner. BAD idea. Do not put a time limit on your shopping, since it will only add a layer of stress that you do not need right now. Give yourself all the time in the world, that way if it takes longer because your toddler wants to stop and touch all.the.things you’re not in jeopardy of messing up the rest of your day.
-Avoid eye contact. My final tip may seem harsh. but hear me out. Anytime I got to the store and accidently make eye contact with someone, they strike up a conversation with my, complimenting my children and asking questions. This is so lovely, and I am always flattered when people tell me nice things about my kids (obviously) but it also means an extra 5 minutes that Ryan is sitting in the grocery cart. Like I noted above, every kid has his limit of how long he is willing to sit in a cart or behave in public. If you stop and chat with every stranger who wants to know if your kid if a good big brother, you’re taking away time that your kid will keep his cool while shopping. So be rude and avoid eye contact for your own sake. You can be Chatty Cathy in a few years.
So tell me – do you have any tips for keeping your sanity while shopping? How do you survive shopping along with kids? Let me know in the comments!
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Heather @ Polyglot Jot says
Love this!! <3 snacks are the saver of life–my niece is always on the look out for her snacks. Especially if puffs are involved…sweet potato is her fave haha!
Emily says
I love these tips, because they are so simple! I wouldn’t have thought about wearing one of the children, but that makes so much more sense than doing a carseat. A secret snack sounds like a good idea too!
Adree says
I love these tips, I only have one child but most of the tips still apply. Snacks are a must, we love applesauce pouches!
heather @Fitncookies says
A lot of these tips can go for just one kid, haha. Annabelle fits in the seat now in carts and it’s a game changer. She doesn’t mind sitting there and letting me shop, but I do like throwing her in the Ergo too!
heather says
I cant wait to have another baby (someday.. not now). I will wear him/her everywhere! so much easier then toting them around in a bulky car seat.
Amanda @ .running with spoons. says
I honestly have no idea how you mamas do it. You’re all superwomen, I swear…
Meg @ The Many Little Joys says
Is it weird that I actually enjoy grocery shopping with my kids?… Mostly. Line you, I try to make trips efficient, but my boys are pretty good. We talk about the food we buying, and they like to point out the pictures of cows above the dairy case. We’ve even done a grocery scavenger hunt on occasion and my four-year-old loves that. Also, our grocery store recently started offering free healthy snacks for kids to eat while parents shop. That makes my life so easy. The boys eat their whole apples and it takes them most of the trip to do. I wish all grocery stores did this!
Erin @LovePeaceBeauty says
Super awesome tips! I totally appreciate that you know your kids and are considering their limits when shopping – I definitely do many of these same things. Now that my youngest is 18 months, I put both of my boys in the cart but I definitely did a lot of babywearing before to help. Secret snacks are my saving grace many times we are out. 🙂
Corina says
Great list! “Avoiding eye contact” haha! I wasn’t expecting that one. You must have a very friendly community! I guess that’s a good problem. :-p My grocery store offers a free fruit snack to moms with kids in the produce section… God bless them!
Kristy @ Southern In Law says
Haha, I love your last tip because you are so right! People see kids and they’re like “ooh goody, an icebreaker… let me have a year long chat with this random stranger I never would have talked to otherwise” 😛
Bre | Maintaining Me says
As a mom to two babies – 15 months apart – I loved this article! Everything you said was spot on!
Diedre says
I loved this post! I was shaking my head agreeing with every point. As your children get older, I would add invest in a double stroller. It is life changing! I love my joovy stroller. When the girls get sleepy, they just drift off. The cover blocks out alot of sun and comes down further than most strollers. I definitely agree with knowing their limits. I know 2 hour shopping time is the most I can squeeze in before meltdowns. Great post!
Marina @ Parental Journey says
I can’t even survive shopping with one kid 😀 Love this, tweeted it!
Jessica says
Going through the grocery store with one young child is hard enough I can’t imagine two of them! We might be having twins next year so we’ll be going from one to three which means this mommy is going shopping alone lol.
Leslie says
I once had to tell my husband to ‘man up’ because he was afraid of taking all three kids to the store by himself. I take all three to the grocery store every single week. Definitely agree to wear the youngest and to bring snacks. Both of those just prevent so many other hassles. Also, I try to keep grocery shopping to only one day of the week, and the same day and time. That way the kids know what to expect. One of the best things we ever found was to use the Wegmans app for grocery lists. It categorizes everything by aisle number and tells you if something you want isn’t available. Of course, that only works if you shop at Wegmans…..
Jessica-Faithful Farmwife says
After trying to shop several times with my 8 year old and 1 year old and breaking down in tears every time, I just quit. My husband is off of work every other Friday so I use that as my shopping day. I guess I am cheating a bit:)
Victoria @DazzleWhileFrazzled says
Loved your article! Mine are a little older so I can no longer wear him but I have somehow learned to do my week’s worth of shopping in 30 minutes with all three. It helps if you go to the same store every time so you could literally do it blind-folded. However, if I ever get the chance to go solo, I’m all over it! Visiting from Bewitchin’ Projects.
Melissa says
My girls are 12 mos apart so I definitely have put some of these tips to use. I use to tandem wear them, but now i usually just wear one at a time. We don’t bring our snacks, but they normally snack on berries through the trip and then we pay for the empty box at the check out. Thanks for sharing your ideas with us on Simply Natural Saturdays!
Rebekah says
Yes! My oldest two are 12.5 months apart and wearing the baby was a lifesaver. And if your local grocery store doesn’t have double (or triple) shopping carts – petition them to add a few. Obviously they aren’t helpful when you have an infant but, later on, they’re amazing. I’m expecting baby #3 this summer and so thankful that the grocery store I shop most frequently has double carts. Not only are they great now, but in a couple months it means I can put two boys in the cart and wear the baby – so no chasing runaways down the aisles! 🙂
Sarah says
Mine are sixteen months apart – now 3 and almost 2 – and couldn’t agree more!
Julie @ Logger's Wife says
I learned the avoid eye contact when my first was a baby. She nursed every 2 hours like clockwork. When the grocery store is 18 minutes away, Walmart 15 (at least it is on the way to the grocery store), and you shop at each one each week, there is only so much time between feedings. But even now with two kids, avoiding eye contact doesn’t always work. There is always something chasing me through the grocery store. Literally, chasing me through the the store to see the baby. I guess that’s what happens when you shop so early in the day you are the youngest one there. 😉
I actually stopped wearing the baby at the store. Our stores have special carts for car seats. I find the baby is more likely to sleep through all the stops if I just leave her in the car seat. Hard for a 5’3″ girl to see around but whatever. My older child is 4 so she just walks. That is a huuuuuge help.
Megs says
Oh, the days of feeling like a crazy person pushing a shopping cart. These are great tips! I used a lot of these when my 2 littles were little and it’s great stuff. I also learned how to speed shop while my littlest was in pre-school and I had two whole hours to myself. ah!
Happy Tuesday!
Visiting form Mommy Moments!
Megs
Charlene Asay says
When we had our 2nd child the backpack strapped to me was the only way to get anything done. I was able to have her strapped to me and still fit all my groceries in my cart when shopping.
Catherine @ Ten Thousand Hour Mama says
Your last tip cracked me up! I also wear my littlest, which has the added bonus of discouraging strangers from touching her.
I also enlist my older child in helping with the shopping. She picks out which lime we get, say, and chooses carrots—that way she’s more engaged and less likely to melt down!
Morgan says
Sandra Garth says
Oh my gosh this brings back memories! Bless you, and I mean that in the nicest most sincere way.
Robbi says
Great advice, I’ve heard these tips before from different sources, but they really do help.
Also, park near the cart return.
Anya says
You go, girl! You rock at being a mom to 2 under 2! Lots of great tips here! Thank you for sharing on Simply Natural Saturdays. Looking forward to seeing what you’ll be sharing this weekend.
Jenny @ Unremarkable Files says
These are great tips, and I especially love the “avoid eye contact one.” It is so true! And I’m sorry, but kids only have so much time to be good in the store and you don’t want to use it all up while you chat with someone you sorta kinda know.
Another tip: park next to the cart corral. Then you can just immediately put your older kid in the cart right out of the car and not do the whole “don’t run in the parking lot” thing. And then it’s easy to put the cart back after unloading your groceries in the trunk.
Nikki Frank-Hamilton says
LOL. That’s funny. My “God Bless You” would mean, I’ve been there and you got this! I wouldn’t pity you, but I do remember melt downs in the grocery store. The last one is the best. Keep your head down, get what you need and get out! LOL When they get a bit older the grocery store can be fun, at least more fun than it is now. Is the grocery store ever really fun?
Sounds like you have a great routine, I’m sure it will help other mothers and fathers reduce the melt downs for themselves!