How do you take a baby to a supermarket?

[Carolina24]

I know this is a stupid question - be gentle with me.

My baby is three months old and to date I haven’t had to take him to a supermarket, but this afternoon I do. What’s the best way to manage this? I can’t push a pram and a trolley. Do I use the sling and reach around him to push the trolley? What is the preferred method for other parents?
Help a sleep deprived and clearly somewhat stupid mother out 😬

They used to have trolleys you can put car seats in.

There’s trolleys with the newborn basket on. Take a blanket or muslin to lay him on as they are quite hard. Either that or take the car seat out and put it in the trolley.

1- wear a sling
2- just take the buggy and do a small shop
3- put the baby's car seat inside the trolley

I usually put dd in the carrier as then I’ve got both hands free to push trolley.
I always feel like the baby seats are a bit grotty and never liked to use them !
When she was tiny if I was just grabbing a few bits I would put her car seat in the shallower trolleys.

Stand the car seat in the trolley, some supermarkets have trollers you can put a car seat onto. Use the infant trolleys (I would line with a blanket), though my favoured technique was to put the shopping in the pushchair basket so I couldn't buy more than would fit (no car). I did my first supermarket trip under 24 hours old, how on earth did you manage 3 months, I know there's online shopping now but I'm not that organised!

I have to admit I do a lot of online shopping but when I did go to the supermarket I took my LO in a sling as she used to fall asleep while I was walking around.

I used to put mine in the trolly in the car seat and pack the shopping around them.

I found a sling or carrier easiest when shopping with baby.

Put the baby in the trolley. They have little molded plastic lie down seats which look a bit like a car seat. I used to put a thin blanket underneath to make it more comfy/hygienic and then you strap them in.
Assuming he can't roll yet, then this should be fine. If he can roll just make sure the straps are done tightly. Alternatively some supermarkets have trolleys which you can put a carrier type car seat on top of and strap it on.

I stick her in the carrier. Still doing it quite easily at 18 months so definitely no issue with having to reach around. Don’t worry!

I'm sure you will now get loads of replies saying how ridiculously easy it is, but I found it a giant pain in the arse and either got DH to go on the way home from work or popped out once he was home. (For whatever reason, we didn't do online back then).
When I really had to grab a few items, I would either use a basket or use the car seat base in the trolley

They do have special seats but I think a sling is easier. Did my first shop with both toddler and newborn in tow in the other day and would definitely recommend sling for that, as DS1 would have been furious if he'd been ousted from the seat in the trolley!

I don't have a car so no car seat to use, instead I either pull a long handled shopping basket behind me whilst pushing the push chair or put stuff in to a bag or under the pushchair (no one ever said anything) and unloaded at till.

I can’t use a trolley and can’t use car seat as I don’t drive so I always put the basket on the pram.

Lug baby in seat to trolley, chuck seat and baby into middle of trolley. Stack biccies around babies body leaving spaces away from baby for raw meat etc.

Right now I'd minimise trips there but if you must go people have offered good solutions.

I recall when I went when DS was very little I tried one of those trollers that you put the car seat on. I'm tall but it was very cumbersome & hard to do. Sling is ideal but obviously baby might be asleep at the beginning or end so good if on foot but not great if in the car.

In short there's obviously solutions but online shopping is your friend.

I guess it depends on how you are getting to the supermarket? If you are walking a sling is a good option, if you are driving then just pop baby in either a trolley with a baby seat or look for one of the trolleys that will take your car seat provided your car seat isn't fixed into the car.

It’s all been said. You’re not stupid.

Push the pushchair with a couple of bag for life hanging off the handle bars, fill them and the basket of the trolley.

Buggy
push buggy with 1 hand
put heavy stuff in basket of buggy, carry the lighter bits in a shopping basket

For a full shop with car, just put baby on one the supermarket baby trolley (I didn't they felt dirty, but that's just me!)

Car seat trolley is your easiest option. I used a sling mostly because I needed the trolley for my toddler so that could be an option. Try not to worry.

I used a sling.
Once baby can sit up, I bought a padded cover to put in the seated section and would set baby there. That was much easier, but you must always have one hand one baby even with belt.

Don’t snap car seat to trolley even if it’s offered as an option. It is top heavy and I’ve seen them topple more than once. Placing in main basket is better.

At that age I would say sling is easiest. Easy to push the trolley with baby in sling. It can be a bit tricky emptying the bottom of a deep trolley when you have the baby in a sling so I would go for a shallow trolley if you can.

You can get trolleys that fit a car seat or with a reclined infant seat built in - but that depends on the size of the store and they’re not always available. You can put a car seat in the bottom of a trolley if you need to buy it doesn’t leave much room for shopping!

I always found it hard to balance basket with a pushchair/pram but it may depend on your pushchair!

My local supermarket never had car seat trollies (I couldnt use a sling at the time), so I used to put the car seat in those shallow trollies but couldn't fit more than a day or so groceries in.

Spoke to the manager and told him my problem and I would now be shopping in Sainsburys. They actually got some car seat trollies in not long after that

Baby in pushchair, convince yourself you don't need a trolley or basket, pick up your fifth item and realise your hands are full now, stick potato salad in between baby's legs as she's asleep as won't notice, pick up more items and arrange strategically around the baby until that's full, stuff things under your arms, drop things, start putting them under the pushchair, get to checkout, make sure to check under the pushchair/in your pockets/under baby's bum otherwise you will steal something, stuff everything back under pushchair and voila, shopping completed.