Shopping with a newborn and toddler is madness, right?

[spritesoright]

DD is 2.4 and hard work when grocery shopping. I have to keep her constantly entertained with shopping 'tasks', she refuses to sit in the trolley and basically every trip ends in tantrum.
I am 36 weeks pregnant and told DH that when the baby arrives I will be shopping online for groceries. He seems to think I'm being 'precious' and should be able to manage it since millions of other mums do. Okay, it's a bit extra but it won't break the bank.
Am I being precious or is DH being unreasonable?

I actually found I saved money when I shopped on line!

Yes, millions of women do it, but millions shop on line too - tell him if he thinks you're being precious he's welcome to take them both with him to grocery shop on a Saturday morning !

Click &Collect? No delivery charge.

He can take both and do it all the time

How is it more expensive to shop on line? The delivery fee? Well what about bus fares, fuel, parking, going to cafe to placate toddler and calm mummy?

I would start shopping online now, not wait for the baby.

yanbu. I dread shopping with a 20 month old. only yesterday I was running after him to retrieve the 3 boxes of tampons he had grabbed from the shelf and ran away with......

If it's easier for you (and it will be) then do it. I also save money buying on line, it's so much better. Plus you don't have to deal with other people :)

I have never done a large shop with my DC, even when I only had one - too unpleasant. I sometimes will do a top-up shop of a few items if I have to. I do our main shop online, in the evening or at the weekend when DP has the DC, or DP does it. Does your DH never do the shopping at all?? I think his comment about millions of women managing is insensitive (at the very least).

My DH never ever did any shopping! I sometimes did it in the evening when he got home so he babysat. I hated shopping with the two of them so the other method was to do it while DD1 was at nursery. She started 4 months before DD2 was born. Shopping can be miserable for young children and I don't see what anyone gains from it. Use on line shopping. Not invented when mine were young!!!

I take the newborn while my husband has our older child (almost 3). I am trying to avoid taking both for as long as possible - why put yourself and your toddler through that when there are alternatives?!? Your DH is BU.

Thanks for the reassurance. I think delivery costs are about £8 each time, thus the added expense.
To be fair to DH he does take our 2 year old food shopping but I swear she behaves better for him (plus it's easier to chase after her if you're not 8 months pregnant).
I've basically told him it's nonnegotiable anyways but just wanted to see if I was being unreasonable.

Definitely not unreasonable. Tell him it's either online shopping or he does all of it

£8 seems a lot, don't forget you'll be able to choose cheaper daytime slots.

Tesco is £3 for a daytime slot and Ocado are usually free or 99p.

I didn't leave the house for ages when I had my newborn and toddler last year. Even now with a 1yo and 3yo its a daunting expedition!

Tell him it's either online or he takes them both so you can have a little break.

I stopped shopping in store when I had a 2 year old and heavily pregnant too. I pay for a delivery pass and I still save money shopping online. Its much cheaper when you're not enticed by all the offers in the shop.

I spend approx 20 minutes doing my shopping, have time to add to the order if necessary later on and it gets delivered to my kitchen. If only they would put it away my life would be complete.

Just start doing it now and if he doesn't like it he can do the shopping with children in tow instead.

In answer to your question, yes it is madness.

Like pp I also save money - quite a lot - when I shop online. No impulse buys, everything meal planned and thought out. Add that to the many money off coupons they send you and it more than covers the delivery charge.

We use Tesco and always pick a Monday or Tuesday evening - never paid more than £3.50 for delivery, usually £3.

I occasionally pop into a supermarket to pick up one or two things mid-week, and am always amazed by the number of harassed looking parents shepherding screaming tantrumming kids around, impulse buying tat to keep them quiet. I want to take them to one side and whisper "online" soothingly into their ears.

There is no online shopping here.

Do it OP, even if it means buying a few cheaper items to cover the delivery. Motherhood isn't a competition, who cares if other people 'manage' to do it, if you don't want to?

We have a six month delivery saver plan with tesco, £60 per 6 months I think. I love it as it means we can have two shops a week or pick an expensive slot and not think about it.

Or there are some £3 or £4 slots if you don't mind Tuesday 11am.

Before the delivery saver I used to get a big shop every ten days on a cheap slot and then a little top up shop or two which wasn't too bad.

Maybe you could suggest to your OH that it would mean you don't have to do it at the weekend?

I'm sure lots of people do manage, but if you don't have to then that's great. People used to manage without washing machines, cars, computers. It's not really a convincing argument.

I'm due in four weeks, my little girl will be 2 years and 4 months and I intend to do exactly the same!

Your not being precious, it'll be hard work ferrying them in and out of shop, in and out of car seats/buggy plus carrying shopping. It'll be sloooooooowww not to mention stressful if one or the other decides they are unhappy.

Go for it (or tell hubs to blimmin well go with them himself!)

Why on earth would ANYONE, pregnant mother or young free and single go the bloody supermarket when they can shop online? They are gross, hellish places and its just unecessary to put you and your DCs through it! If it makesife more pleasant and easier, obviously do it! Tell DH to put his hand in his pocket!

Ignore your dh - unless he wants to do it. I went shopping the other day and nearly sent myself into premature labour (29wks) with the effort - and that was without the 2.4yo! No way do I shop with ds anymore and we do nearly all our shopping online. I spend a lot less online so dh is happy, and we have a delivery saver plan with sainsburys where we paid £75 for a year of tues-thurs deliveries. Saves tons.

Oh, and the only reason I was shopping in store was because they keep giving us vouchers which can only bloody be used in store and we couldn't pass up the £6 off one.

Ocado do monthly delivery passes - we pay £6 a month I think for a mid-week one which also gets us some extra discounts which in themselves pay for the price of the pass. I also impulse shop far less online and compare prices more.

Millions of women did it before online grocery shopping was born. Millions of women found it a screaming nightmare.
Make him do it. It'll only take once for him to see sense.

Don't do it. Ever. Went to tesco with DS1 (2yo) and DS2 (5 week old) last weekend. Spent 20 min pissing about trying to find a trolley with the right seats in for both of them, then another 10 min trying to get both DC in it while DS1 tried his best to run off and play with the traffic. That's 30 min of pissing about before even entering the store!

DS1 had a tantrum about not bring given my credit card and being allowed to eat the entire packet of hot cross buns. He screamed loud enough to wake DS2 who decided he wasn't happy either.

God knows why I put myself through it. We didn't really need nappies. I coulda fashioned some out of sanitary towels, breast pads and duck tape.

Where on earth are you shopping that charges £8 a time for delivery??? Get an asda pass - 3 months unlimited deliveries for £15, probably cheaper than the petrol you'd use!

Utter madness-don't do it.
We shop online with sainsburys & you get free delivery mid week for orders over £100. It's a life saver!