How to Survive Grocery Shopping With Your Baby

How to Survive Grocery Shopping With Your Baby

Getting home from the hospital with that new little babe in your arms is one of the most amazing, magical moments you can experience. It can also be one of the most confusing—especially if this is your first child. Suddenly, everything you used to do on autopilot has become a lot trickier now that you have another tiny, fragile person depending on you.  One thing that clients have asked me about might seem silly, but to an overwhelmed new mom, it’s completely normal: How do you go grocery shopping with your baby?

In this day and age of big strollers and so much gear it’s coming out of our ears, it’s easy to imagine yourself fruitlessly attempting to push that Bugaboo and a shopping cart down the produce aisle at the same time. So let’s just eliminate that option immediately, because well, it’s silly and it won’t work. Ditto on bringing your car seat into the store and then plopping it in the big part of the cart. How are you going to have room for all the stuff you need to buy in order to make this trip worthwhile? Hint: You won’t.

Some grocery stores have special carts equipped with baby seats, but since you can’t count on them being available everywhere, bring a sling or other baby carrier with you.  Going soon after she’s fed is also a good idea, as she’s less likely to be fussy and in need of nursing.

Something else to bring with you? A reusable shopping bag that you can carry comfortably over your shoulder. When you’ve got your hands full carrying or soothing your baby, it can be pretty difficult to also have to carry a plastic bag full of heavy items like OJ or apples.

And finally, something you can leave at home? Your wallet! I know that sounds crazy, but with new payment technology like Apple Pay and Android Pay, you can link your phone to your cards, and then pay securely with just one tap at many shops. One less thing to carry is always helpful when you’re toting around not just a bag of diapers and wipes, but a whole new person, too.

What are some of your tips for shopping with a new baby? I’d love to hear so I can share them with my clients!