How to Shop With a Baby

Shopping with a baby can be a challenge for moms! Learn a few tips for how to shop with a baby to help make your trip easier.

Planning the shopping trip, feeding baby first, bringing a friend along, driving to the shops, and choosing the right time will make shopping with babies much easier.

Anyone who has tried going shopping with a baby knows how stressful and difficult the trip will be without proper planning. While it’s best to shop without the baby, sometimes that’s just not an option for most stay-at-home moms.

Most don’t have babysitters to watch their babies while they leave the house for an hour or two to grab some groceries. The solution is to plan ahead before shopping with babies. Here are some useful tips for moms to shop efficiently when they bring their infants along.

Plan the Shopping Trip

Ideally, shop only at baby-friendly places. Make sure the supermarket or mall has parents’ rooms, parking areas designated for parents with strollers, wider checkouts to accommodate strollers and carts with a baby seat and harness.

Then, plan what to bring. Some diapers, wet wipes, spare clothing, a change mat, food and drinks, and toys for distractions are items that must be included in the baby bag.

Feed Baby First Before Going to the Shops

A hungry baby is a grumpy baby. That’s why it’s important to feed the baby first or try to fit the shopping trip in between meals. However, do remember to pack some milk and baby snacks in the diaper bag, whether the baby has been fed or not.

Choose the Right Time to Shop With Infants

The best thing about being a stay-at-home mom is that she can avoid peak hours while shopping. This is particularly important when there is a baby to push around in a stroller. Go to the supermarket or shops early when there are fewer shoppers and distractions. Babies can get very cranky when there are too many people and too much noise around them.

Bring a Friend Along to Help Mom

Whenever possible, ask a friend or the spouse to come along. Another pair of hands can be very useful when Mom has to push the stroller or shopping cart, calm the crying baby, change her diaper, feed, and burp her – all while trying to buy groceries for the family.

If your baby is old enough to sit up on his or her own, consider a shopping cart cover for baby to sit in!

Drive to the Shops

Avoid using public transport while shopping with babies. It’s best to drive to the shops. With a car, Mom can put the foldable stroller in the trunk of the car and even use the space in the car to change her baby’s diaper after she has lined it with a blanket or a portable changing mat.

Walk Down the Center of the Aisle

Try not to go too near the shelves when pushing a baby in a stroller or a shopping cart. Wheel the stroller or cart down the center of the aisle to prevent the baby from trying to grab tins, jars, and packets on the shelves.

Consider Using a Baby Sling or Backpack

Instead of pushing the baby in a stroller, try using a baby sling. For a bigger baby who can sit up well, a backpack is a good alternative. The use of a baby sling or a backpack is great because it leaves Mom’s hands-free, allowing her to shop with more ease. Plus, the close body contact will make the baby feel more secure.

It is possible for moms to shop efficiently when infants come along. But they do need to plan ahead. Try to shop only at places with baby facilities, feed the baby before leaving the house, bring a friend along, drive instead of relying on public transport, shop early, walk down the center of the aisle and consider using a baby sling or backpack to leave the hands free.