Grocery shopping used to be a time my husband and I could get out of the house, leisurely walk the aisles, think about what foods we needed/wanted, and gradually work our way through the store. After we had Cael, our oldest son, that changed. He was never a baby who would just sit in his carseat and sleep or hang out while we shopped. We always had to carry him, facing the world, so he could see everything that was going on. We tried carried him through the store for as long as he would let us. He was also neve a kid that would just sit in the cart seats. Eventually the time came and we had to start letting him walk the aisles with us. That again has forever changed the way we shop. We had to tag team. One would man the cart, and the other would man the boy- try to keep him from getting into everything, but let him appease his curiosity. He has always had a lot of energy, so he likes to quickly go from one area to another.
Then came Cason, baby #2! This has FOREVER changed our shopping trips! Cason only briefly (the first few weeks of life) would sleep in his carseat while we shopped. But he too likes to be able to see the world. Now one person straps Cason to them in the carrier (best invention ever, especially when you have 2 kids and need free hands), and the other chases Cael around the store. Typically we begin our adventure heading toward the balls in the toy area. Cael can become very fixated on getting to play with the balls, so to make our trips more enjoyable for all, whoever has Cael for the shopping trip heads over to the toy section while the other does the shopping that needs to be done on the way over and then wanders the toy aisles for ideas for future gift. Cael likes to toss a few balls and look at all the cars and trucks. After 10 minutes or so, we give him a warning that his time is almost up, and then head on to the grocery sections. We pass many benches, which he loves to climb on, so he may hang out on those for a few minutes before moving on to catch up (until the next bench).
Cael likes to look at everything, touch everything, help get everything, climb on everything, and help push the cart. If he's not doing one, he's doing another, and then another, and then another, and then back to the original something- you get the idea! Usually pushing the cart results in him belly on the floor holding onto the bottom bar of the cart, dragging himself on the ground. We like to think of him as their mop! He tries to climb on empty shelves (there are a lot of them), climb in the fridge areas, climb on the freezers, etc. We like to get him to help put items in the cart to slow him down for a moment. He doesn't always listen when we tell him 'no,' and at times we will end up carrying him for a short time because he chose not to listen- which results in crying, whining, and wiggling any way he can to get out of our arms. So, while Cael is busy doing all of that, whoever has Cason is in charge of manning the cart and quickly moving through the aisles to get our weekly groceries. We have little time to discuss what we need/want, as stoppage time becomes time when Cael can find the only thing breakable in that aisle and go for it, apples, oranges, and cantelope are balls to throw, and bananas are something he wants to eat!
We know some people will look at us and think that our kid is out of control. But we know this is a kid who needs to move. That is how he learns, and that is how he gets out his energy. He has always been on the go- from infancy when we would have to walk him in laps around the house to keep him settled, to when he clrawled only for a short time to discover new things, and when he learned to walk and hasn't stopped!!! We know that it would be a horrible shopping trip if we tried to confine him to the cart or in our arms. So this is our weekly workout chasing Cael while he explores our world. So if you happen to see us out, know that our son is a happy, smart, and even well behaved kid for a 2 year old, who likes to move and explore the world! Just remember that things aren't always what they seem! Happy Shopping!
