Grocery Shopping

This post was originally meant to be part of my friend Kati's Disabled Mama blog, but we decided it would be better to have a circle (or I guess at this point a duo) of momma blogs. So check hers out at: Disabled Mama

Background on Me
I have a mild form of CP, since birth and it effects my balance, a lot. When I was pregnant I had a few momentary fears about falling, but it honestly never occurred to me worry about how I would carry the baby. It wasn’t until Riley and I were out of the hospital and Mike went back to work that the reality of taking the baby somewhere by myself dawned on me.

Grocery Shopping
My little girl was still under 6lbs the first time I had to take her somewhere by myself. I was worried. The old standby with newborns is the carseat but it’s hard enough to carry it empty. I was stumped. If I unloaded and unfolded the stroller we’d hardly be able to get around in the pediatrician’s office. I certainly didn’t trust myself to carry her in my arms. I waited weeks to have her home with me and now I wasn’t sure how to leave the house. In the end I got a sling and we did just fine.

I knew I’d have some kinks to work out to come up with a workable system for grocery shopping. She grew and I didn’t feel like the sling gave the best distribution of weight. Those really dig into your shoulder. If you’ve ever paid attention to families with babies in the store you know carseats conveniently snap into the front of the cart. There’s an issue with that, but I’ll start with getting out of the car. I’m sure most able bodied folks avoid the parking spaces with the cart in it, but I go out of my way to find those. I can lift the sleeping baby into a cart if there’s one handy, but there’s no way to get the baby in the carseat all the way up to the store. In fact more than once I parked very excitedly in such a space only to have an over-eager employee of the store snatch it away. If there is a cart and I get the baby in it I have to finagle the hood to make a peep hole so I can see where I’m going so it’s not exactly ideal even then. It’s great to have the support of the cart and a place to put the baby bag carseat or no. At this point I use the Snugli carrier to grocery shop with Riley. She’s still little enough to face me (not for much longer) and I can even nurse her in it if I need to.

There’s a bit of dancing around to unload the cart at the checkout without whacking Riley in the head and for some reason (and I know I’m not the only one) I ALWAYS refuse help out to the car. I load the baby and then the food and leave the cart carefully next to my handicapped space if possible. I’m sure nothing about getting home with a baby and a car full of groceries is unique to a disabled parent so Happy Shopping everyone.