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  1. #1
    egoldber's Avatar
    egoldber is offline Black Diamond level (25,000+ posts)
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    Default Won't stay in the stroller / shopping cart anymore!

    So I guess I've had a pent up need for a Toddler Lounge! :)

    Starting the last couple weeks, Sarah has decided she doesn't like being in the stroller anymore. She wants down pretty much from the second we hit the store. The same also goes for the shopping cart. Needless to say, I'm VERY glad I have slings at this point! She'll stay in the sling for awhile, but generally wants down after awhile.

    Is this just a phase she's going through? Or are her strolling days numbered? Should I insist she stay in the stroller or cart or is this a battle not even worth having?

    Thanks!

    Beth, mom to older DD (8/01) and younger DD (10/06) and always missing Leah (4/22 - 5/1/05)

  2. #2
    ktdid74 Guest

    Default RE: Won't stay in the stroller / shopping cart anymore!

    Hi Beth-
    I remember a few days after DS turned 2 I took him to the grocery store and I swore that would be the last outing until he turned 3! It was like some switch went off in his head and he was a mad man. I ended up not taking him shopping for just a few weeks. What I did start doing was going early in the morning so the store would be almost empty. I figured that way he could be out of the cart and I wouldn't have to worry as much about him getting in other peoples way. Grocery shopping takes a lot longer with a toddler but I actually consider it an outing on most days- how pathetic am I?
    As for strollers, I always brought one along to the mall but he rarely rode in it, it was more a bag holder. I just saw it as a chance for him to burn off a little energy, get a little exercise, etc. Of course, if I actually want to SHOP, then I leave him at home or make DH come to the mall with us. We usually only go to the mall early in the morning, too- it's just so much easier that way!! Anwyay, good luck!

  3. #3
    cara1 Guest

    Default RE: Won't stay in the stroller / shopping cart anymore!

    Seems to me that everything with DS is a phase that comes and eventually goes. Around June he refused to go in the tub without screaming. It eventually passed. It has returned, in a different version. He takes baths, but refuses to sit. He squats or stands. Makes rinsing his hair kind of tough. He definitely has his moments in the high chair and shopping cart, too. The worst is when DH tried to take him out of one of those places (or stroller) when we're out, and then expects to put him back in. Nope, that's not happening...

  4. #4
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    Default RE: Won't stay in the stroller / shopping cart anymore!

    Hi Beth. How frustrating--especially if you are used to being able to shop with her. It's so hard to say--it could be a phase, like the previous poster suggeseted. Or it may be that she is giving up the stroller and carts altogether (hopefully not!). It's more likely that she is giving up the stroller for indoor use. I know Jack (who never really liked shopping) will no longer tolerate riding once we go into a store. It's just too boring for him to sit still while I shop, pay, etc. He immediatley demands to be let out, and then look out world! It is really frustrating, though at times can be cute. We dropped into a Baby Gap the other day, and he started picking outfits for his 4 month-old cousin: "This for Baby Sarah". Of course, I left the store with nothing because I couldn't get a thing done--I kept having to chase him down and make sure no one absconded with him.

    Jack will still ride outdoors, though. I think he can differentiate between stroller riding for a purpose (i.e., we have to get somewhere and it's too far to walk) and stroller riding for mama's convenience ("hey, she's got me stuck in here again").

    Lisa
    & Jack, 4/20/01
    & Little Boy Two, e.d.d., 12/15/03

  5. #5
    trumansmom is offline Emerald level (3000+ posts)
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    Default RE: Won't stay in the stroller / shopping cart anymore!

    Okay Beth, this is getting eerie. Truman just threw in the towel on shopping carts this week as well. Will you PLEASE tell Sarah to magically start sleeping again and to enjoy shopping again,too? I really need to get to Target and it sounds like Truman is mirroring Sarah in a big way!

    And for what it's worth, we did manage a longish trip to Wal-Mart this afternoon. He fought and cried for about the first 10 minutes (I had to pick up a prescription for my MIL and old people kept cutting in line in front of me. I didn't have the heart to say anything.), but after a lot of jiggling the cart from side to side, some major tickling, and a hearty round of "C is for Cookie", he finally stopped crying and actually seemed to enjoy the rest of the trip.
    Jeanne
    Mom to Truman 11/29/01 and EDD 4/23/04!

  6. #6
    egoldber's Avatar
    egoldber is offline Black Diamond level (25,000+ posts)
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    Default RE: Won't stay in the stroller / shopping cart anymore!

    LOL!! Sarah likes to sing while shopping too! "C is for Cookie" is a big fav here too. And "The Wheels on the Bus" gets you a LOT of shopping! :)

    Yes, it is very frustrating since I'm used to being able to get lots of shopping done with her.
    Beth, mom to older DD (8/01) and younger DD (10/06) and always missing Leah (4/22 - 5/1/05)

  7. #7
    muskiesusan is offline Platinum level (1000+ posts)
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    Default RE: Won't stay in the stroller / shopping cart anymore!

    We are going through the same problem. I had to leave Target yesterday because of the fit he threw when I wouldn't let him walk around. I also have a husband who likes to let him out. Okay dear, that's fine when there are two of us shopping, but how am I going to chase him and get the stuff we need when I am alone????

    Its driving me nuts, especially since dh is gone alot and I have to go shopping with Nick, who can also escape from the stupid belt in the carts in no time at all.

    Susan
    WAHM to Nicholas 10/01/01

  8. #8
    colleenfs is offline Platinum level (1000+ posts)
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    Default RE: Won't stay in the stroller / shopping cart anymore!

    We are definitely going through this too. Julia is almost 20 months, and she's been fighting the stroller/cart all summer. She will sit still in the stroller if we are taking a walk outside, but that's it.

    I always have snacks and drinks for her, and that helps a bit. At the grocery store, I've just started using those cool car carts, but they are in short supply, so we have to go at an odd time. Julia LOVES the car, and often cries when it's time to get out. I really only use the stroller at the mall. She'll start out OK, but 1/2 way through our trip, she is usually walking with me. She really likes to push her cart from behind with me guiding it. Lately, I've been doing mall trips at night when she is home with daddy.

    I think it really is just a phase, but it's definitely not going away any time soon! They are just curious toddlers who do not want to be confined!

    ~Colleen
    Mama to Julia 1-10-02

  9. #9
    twins r fun Guest

    Default RE: Won't stay in the stroller / shopping cart anymore!

    Well in my case I don't have a choice but to insist that they stay in the cart or stroller, but in my opinion it's a battle you could win and probably worth fighting. Jacob and Caleb went through this awhile ago (16 months, maybe) -it was a rough few weeks and I truly felt like I was never going to get to go shopping again. But since I had no choice, we suffered through tears and fits and they are reasonably content again. I have to be careful about my speed and can't shop for anything that would take a long time standing there trying to make a decision, but for general shopping (Target, grocery store, quick mall purchases) we do pretty well now. I usually hand them something in the store and either buy it (because we need it) or put it back before we leave-gives them something to do while we shop.

  10. #10
    Join Date
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    Default RE: Won't stay in the stroller / shopping cart anymore!

    Well I hate to say it but it doesnt get much better as they get older! Angela is about three and a half and there are times that she wont get in the shopping cart or stay for very long. Im pretty strong about making her stay in the cart, only because Im worried about her straying to far from the cart or someone just snatching her the second I look away.

    I found that bringing a snack along does wonders, or finding a toy she can play with while in the store. That usually buys me a little time. Her new thing is she likes to sit in the basket part and use something as a pillow to lay down, sometimes my purse, or we make a special trip in Target wherever to the bedding aisle so she can pick out one while in the store. Her sitting in the basket is fine as long as she doesnt stand up. Snacks and toys seem to work best at this point, its just a matter of keeping her busy! for little ones you might want to pack a small bag of things that they dont see you putting together then let them sit in the basket part and look through it. Perhaps have a snack hidden at the bottom, a book to look at, or other things to explore. Angela loves looking through my purse though everything gets all over so if you pack and old purse with treasures it might buy you a little time in the store....just make it large enough things that dont fall through the holes of the cart! Toddlers own little treasure bag!

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