RE: Which do I need: shopping cart cover, carrier or both??? (long)
I think a carrier is esential. I have a Walking Rock Farm Hip Baby. I really don't use it much, but it comes in handy for when DS doesnt want to be in stroller or for places the stroller is not ideal. At 9 months my DS is about 22 lbs and I can carry him comfortably for short periods of time (I find him extremely heavy-don't know if I am just weak! :) ). Its expensive, as are most carriers, but I am glad I have it. Why don't you try out the ones you have again?
Oh, I am also short (5'2)
I finally broke down and ordered a cart cover. I didn't want to spend the money and didn't think I needed one. But at 9 months I still don't feel comfortable putting him directly in carts. And the carrie or using a stroller is not ideal in most situations (Buying a lot of stuff at BRU or Target, for example). I bought the NoJo strap in cart thingee. It doesn't cover the whole seat but my main concern is keeping him safe. I tried it out in a Target cart and it was useless. It kind of straps the baby in towards the back of the seat and his head was hitting the back of the cart. He was not comfy at all! I ended up ordering the CleanShopper and hope I am happy with it. It doesn't seem as plush as the pricier ones but I hope it'll do the job.
Just one other note. You may not want to wait on ordering the cart covers. My CleanShopper is not shipping until mid October because they are backed-up (I ordered from CleanShopper.com). But if you shop around you may be able to find one in stock at another e-tailer.
Hope that helped a little! I'll post a review of my Clean Shopper when I get it.
Good Luck
Donna
Mom to JT 1/03 and TJ 8/04