Grocery shopping when out-numbered

It used to be that I couldn't even conceive of going grocery shopping with the boys because I was out-numbered.  It was possible to take a walk in the stroller and get a couple of things, but a full on grocery shopping trip was out of the question because I was worried I would have two tired and cranky boys on my hands.  At one point when they were really little, Lars would seem to get totally over stimulated and lose it whenever I was in a grocery store for more than about 15 minutes.

Now that they have a consistent nap schedule, I can and do take them grocery shopping with me during the day.  It gives me some time back in the evenings for doing other chores, or going to a yoga class or out to knitting group and still have food in the house.  It's been a good development.  However, having two babies to deal with at a store offers some challenges.  I decided to take photos of all the different ways I've taken the boys shopping with me, and it actually turned into a fun project.

Costco is by far the easiest, their carts are wide enough that they are built for two kids 

A regular grocery store cart is only built for one kid, but if they aren't too big, twins can still fit.  One leg through the leg hole and the other one folded up.  It doesn't look too comfortable, but Lars and Odin have never complained! 

At Trader Joe's the carts are small for their small aisles and there is no way that two kids can sit in the cart together, so you have to employ the 'wear one baby, one baby in the cart' plan.  It's easier to 'install' the baby on the front when you are by yourself, but much harder to bend over and pick things up while shopping, so the back carrier is the way to go if the baby is old enough for that.  Bonus with this method is the funny look you get when you ask an unsuspecting customer to take your picture :).   

Here is the regular grocery store cart with the added two kid seat.  This relies heavily on the buckles being intact though, and only one side of this two kid seat had a complete buckle set, fortunately it is still a regular cart and the normal kid seat worked for Odin. 

See how LONG the added two kid seat makes the cart?  It's much less maneuverable, and I haven't even tried one of those ENORMOUS car grocery carts at other stores.

The other important tip is to park near a cart return so you can get a cart to get the babies to the store and don't have to carry them in.  There are still a couple of issues with that...we live in Seattle and the cart returns aren't covered, so hopefully it doesn't start raining when you are on the way to the grocery store.  Then again, the boys are wearing diapers and the diapers are waterproof :).  The other issue is that when I go shopping during the weekdays, the stores are pretty empty of customers so the employees are able to keep up with keeping the cart returns empty.  If there aren't any carts in the cart return, at least that usually means the parking lot is pretty empty and I can usually park close to the door.

The boys are champion grocery shoppers now, thank goodness!  Especially given the way these kids eat!