Conquering Errands

Life with a newborn is hard.  At least I think so.  Errands aren't what they used to be for sure.  I used to be able to run into Rite Aid without thinking about it and pick up whatever I needed.  Likewise I used to be able to linger in target and then hit up other stores in the shopping center if I was so inclined.  Having an infant and doing either of those things is impossible. 

Quick trips are no more! It is impossible to run into a store to pick things up.  When I had a cold and all I needed was cough drops, a trip that would normally take fifteen minutes, including travel time, took forever.  You have to pack the baby up, drive there, and you can't leave a baby in a car when you run in, so you have to carry around the stupid uncomfortable to carry car seat thing with you in the store and you no longer have a purse, you have a giant diaper bag you are also lugging around with you.  It sucks. During the summer heatwave and power outage, Adam was stuck working in his hot sweaty building with no power Charlotte & I took him a slurpee.  TERRIBLE IDEA! Getting a slurpee while having to carry around that stupid carseat sucked. AND I could not get a much desired slurpee for myself, because there was no way I could carry two slurpees and a carseat.  Gone are the days of anything being easy.

This problem with leisurely browsing stores until I have had my fill? This baby needs to eat on average every three hours, sometimes she goes less time between feedings and needs her diaper changed even more often (I don't know if it is just my baby, but I feel like she is always pooping or peeing, like every ten minutes).  So you have to time your shopping trips just right.  Another problem is that the stupid carseat thing does not fit onto most carts as well as it should.  Some are better then others, Target isn't too bad, and some are terrible fits (Wegmans I'm looking at you!) And then there are stores without carts all together (Kohl's you should fix this!) Those stores are the worst because you again have to carry the stupid carseat around (or the baby which is worse).  Gone are my days of enjoying a shopping trip for as long as a like. 

I see lots of moms carrying their babies around the stores in their baby carriers like their baby bjorns and ergos.  This seems like the best option.  I even have a baby bjorn.  My problem? The carrier says from newborn - 3 years old.  They define "newborn" as eight lbs, and it says it is not recommended for infants under eight pounds! Well, Charlotte is two months old and only 7 pounds! I am excited that I am getting closer to being able to use the carrier.  I feel like it will help me with my errands and being out and about.

Today while I had to go to Target to get ANOTHER prescription and I tried a new method, I took the snap and go! The main reason I did this was because I fell down the stairs on vacation (while carrying Charlotte, which is a scary crazy story in and of itself!) and am sore on one side of my body and had no desire to carry her in her car seat from the parking lot to the store to get to a cart.  I already carried her up and down stairs at my doctors office because the stupid elevator was broken.  ANYWAY! The snap and go worked much better then a cart.  It was easier to maneuver through aisles and the car seat was obviously steady on it.  The biggest problem was not having cart space.  The snap and go does have a large basket underneath that I used to hold stuff, but the diapers barely fit.  All in all, I have decided that the snap and go is an amazing invention, especially if you have a tiny baby like me.  The best part is that it is so so easy to open and fold again.  Another con of it it though is I don't think it is made for tall people like myself, I had to adjust the handle to make it as tall as possible and I still feel a little awkward pushing it.  But I think it is an essential product for any new mom. 

Chillin in my Snap & Go!