We had bad luck trying to use a stroller for groceries and library books. We actually broke two strollers before we realized it wasn't the kids, it was the books. Springs popped on one and on the other, the bag under the stroller ripped.
I used to put the toddler on my back and push the groceries/library books in front of me. Now that I have bigger kids, I bring them and use their hands rather than pushing groceries. Walking to the library in gangs is good too, because all of the four-and-unders can be worn in mei tai or frame carriers, leaving multiple sets of hands free for bags of books. Walking to the grocery store as a family makes a nice replacement for the traditionally aimless Sunday stroll. Even eight-year-olds can wear younger siblings safely with a little practice and a good carrier. Bystanders will plotz, but kids have worn their siblings in cultures all over the world for millenia.
It helps to have a wagon -- not a little red one, but a metal cage type -- with a locking handle, so that you can push it in front of you and know it's not going to veer.
We also take advantage of living right on the bus route. Being a block away from a bus stop was on my list of needs when I moved here. Even though we have a grocery within walking distance, I prefer going further on the bus, because that allows me maximum recuperation time between walking around the grocery store with the kids and walking from the bus stop to our home with the kids. Thinking of those twenty minutes of peace in the air conditioned bus, kids strapped down and glued to windows, motivates me to leave the grocery store and make the trek home.
I know Brett's come close to buying me a rickshaw for a couple of Hanukkahs and birthdays now. I'm not sure where we'd keep it or how we'd secure it at the store, or even how to use it in traffic. (Like a bike? On the sidewalk?) Assuming I can chain it to a bike rack, this will be our ultimate solution. Eventually we hope to move outside of walking distance of a grocery store. Then I'd have to bike in to town with the kids and our stuff, and that rickshaw'd be the only way to do it.
I used to put the toddler on my back and push the groceries/library books in front of me. Now that I have bigger kids, I bring them and use their hands rather than pushing groceries. Walking to the library in gangs is good too, because all of the four-and-unders can be worn in mei tai or frame carriers, leaving multiple sets of hands free for bags of books. Walking to the grocery store as a family makes a nice replacement for the traditionally aimless Sunday stroll. Even eight-year-olds can wear younger siblings safely with a little practice and a good carrier. Bystanders will plotz, but kids have worn their siblings in cultures all over the world for millenia.
It helps to have a wagon -- not a little red one, but a metal cage type -- with a locking handle, so that you can push it in front of you and know it's not going to veer.
We also take advantage of living right on the bus route. Being a block away from a bus stop was on my list of needs when I moved here. Even though we have a grocery within walking distance, I prefer going further on the bus, because that allows me maximum recuperation time between walking around the grocery store with the kids and walking from the bus stop to our home with the kids. Thinking of those twenty minutes of peace in the air conditioned bus, kids strapped down and glued to windows, motivates me to leave the grocery store and make the trek home.
I know Brett's come close to buying me a rickshaw for a couple of Hanukkahs and birthdays now. I'm not sure where we'd keep it or how we'd secure it at the store, or even how to use it in traffic. (Like a bike? On the sidewalk?) Assuming I can chain it to a bike rack, this will be our ultimate solution. Eventually we hope to move outside of walking distance of a grocery store. Then I'd have to bike in to town with the kids and our stuff, and that rickshaw'd be the only way to do it.
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