[jbee]

at the giant store here the car carts fit two in the car part and two in the seat part near the handle.
or we use the huge carts at the wal mart with the two plastic seats near the handle and stuff the rest in the cart part.
we have a 5,3,2 but do daycare and sometimes have more with us. just strap them down wherever they are, lol

[Sam-N-Tony]

Well we did go to Kohls and Target yesterday as a trial to see if it works. Well believe it or not it does, as long as you have your spouse with you (which he loves going out with me so it works). All kids were pretty well behaved in Kohls, we had the double cart and a single car and my son loved pushing one of the carts. Also, in Target we did have to get 2 shopping carts but it worked.

The best part of this age is that you can just swing by the toy department and give them something to keep themselves busy with.

thanks for all the input.

[Biblemom]

I have a 5 yo, two-4yo, and 2yo. We have a rule that if anyone walks away from the cart, they have to walk holding onto the cart for five minutes. If that child lets go of the cart, I find a spot away from the crowd and that child stands facing the wall or corner for a few minutes. While that can be a pain when in a hurry, it is definetaly worth it. The 2yo (who is unmedicated ADHD)has gotten the hang if it quickly.

[Withay]

Shopping with only one cart? Wow! Can't remember the last time I did that. I always have 2, one for kids and one for groceries, etc. Sure slows shopping down, but what the heck. The kids love the attention they get.

[sarah3015]

You can do it!!! My favorite is my sit and stand stroller, one in the front, one sitting in the back (or two if they got small bottoms) and one standing on the platform!!! Also, my favorite places to shop are Target, Walmart, and Meijer (maybe that is a local store) they all have the carts with either an attached bench seat or 2 extra seats added on the front! The more you go out, the more brave you will feel. I remember when my sil would tell me she went to Target with her 3 kids and I would be just so amazed, but really, you just have to go out and soon enough you'll be a pro!!!
sarah

[hubbyswife]

we have 4 kids, 4 and under.... and I won't go anywhere by myself where there's not an attached part to the regular carts. Walmart, target, and sam's have these. Also we just bought a sit and stand stroller! We had a double stroller but it was hard to turn. The sit n stand is easy to turn and we can fit 3 kids on there. We haven't used it out and about yet, we just got it this past weekend but pushing around the block... i LOVE it!!! Plus it has great storage underneath where my other one didn't and it has cup holders.... I recommend the sit n stand....

[mommy2fiveplus]

I have 5 kids under 6yo.

6mos, 2 years, 4years, 5years and 6 years, plus somedays I have extras based on my foster care census that week.

I have one cart for kids and one for groceries.

the three littlest go in the cart (2yo in the cart seat, baby(in his seat) and 4yo in the basket)

and the 5 and 6 year help fetch stuff from shelves while I make sure nobody dives head first out of the cart.

I have a standard path at the local supermarket memorized, we buy the same type of foods everyweek so I always know what I am getting (unless there is a REALLY good sale).

WE are in and out in 1 hour and we shop @0600 on the second and fourth sunday morningof each month- we get the strangest looks, even more so when there are "extras" about, they are usally in a third cart that the 6 yo pushes if they are small, or if they are old enough then they have to earn the right to go out with good behavior and then they help with the 5 and 6yo.

I also dress everybody in the same color t-shirt ( I bought 8red/8blue/8green from Micheals for $2/each) for the very purpose of not losing everybody.(we use them for other outings as well)

I used to have problems going through checkout because the babies could reach the candy at the checkout lane, but now our store has self-checkout lanes with NO candy shelves and we are GOLDEN.

Good Luck, if you stick with it long enough you will get a system, I'm 26 if I can do it anybody can!

[mommytoEli]

how do i do it?

i shop online. lol! where i live, you can get your groceries this way too! if i HAVE to go out, i take the double stroller, put the 2 littlest in there, have the four year old help me hold the handle and then we get VERY little! i thought about a 3 seater, but my double stroller BARELY fits through aisles at target as it is....and the thought of the wagon makes me want to sit down and take a rest....that thing is sooooo hard to pull, i can not even imagine taking it to the store!

[kxl164]

My kids are close in age, now 3,4,4, and 6. When first places, 10 months, 2, 2, and 4. I took them all out all the time and still do.

It was easier when the 10 month old was a baby, he would be in a carrier, the 2yo's in a cart, or stroller, and the 4yo held on.

Then, when baby got too big. One is the cart, the 2 yo's holding on, and the 4 yo walking next to me.

Sometimes we got lucky and got double carts, they are much more common now. But we would talk about holding onto the cart and I expected them to do it, so they did. I always park next to the cart carral, even if it is further because I like to have them all holding on and close to me at all times.

You can do it. If no carts or strollers, then have your 8 yo help by holding a hand and you take the 2 other hands.

Good Luck! Once you get comfortable you will be fine.