Shopping Cart Covers: Protecting Baby From Yuck
26. Oct, 2009 
3 Comments
Shopping Cart Covers: Protecting Baby From Yuck
It’s impossible to pick a favorite brand of something so functional and popular, but as far as I’m concerned any of the full shopping cart covers win my seal of approval. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of shopping cart covers, the covers are similar to cloth buckets that sit inside a shopping cart toddler seat. The baby then sits on the clean cloth cover and has only brightly colored fabric around her while she rides along on the grocery outing.
The shopping covers come in different patterns and styles. They have leg holes and holes for the straps of the shopping cart to hold your older baby or toddler securely in place. Elastic around the outside of the cover allows it to fold over the handle, sides and back of the seat creating a little cloth nest.
Making Shopping Cart Covers Functional
To use the covers, you have to be good about a few things. The first is actually remembering to take the cover into the store. If you’re already good about taking in your reusable bags, it should be simple enough to grab the cover out of the back of the car and get it inside. The next step is to be sure the cover stays clean.
The point of the shopping cart cover is to protect your child from the various nasty germs that show up on shopping cart handles and baskets. Little ones who are teething especially love to bend over and chew on the handles of these icky carts. If you’re counting on the cover to keep things a bit cleaner and more sanitary, you need to make it a point to wash the cloth cover when it becomes dirty. And if you’re feeding a toddler snacks to make shopping easier, a washing might be necessary after every time you’re out.
Buying a Shopping Cart Cover
Buy a cover that suits your personal style and that of your baby. While your little boy or girl could care less about what color his or her seat is, you probably do. If you’re planning to use the cover for more than one child, buy with the future in mind, or just plan on potentially buying a new one down the road for a different gender.
Look for toys and interesting things that hang from the covers that might keep your little one amused while shopping. These can become lost and dirty, however, very quickly, so you’re just as likely to prefer a cover without any dangling toys.
Finally, some shopping cart covers have an extra pillow for supporting babies who are still wobbling a bit as they sit. As the mother of boys who outgrew the bucket car seat by eight weeks, having a bit of extra support in the shopping cart made it much easier to settle the little ones comfortably while we shopped.
Shopping cart covers are available from all baby retailers and start around $25.
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I like to think of myself as normal but I am worried about germs and what not for my child. I picked up a cover and used it whenever I was in my car. Overall a great product and at least I feel better about putting my baby in the cart.
I bought one and like it. It was a bit of a pain getting into the habit of using it but once I started bring in the reusable bags it was a breeze.
These things are great. We use it in shopping carts and high chairs religiously.
Another thing that is happening is that a lot of the stores have a pack of sanitizing wipes by their cart corrals inside the doors that you can use to wipe up some exposed areas or if you forget your cover.
The only trouble is it gets dirty rather quickly and is a bit difficult to wash. But still is one of our most used “gadgets”.