Toy Must-Haves for Your Cart Cover to Keep Your Baby Occupied
You’ve got the shopping cart cover that gives your child a 360-degree barrier against germs, comes with an activity center, and lets your child ride in cozy comfort.
You’re off to a fantastic start.
Shopping expeditions with children are always daunting to even contemplate, but at least you know your little one is snapped in tight in a safe and pleasant environment. But those tiny attention spans are easily bored, and the shelves are filled with such enticing, brightly-colored toys and candy. Sometimes we just wish the grocery store wouldn’t stock such tantrum-inducing products. Or at least keep them hidden from view.
Maybe they could be kept in a back room where you have to knock on the door three times and then say the password through the little window. Okay, I’m getting carried away, but a girl can dream.
And let’s face it, even if all toys and treats were hidden, your child would demand other random items such as a bag of cuties they want to throw at passing shoppers or pet treats because they like the dog on the package.
You can’t remove everything. But you can prepare in advance. Here are a few of the best toys to keep junior busy.
Clip-on Activity Centers
Anything you bring along on a shopping trip needs to clip on to your cart. Otherwise, you’ll find your child will want to play “let’s see how many times I can make Mom or Dad pick up my toy.” Not only that, the item in question will quickly become filthy and you won’t be able to give it back until you can clean it at home. Cue tantrum!
We love the cheerful face and the ocean theme on the Baby Einstein Activity Arms Octopus. This plush toy has a cute sand dollar with a lot of details for exploring hands, a rattle and a little mirror. The plush octopus could easily become a favorite.
However, if your child is a big chewer, remove the stickers. If you do have a teether, consider this adorable clip-on elephant with ten activities including soft teethers. The Skip Hop Bandana Buddies has a soft-textured bandana teether detached to be worn around the wrist, rattle rings, a mirror and a leaf-shaped teether. It will attach to your shopping cart cover, as well as to a stroller, car seat or infant carrier. This colorful little elephant is also BPA-free, PVC-free and phthalate-free.
Books
We all hope our children will grow up to be bookworms. Children who read do better at school, score higher on tests and have more empathy. They also learn more about the world around them and have stronger imaginations.
According to Studyfinds.org, one study showed that “the results of the study clearly indicated that the more a child read recreational books at the age of 11 or 12, the better their grades were by the time they became a teenager. More specifically, 13 to 14-year-olds who read books on a daily basis scored 0.22 standard deviations higher on a literacy test than students who admitted to never reading outside of their academic duties. Students who read a lot even showed higher math grades.”
So you’ll want to start them reading while they’re young! Clip-on crinkly books are perfect.
Who doesn’t love the Hungry Caterpillar? This version features a crinkly sound, a squeaker, a clip for attaching to your shopping cart cover and a textured teether.
The sea-centered What Do You See? soft book has 3D animals, a baby octopus toy, a crab, a baby shark and fishy tails. This one is sure to become a favorite!
Good luck, parents!
