Pregnancy makes you a target for all sorts of unsolicited advice: “Enjoy your sleep while you can,” “don’t lift that,” the list goes on and on.
But what no one told me and I’ve since learned is just how difficult it is to get out of the house. I’m not talking emotional incapacitation, but the actual logistics of getting you and your little one fed, cleaned and ready to go before it’s time to start the process all over again.
Add to the fact that immature immune systems make highly trafficked supermarkets dangerous for babies less than four weeks, and it’s plain to see why new moms like me forgo their once-routine grocery missions for the convenience of home delivery.
According to the Hartman Group’s “Clicks & Cravings” survey I’m not an anomaly. Those who shop online typically only do so when their day-to-day routine is interrupted. Cost and fresh food quality limitations make traditional shopping the preferred method.
Now that my daughter is a little older I’m back to the grocery store because fresh produce and meats are better shopped for in person.
But I continue to buy most of the products that make consumers like me highly coveted by marketers, online. Diapers.com has been a godsend with next day delivery that’s free.
My fragmented approach came after shopping with my baby proved challenging. It turns out that despite the substantial purchasing power that mothers with babies wield, their needs are often overlooked.
Sure, designating a parking spot for “mother’s with young children” helps, but I’m often left scratching my head about where to put my infant who’s too little to sit in the cart. I can bring the stroller, which limits the number of items I can tote around the store or wedge her car seat into a shopping cart, also restricting what I can buy.
Read more: Hy-Vee's New Store Has Room for Mom
Shopping carts with built-in infant seats should be made more obvious to moms. I’d be more apt to shop a store that has these carts and corrals them in a convenient place. Antibacterial wipes would also be nice.
A quiet area to feed my little one is another wish. Hy-Vee has the right idea with its room for breastfeeding moms and parents who simply need a break. This benefits retailers too since baby’s appetite often dictates time spent in the store.
Such conveniences would make me more likely to buy that big box of diapers or stop to sample products before impulsively throwing them in my cart.
Retailers should better cater to moms with babies. And that’s my best advice.
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