We all know running errands can feel like a Herculean task, especially when you’ve got little ones in tow. While you might think every errand deserves a spot on this list, I’ve sifted through and identified the top 15 that can truly test your patience.
15. Clothes Shopping
If dressing your post-baby body isn’t tough enough, add kids into the mix. Trying on outfits—whether it’s shirts, swimsuits, or undergarments—can become a mini-Olympics of chaos. Even if your kids are strapped into a stroller, you’ll barely have time to check the fit before someone’s hungry, needs a diaper change, or you realize the baby has misplaced their beloved pacifier.
14. Oil Change
Ah yes, the oil change. What toddler wouldn’t enjoy a magazine filled with tire tracks and a water dispenser at their eye level? Toss in some stale candies and a TV showing 30 minutes of racing, and you’ve got a recipe for restlessness.
13. Gift Store
Expensive toys and fragile collectibles? What could possibly go wrong? Until your little one decides that the Precious Moments display needs a closer inspection and the other insists on leaving with a random kitty calendar. Good luck!
12. Pharmacy
Your prescription is never ready when you hope. So, instead of a quick five-minute trip, you find yourself wandering a store with two hangry kids 15 minutes past their lunchtime. Sneaking snacks in the grocery section becomes your survival strategy as you avoid the toy aisle like the plague.
11. Dry Cleaners
You’re just picking up your husband’s freshly pressed attire when your toddler bolts for the exit. Balancing the clothes against the baby while sprinting after them is an adventure you didn’t sign up for. And of course, you realize at home that you left your bank card behind.
10. Doctor’s Appointments
After an eternity in the waiting room with your kids, you think you’ve reached safety when ushered into the exam room. Only to discover it’s a free-for-all with two little climbers and drawers begging to be opened.
9. Vet Visit
Just when you thought managing two kids was hard enough, add the family pet into the mix. Balancing a baby, holding a toddler’s hand, and wrangling a hyper dog? Welcome to the circus!
8. Home Improvement Store
Wide aisles and plenty of noise? Sounds great until your toddler gets creative with paint samples. And minutes later, you find the baby has become a bolt magnet, leading to a tiny toe disaster.
7. DMV
Do I even need to elaborate? This errand is a test of endurance even without kids, and with them? It’s practically cruel and unusual punishment.
6. Toy Store
Once you have kids, you quickly discover that the toy aisles are like landmines. You might get through the entrance without incident, but one glimpse of the toy section and your shopping trip is doomed.
5. Your Doctor’s Appointments
You arrive on time, but the doctor isn’t. As you watch your snacks dwindle, you realize that your kids have transformed the waiting area into their personal playground. The glares from receptionists are a small price to pay for survival.
4. Lunch Meetings
In an effort to save time, you feed your kids snacks from your purse while waiting for your meal. But when the food arrives, chaos ensues as they decide to turn napkins into water toys and throw their leftovers onto the floor. Adult conversation? Good luck!
3. Grocery Store
With baby in the front and toddler begging for treats, your shopping list quickly derails. You end up tossing in the “Spiderman snacks” to keep peace, only to leave without the milk you originally came for.
2. Bank Visit
Bringing a double stroller might keep kids from running amok, but the sight of candy at the teller’s desk is a surefire way to spark chaos. The ensuing meltdown is just an added bonus to your time spent in line.
1. Post Office
You thought a quick run to send your cousin’s birthday gift would be easy. But once inside, you regret not bringing the stroller. With the baby grabbing everything in sight and the toddler wreaking havoc, you realize you forgot the address, making the trip entirely pointless.
In conclusion, running errands with kids can be quite the adventure—often not the kind you signed up for. For more insights into parenting and other related topics, check out our other blog posts, including tips on enhancing fertility from Make a Mom and excellent resources on pregnancy from Science Daily.