Take Cover

I'm no germaphobe. After three kids, my threshold of cleanliness has fallen well below my golden first-baby standards. My sleeve is used as a little one's kleenex in more emergencies than I care to admit, and the other day — when my son sweetly offered me a goldfish cracker scavenged from his carseat — I actually ate it.

But we all have our limits, and the dreaded shopping cart (bacteria breeding ground that it is) is without a doubt mine. Two of my children are thumb suckers, and more orally fixated than a couple of chain smokers. They've never met a seat buckle that they didn't want to suck on, or a handle they didn't want to lick. Yuck! And of course, a nice box of animal crackers can always make the Target trip run a little smoother ... but who wants to feed their child in a place where countless other ones have slurped, sneezed and slobbered all over?

This is where shopping cart covers by LillyAnneMe come in. They come to the rescue with both form and function, in a huge variety of posh fabrics. Mine came in a gorgeous Asian-printed red silk, and it drew oohs and ahhs wherever we shopped. I honestly do not know how I did without this thing for my six plus years of mommyhood. The last time I shopped, I must have looked down at my toddler in the seat five times, ready to freak out at her mouth on the cart or the buckle, when I realized I didn't have to. The cover (complete with its own buckle) kept the germy surfaces away. The covers also work on those icky restaurant highchairs. So those brave (or crazy!) enough to dine out with their toddlers can rest assured that their child's noshing will be done in a place that is not only sanitary, but stylish as well.

LillyAnneMe also makes chic carseat covers (for infants and toddlers), and fabulous blankets. The patterns of all these items match, for that ultra-pulled together look. Cart and carseat covers range from $85 to $90. Blankets are $40. Take advantage of this special offer: buy and infant cover and a blanket and receive $10 off your order.