Best Toy Shopping Cart Reviews 2018

Choosing a good toy shopping cart should not be a difficult task, but it can be if you don’t know what to look out for. It may also be time-consuming because of the many options to choose from. To save you the stress, we have conducted thorough research and have narrowed down the options to five of the top brands. These brands have multiple toy carts, but for the purpose of this review we are featuring just one product per brand. We assure you that these brands are tested and proven, and sure to provide maximum satisfaction.

Overview

PROS

CONS

SPECS

Design

Size

Material

Age/s

Color/s

Our Top Choice

Step2 Little Helper's Shopping Cart

Step2 is one of America's largest producers of toys. It encourages learning through imaginative play for children between toddler and schooling years.

Manufactured in America. Toys are easily accessible. Seat slot for stuffed animals or petite dolls. Compartment for extra toys. Long-lasting poly structure. Easy to assemble.

Sometimes the wheels don’t turn very well.

Seat space and cart bed

21.5 x 13 x 18.5 inches; 6 lbs

Plastic

2 - 6 years

Pink/white; blue/brown

Best Value

Little Tikes Shopping Cart

Little Tikes is a multinational producer and distributor of top-quality products for kids. Its products are fun, safe and reasonably priced to ensure ultimate customer satisfaction.

Solid walls. Ample basket storage space underneath. Wheels run smoothly and easily. Made in the United States. Made with durable, colorful material.

It is difficult to assemble.

Seat space

16.5 x 12. 5x 23 inches; 7.2 lbs

Plastic

18 months and up

Red/yellow

Melissa & Doug Toy Shopping Cart

Melissa & Doug creates toys that light up imagination in children, so kids can find their purposes and passions.

Realistic design with revolving wheels in front. Made with strong steel. Easy-to-grip handles. Folding seat. Ideal accompaniment for the Melissa & Doug play food sets.

May scuff and damage walls and furniture.

Like real shopping cart

23.3 x 15 x 11.8 inches; 11 lbs

Steel

3 - 6 years

Silver/red

Precious Toys Pretend Play Shopping Cart

Precious Toys understands kids and toys. Children try out its toys before they are introduced into the market. This ensures consistent customer satisfaction.

Made with long-lasting, strong metal. Foldable wagon seat. Rotating front wheels. Meets USA safety regulations. Folds and stores easily. Easy-to-grip handle.

Included play food doesn’t last long.

Like real shopping cart

23 x 12 x 16.3 inches; 2.9 lbs

Steel

12 months - 8 years

Silver/pink

American Plastic Toys Deluxe Shopping Cart

American Plastic Toys has been in business since 1962. It makes toys with toxin-free and child-safe materials. These products are also top-quality and affordable.

Colorful and beautifully designed. Comes fully assembled. Seat is molded in. Folding basket. Wheels that run smoothly. Strong, durable materials.

Holes in the cart are too big and play food falls through them.

Drawer organizer

15.8 x 13.8 x 21 inches; 2.3 lbs

Plastic

3 - 7 years

Green/blue

(Updated September 29, 2017)

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Watch Our Toy Shopping Cart Review

How Do I Choose the Best Toy Shopping Cart?

Children learn new skills and master complex ones through role play, pretend play and games. Different toys help to develop different areas of a child's life, and there are appropriate toys for different ages. There are many pretend playthings that help children to learn. A toy barn helps a child learn about animals and how to care for them. A play house is useful for teaching children about the home and how to do some chores around the house, and a play kitchen lets children mimic culinary activities. A toy shopping cart is a good addition to any playroom, and in combination with other pretend playthings, it provides hours of fun, learning and development.

Studies reveal that many of the children in this generation are stressed and not really enjoying childhood. This is because they are overscheduled and regimented, going from one structured activity to the other. It has gotten so bad that even during school holidays, parents still look for activities to keep the children occupied, just as if they were still in school.

Many manufacturers of children’s products and toys are advocating and leading movements to bring back childhood. Let kids have days and times when all they do is romp and run around, scream and just have fun. Toys, games and playthings help to unlock the imagination and creativity of children and enable them to explore the world around them. Investing in a good toy shopping cart is worthwhile and helps parents create long-lasting memories with their little ones.

Price

Toy shopping carts come in different sizes, designs, and colors, and for different age groups. A good cart will cost between about $15 and $70. There are high-end toy shopping carts that are more expensive than our upper limit, but the products in the price range that we featured are guaranteed to give you value for your money.

We also saw some cheap toy shopping carts with prices below our lower price range, but they are not featured in this review. We don’t want you to compromise your child’s safety just to save a few bucks. Rest assured that all the products featured in this review are of top quality, safe and would give you value for your money’s worth.

Features

Toy shopping carts are good pretend toys that help children to develop motor skills, learn how to sort and organize items, and do a little bit of math too! There are several features that a good toy shopping cart should have. Before you go shopping for one, find out what these features are so you know what to look for. These features include the following:

Size – Includes the dimension and weight of the cart
Material – Determines the cart's durability and safety
Color – Children’s products have to be vibrant so they catch and retain attention. The color of the cart determines how realistic it is
Design – Determines how easy it would be to use
Age-appropriateness – Check what age group it is meant for

How will these features affect the usefulness or performance of any choice you make? Continue reading to find out.

Construction and Design

Most toy shopping carts are made with plastic or metal. Metal toy shopping carts are usually very realistic, looking like a regular supermarket cart. These models are usually sturdy and durable, but they can scuff or damage walls and furniture. Imagine a four-year-old cruising through the "supermarket" (house) with a metal toy shopping cart and going from aisle to aisle (room to room) picking up and dropping things. In this scenario, a metal toy shopping cart would scuff your walls and some furniture. With a plastic toy shopping cart, your walls would remain unscathed.. If you really want to have a metal toy shopping cart, consider taping some rubber bumpers onto the front of the cart to protect your walls and furniture. Otherwise, just stick to a plastic cart.

Whether you choose a plastic cart or a metal one, be sure the cart is durable and good quality. It should have safety certification. Reading the product description and some customer reviews would help you know whether the materials are safety certified, food grade FDA certified and toxin-free. Because this is a toy for children, the materials have to be child-safe and friendly.

Performance and Ease of Use

A vital thing to check before buying a cart is the age bracket that the manufacturer recommends. If you get a cart that is not age-appropriate, it's likely that the weight will tip the child over or make the child trip over it. There might also be some other hazards that smaller or younger children would be exposed to if they use it. Always follow the manufacturer’s recommendation.

Toy shopping carts are designed like regular supermarket carts. Have you ever gone shopping and had the bad luck of picking a cart with stiff wheels that refused to move unless you exerted lots of energy? You know how frustrating that was. Imagine a three-year-old having to deal with a cart with stiff wheels; you might have a tantrum on your hands. To avoid frustration at play time, get a cart with rotating front wheels that make it easy to maneuver. Another feature to look out for is an easy-to-grip handle that is comfortable for the child to hold and use to push the cart around.

What is the Best Toy Shopping Cart?

How do you know a product will provide satisfaction if you don’t know the features and the benefits? This review is designed to give you a clear understanding of the features of a toy shopping cart, so that you’ll know what will offer the value you desire. Follow us on this brief journey and pay close attention; this will help you get the best toy shopping cart for your kid.

Our Top Choice

The Step2 Little Helper's Shopping Cart gives your kids easy access to their toys while they go pretend shopping. It helps to improve their overall motor skills and is easy for them to push around. If you are looking for a car-shaped ambulatory toy, we recommend the Step2 Whisper Ride II.

Step2 Little Helper's Toy Shopping Cart - Available in Pink and Blue

Step2 Toy Shopping Cart 708500 - Pink

Features

Step2 is one of America's biggest makers of toys for preschoolers and toddlers, and one of the largest rotary plastic molders globally. Its mission is to be a leader in the innovation of kids’ products that frame imaginations and enrich the way families celebrate childhood. Step2 is committed to creating top-notch jobs in American manufacturing and making quality products designed to outlast many a childhood. It encourages knowledge acquisition, development and learning through imaginative play for children between toddler and school ages.

The Step2 Little Helper's Shopping Cart allows kids to load up their favorite dolls and toys and go pretend shopping. It helps to improve children's overall motor skills. It is quite easy for kids to push around and can contain a good number of toys. This cart is a great learning tool for kids, and also has more great features. Some of them include the following:

Toys are easily accessible - The basket is designed so your little one can easily reach toys that are placed in it
Compartment for extra toys - The space under the cart can hold more toys
Seat slot - This space seats stuffed animals or small dolls
Smooth rolling wheels - Does no damage to your delicate floors or furniture
Long-lasting structure - Built to withstand the abuse that it will certainly receive from kids
Easy to assemble - It doesn’t take much effort or skill to assemble
Manufactured in the U.S. - Some parts are imported, but the final product is made in the U.S. for quality

If you want to check other options before making a choice, Step2 has other toy shopping carts that you can examine.

Best Value

Concerned that your kids might ruin your floors with their toy shopping cart? Not with the Little Tikes Shopping Cart. It comes with wheels that run smoothly and easily, ensuring your floors are not scuffed or damaged. If you need a toy for kids under three years, try the the Little Tikes Deluxe 2-in-1 Cozy Roadster.

Little Tikes Shopping Cart

Little Tikes Shopping Cart 612428

Features

Little Tikes was established in 1970 and is a multinational producer and distributor of great products for kids. It operates under the rules of concerted team work, constant research for improvement, customer satisfaction, and overall sustainability. Little Tikes brings smiles and giggles to children and families through its fun products. It looks forward to more years of innovative and creative products that are sure to provide ultimate customer satisfaction.

Children learn through role playing, imitation and imagination. The Little Tikes Toy Shopping Cart is a pretend play toy that enables children to mimic shopping. It helps to enhance the motor skills of kids as they have fun. This beautiful and fun toy has many great features, such as:

Solid walls - To keep small items in the cart and prevent them from falling out
Ample basket storage space underneath - Plenty of room for a child's favorite toys and stuffed animals
Wheels that run smoothly and easily - This makes it easy to push and helps keep floors from being scuffed or damaged
Great for use in combination with playhouse and kitchen - Encourages imaginative and constructive learning
Made in the United States of America – To ensure quality standards are maintained
Made with durable and colorful material – Able to withstand the hard use children’s toys normally get, and also attractive and appealing to children

Not the kind of cart you want? Little Tikes has more toy shopping carts you can look at.

The Melissa & Doug Toy Shopping Cart has easy-to-grip handles that make it comfortable to push. Your kid will have endless hours of fun while developing motor skills. If you’d rather have a plastic toy shopping cart, get the Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Happy Giddy Cart.

Melissa & Doug Toy Shopping Cart with Sturdy Metal Frame

Melissa & Doug Toy Shopping Cart 4071

Features

Melissa and Doug are real-life parents who understand that children need space and freedom to explore the world around them. They know that children learn through imagination, imitation and creative play. Melissa and Doug created a company that manufactures toys and products that help children to think outside the box, use their imaginations, and explore new possibilities. The founders take pride in mentally visualizing all products and crafting every single prototype by hand till they are satisfied that it is perfect, before it is approved for mass production in the factory.

The Melissa & Doug Toy Shopping Cart is a realistic-looking child-sized metal shopping cart. It is easy to push and enables kids to learn how to sort and organize items. It also enhances motor skills and is a fun way to teach kids how to recognize different food items, and a little bit of arithmetic. This fun toy's many other terrific features include:

Realistically design with revolving wheels in front - Looks exactly like a regular shopping cart and allows the child to wheel it around without difficulty
Strong steel structure - Will last for a long time
Handles that are easy to grip - Allows kids to push it around comfortably
Enclosed seat - The folding seat is for the child to put a favorite stuffed animal or doll
Ideal accompaniment for the Melissa & Doug play food sets - Complete set makes for a whole shopping experience, from making a list, to picking out items, to paying at check-out

If this doesn’t quite meet your requirements, see Melissa & Doug's other toy shopping carts.

The Precious Toys Kids & Toddler Pretend Play Shopping Cart can be maneuvered easily around corners and other spaces. It also comes with a 23-piece grocery set. If you want a toy stroller at a lower price, you can check out the Precious Toys Pink & White Polka Dots Foldable Doll Stroller.

Precious Toys Kids & Toddler Toy Shopping Cart with Groceries

Precious Toys Toy Shopping Cart CNP0130

Features

Precious Toys understands that it is kids that determine which toys are a hit. It gets kids to test every toy, and if it passes the test, then it can be introduced into the market. Its customers have confidence that its products will be durable and that children will love them. Being around kids helps Precious Toys to understand what children like, and this enables it to produce toys that are a hit with kids and their parents!

The Precious Toys Toy Shopping Cart is a kid-sized metal cart that allows children to mimic shopping activities that they see adults around them engage in. It is an easy-to-push toy that allows users to learn while having fun. This wonderful toy is one to be included in children’s playhouse and kitchen sets. Listed below are some of its other features:

Made with long-lasting, strong metal – This makes it look exactly like the real thing, but it’s also cute enough to fascinate a child
Foldable wagon seat – This can be unfolded for the child to place favorite stuffed animal or dolls in it
Rotating front wheels – Makes it easy to push around corners and other spaces
Folds easily – Can be stored easily when not in use, and doesn’t require much space for storage
Meets USA safety regulations – Tested to ensure that the materials are lead-free
Includes 23-piece grocery set – Saves you the stress of having to look for items to load the cart
Easy-to-grip handle – Comfortable for the child to hold and push around

Get this wonderful toy shopping cart by Precious Toys and watch your little one learn while having fun.

The American Plastic Toys Deluxe Shopping Cart is colorful and beautifully designed, making it quite irresistible for kids. And with a seat for their favorite doll or teddy bear, you’ll have a hard time getting them away. If you want a high-end toy shopping cart, consider the American Plastic Toys Shop With Me Stroller.

American Plastic Toys Deluxe Shopping Cart Playset

American Plastic Toys Toy Shopping Cart 10350

Features

American Plastic Toys has been in business since 1962. Its catalog includes more than 125 toys and playthings. All its toys are assembled in the United States of America, with parts that are either made in America or bought from American companies. All plastics used in manufacturing its toys are bought in America and are FDA approved (food grade and free of toxic material).

The American Plastic Toys Deluxe Shopping Cart is colorful and beautifully designed. This makes it attractive so kids find it irresistible, and we all know what happens when this is the case. And when this happens to be something that helps them build useful skills, then every parent should be glad they have it. For those of us who don’t like fiddling with things, it comes fully assembled, saving you the hassles of setting up and dismantling it. This cart's other great qualities include the following:

Seat that’s molded in – This is designed to hold a child's favorite doll or teddy bear
Basket that folds just like regular shopping carts – This adds to the realism of the cart and allows the child to use it like adults do
Wheels that run smoothly – It is easy to push around because of wheels that rotate freely
Made with strong and durable materials – Withstands rigorous play

Not sure about this one? American Plastic Toys has more toy shopping carts. Browse the rest of its selection.

Get the Best Toy Shopping Cart of 2018!

Now that you have taken the time to read this review, you should be supplied with enough information about toy shopping carts. With this information, you are better equipped for your shopping expedition. Make that purchase now and create sweet memories with your little one.

Our Top Choice

Step2 Little Helper's Shopping Cart

Best Value

Little Tikes Shopping Cart

Melissa & Doug Toy Shopping Cart

Precious Toys Pretend Play Shopping Cart

American Plastic Toys Deluxe Shopping Cart