Shopping carts and kids

kit_kats_mom wrote: In this months Parenting magazine there was a blurb about shopping carts and kids. A mom had written in to ask if her 10 mo old was big enough to ride in one. The answer was no. Apparently the AAP has decided that shopping carts are just not safe for kids and that no child should ride in one.

I personally do not have this problem since K has refused to get in a shopping cart or stroller since she was able to walk at 8 mos. I figured some of you others may want to look into it more though.

I saw a 4 yo who was riding in the basket part of a cart, stand up and tip the cart over in wal-mart a few years ago. It was the bloodiest mess I've ever seen (as scalp injuries often are) and I will never forget it.

MommyToAshley replied: What are you supposed to do with a 10 month old when you go shopping then?

I put Ashley in the shopping cart (in the correct seat) but I always buckle her in. Well, actually, she buckles herself in. She was like K and didn't want to sit in the cart once she started walking, but she soon realized that it was the cart or go home... and she loves to shop so she chose the cart.

FroggyJK replied: Parenting magazine has got some good stuff in it sometimes, but it is also full of BS.

I can see the problems with the basket part of the cart, but kids should be just fine if they are sitting buckled in the seat.

Just my 2 cents.

kit_kats_mom replied:
Since K refuses to ride in the carts, I either

- do my shopping when DH is around and able to "baby wrangle"
- shop at a store that has the shopping carts with the cars down low in the front (she loves those)
- just run in for a few items and hold her hand while we get them. She helps me find stuff in the store. She's actually really getting better about looking with her eyes and not her hands too.
-take the sling and carry her

We have had a few run in's and had to leave a store but that was usually my fault for taking her too close to naptime.

The fact that the carts are so top heavy is why they are hazardous. They can tip easily and often the buckles are not functioning properly. I saw a young baby climb almost completely out of the seat the other day when her mom turned around to swipe her card at the checkout. She was strapped in but the strap was loose. I was quick enough to catch her but still....scary!

A&A'smommy replied: OMG how am I suppose to shop I have been putting Alyssa in one for quite a while... and I can't let her walk unless I get one of those kid leashes...

loveydad replied: *laughing to hard to respond* !!

No way are these seats dangerous if USED RIGHT. If you strap the kid in everytime, don't use it for kids who can't sit unsupported, ect. How would I shop if I oculdn't put my kids in the cart? Already I have to get one of those with the big blue seats, put tracy and nicky in that, let the twins walk, put Andri in the front of the cart and c and c in the back, and now if I have peter with me, Andriana gets to sit in the back too, and his carseat goes in front! then someone has to come with me to push another cart, this one full of food!

ctymom replied: People can find something dangerous about anything and everything. What are you supposed to do with littles while you shop? NO way will I go shopping just to chase my baby around. lol

She loves the shopping cart. I went to a store with DH once just for a quick second and didnt put her into a cart. She started whining and pointing at the carts until I put her in! lol

Pamela

Boys r us replied: ya know..kids have been riding in carts at the grocery store as long as the moon has been in the sky!

Let's break this down a little bit...how many shopping carts are there in the world with kids in them at any given second..and how many shopping cart accidents are there involving kids falling out?

I would be willing to bet that the ratio is a lot less than oh say kids getting hurt in car wrecks..so once we become parents should we hook up the horse and buggy?
I bet it's a lot less than kids drowing in swimming pools or even bathtubs, I don't hear the AAP recommending we not have swimming pools or bathtubs!

What's my point you ask? COMMON SENSE!
Put your kid in the shopping cart, the car or the bath tub, just use common sense and BE CAREFUL!

coasterqueen replied:
I was going to say the same thing about that magazine. I actually did not renew my subscription and Dh just tossed the thing because he said half that crap in there is so WRONG. I tend to agree.

But I do agree if a child is not buckled in they can be dangerous. Kylie is like Ashley in that she has herself buckled in before I can even think about doing it. She won't let you drive down the driveway without your seatbelt on. She's a stickler on that.

Josie83 replied: I agree with loveydad. If used correctly I'm sure that they will be okay. cassie sometimes will go in it and sometimes wants to walk with us, but she deson't wander off so I don't mind. I'm sure its nothing to worry abut xx

ediep replied: I always put Jay in the shopping cart seat. I also use my floppy seat cover every time which has its own buckle. He doesn't even try to get out. He is better behaved in the cart than in his stroller.

I used to work at Drug Fair (a NJ chain store like CVS) and I saw a few kids climb out of the cart and fall on the floor. My boss almost had a haert attack every time. These kids were with moms that didn't strap them in and weren't paying attention to them.

~KARA~ replied: When I go shopping I never buckle Maddison in. she can get them undone so whats the point? She knows that if she is good and sits still the hole time she gets a sucker. She has gotten really good at staying with me when she walks, and knows if she dosent listen, roams to far or touches one to many items she has to get in the cart with no sucker.

There are alot of parents out there that put their child in a cart and then they dont pay attention to whats going on around them.
Im going to have to go find my issue of Parenting and re read it i must have missed the artical!

Sunflower04 replied: I alway yell at my DH because he put Joey in the Shopping cart where he can stand.

amynicole21 replied: I agree that they are dangerous if the kid is in the back or not buckled in. Very scary... I think that if the buckles are secured it should be ok, though... Ther ehave been many times that there weren't ANY buckles or they were broken though, and I usually try to find another cart.

jcc64 replied: Don't know what I'd do w/o those carts with the little tykes type car up front- it's the only way I can shop with Corey. Either that- or the occasional store that has those child sized carts that she loves to push around. As already stated, with kids there's a disaster around every corner, but I would guess there are many more kids killed or injured every day in car accidents, should we stop driving too?

DansMom replied: Yeah, Daniel sits in the cart. It's the only way right now. I love the little car type carts, as he enjoys them quite a bit. I keep a careful eye on him and try to involve him in the choices I'm making, etc.

Maddie&EthansMom replied: I've personally never had any problems with either of mine being in a shopping cart and I don't know anyone that has.

kimberley replied: how awful! we never let the kids sit in the basket part. just the seat and never step away for a second. what a tragedy... especially since it was preventable.

eta: why do we blame the shopping cart and not the parent?

Alice replied:
As someone whose son has tipped over a cart, that's not an argument against kids in carts... it's an argument for paying better attention.

Given enough imagination and opportunity, kids can find a way to make almost any situation dangerous. The trick (which obviously I'm still working on too) is to catch them before they do harm to themselves, others, or property.

I think that, once an infant can sit up without help, the front of a supervised shopping cart is no better or worse than any other place you might put him or her.

Sure, Parents will come out against it: it serves as a warning for all of us to pay attention, since the potential danger is there. But if we honestly raised our children as so many of the experts tell us to, keeping them away from any situation in which there existed the tiniest possibility for harm, they would grow up to be emotionally crippled.

redchief replied: Amazing we didn't kill all of our children when they were little. They all rode in the shopping cart seat (didn't have the little cars back then).

My2Beauties replied: LOL LOL!!! I agree they can be dangerous if the parent is not paying attention to the child, but as long as the child is in the front strapped in (tightly) and the parent is keeping an eye on the child...I see nothing wrong with putting them in the cart!