# spinoff: riding in the shopping cart



## sisteeesmama (Oct 24, 2008)

I thought of this while reading the slide thread and since I do let my 18mo dd ride inside the cart I was wondering what others think of it?

She absolutely hates sitting in the designated spot with the strap so our rule is she has to stay seated in the big part of the cart and she can't then we will carry her/hand hold/leave the store...

It works for us and I never really thought about it!


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## just_lily (Feb 29, 2008)

Are you asking from a safety standpoint? Personally I think it is fine as long as they stay seated. I remember doing this a lot as a kid when shopping with my mom. I always had to sit on a jacket or something though because the wire mesh hurt my tush.


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## Storm Bride (Mar 2, 2005)

I don't have a problem with it. Lots of parents don't even really have a choice. If you have two young kids (or three, if it's a two-seat cart), then you need to put the "extra" one somewhere!


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## Krisis (May 29, 2008)

I've thought a lot about putting DS in the basket part because he really hates the seat but I'm going to wait till he's old enough to understand "no standing up!" because right now it's just asking for disaster









I used to ride in the basket all the time as a kid. Then when my siblings got older my mom would have me sit or lay on the pallet thing ever the basket


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## funkymamajoy (May 25, 2008)

I don't put my kids in the cart because I need that space for groceries.









When they start objecting to the seat, I start teaching them how to walk along with me.


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## Kappa (Oct 15, 2007)

Mine hates riding in the seat. I will usually start off there, and end up carrying him, which is a PITA when it's time to check out the groceries. I hadn't considered putting him in the cart because that's where I put the food for the most part. I don't want to deal with him dumping out my bag of cherries or opening the box of cheerios. And dumping that out too.

I am waiting for DH to come around to using a tether. I want one really really bad. I could let him walk as much as he wants, then carry him if/when he gets tired.


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## Storm Bride (Mar 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *funkymamajoy* 
I don't put my kids in the cart because I need that space for groceries.









When they start objecting to the seat, I start teaching them how to walk along with me.

I can understand that, but if my kids stop riding in the cart, they can stay home. I hate shopping as it is - I hate it even more when I'm dealing with kids not staying with me. DD's not bad, but ds2 is a nightmare.


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## Joyster (Oct 26, 2007)

Where I shop, the cart usually has two baskets and they're a bit shallow, so I wouldn't let my kids hang out in them. I also have my grocery boxes in them and groceries in those boxes so there is no room. My 3 year old either sits in the seat or he walks along with me. My 18 month old, sits in the seat.


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## limabean (Aug 31, 2005)

My kids have always been either strapped in the cart's seat, in a sling, or walking next to me, but I only have 2 kids and my 4yo DS is not a runner, so I have it pretty easy at the grocery store. If I had more kids or my DS wasn't so reliable about staying near me, I'm sure I'd consider putting him in the cart.

My store does have some of those car-shaped carts, though, with 2 seats up by the handle and 2 more seats inside the car, so for larger families it's nice for there to be a safe spot for at least 4 kids.

A quick story -- just last weekend, my friend was grocery shopping with her 3 sons. Her 18mo baby was strapped into the cart's seat and her 3yo and 6yo were walking with her. She turned around for a moment to grab an item from a shelf, and her 3yo decided to stand on the lower rack of the cart and the whole thing tipped over! Luckily none of the boys were hurt too badly, but it was very scary. So even if you're doing everything "right," things can still happen.


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## Alyantavid (Sep 10, 2004)

I don't think there's anything wrong with it as long as they're sitting down. It really freaks me out to see kids standing inside a cart hanging almost out of it.

My almost 3 year old loves the seat so he always sits there. And buckles himself in usually unless the belt's too short.


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## kirstenb (Oct 4, 2007)

Eh, doesn't really bother me. DS for the most part sits in the seat, but there are times when he is DONE grocery shopping and putting him in the basket will keep him satisfied long enough for me to check out. As long as he is sitting I am fine. Sometimes I will let him hang on to the side of the basket.







I remember doing that when I was little with my dad and I loved it! I also sat under the cart but I swear there was more room under there when I was little. My favorites though are the little cars attached to the carts- DS will sit in that for hours.


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## Peony (Nov 27, 2003)

I have no problem with it. I have 3 kids, eventually one ends up in there at times. They have to stay sitting though.


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## lilyka (Nov 20, 2001)

its dangerous. I let my kids do it anyway. really if you aren't really watching your toddler anywhere in a shopping cart is dangerous. I have seen many more kids tumble out of the seats (and yes they were buckled in) than out of the basket (I work at a grocery store, kids go flying all over the place all the time.) the safest place for toddlers especially are the big huge carts that look like cars or space ships or whatever. they are low to the ground and the ones that are up higher have really high sides. So much better.

I should add, we have the deep baskets here. in Tx they have the high shallow baskets and there is no way I would ever let my child ride there. of course on those carts under the basket is a really fun place to ride. . . . I don't know if I would let my toddler do it but 5 and up, heck yeah.


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## Conifer (May 4, 2009)

I used to do this, but now I am a business owner and all I can see it as is a huge liability. If a child falls to the floor, the store can be held responsible.

Each year thousands of kids fall out of shopping carts whether they are in the seat and not buckled or in the basket. It's a little scary. I caught my son at 1 when he figured out how to undo the buckle and stood up in his seat while I was looking at the shelf for something. I turned around just in time!

http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PUBS/5075.html


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## LiLStar (Jul 7, 2006)

sometimes the only way to get shopping done in peace is to bring along a couple body pillows and make Allie a cozy nest in the cart.


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## Dr.Worm (Nov 20, 2001)

DD is 9 so too big to ride in the cart now so she either walks with us or pushes the cart for us. What we do for fun is when it's time to put the cart away she gets in front of me and I tell her to hold on tight and I give her a ride through the parking lot to the cart return. People may think I am crazy but I don't care...she loves it.


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## mama_daba (Dec 7, 2004)

our grocery store is very tiny and the only carts are for children to push but if we where to shop at a store big enough for regular carts and as long as my son was well behaved i would be fine with him sitting in the cart. i'm not sure if at 19 months he would understand the importance of staying seated but then it has never come up so maybe he would be fine.


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## Storm Bride (Mar 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *lilyka* 
the safest place for toddlers especially are the big huge carts that look like cars or space ships or whatever. they are low to the ground and the ones that are up higher have really high sides.

One of our grocery stores had a few of those. I've actually followed people back to their cars to wait while they unloaded so I could get one.







Mind you, none of those people had any problem with it, and about half have admitted to doing the same thing. DH thinks I'm nuts.

The carts are gone. I know they were having trouble with people stealing them, so I guess that's why. I'm bummed.


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## Alyantavid (Sep 10, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Dr.Worm* 
DD is 9 so too big to ride in the cart now so she either walks with us or pushes the cart for us. What we do for fun is when it's time to put the cart away she gets in front of me and I tell her to hold on tight and I give her a ride through the parking lot to the cart return. People may think I am crazy but I don't care...she loves it.

That's what I do with my 7 year old. Its still fun to do that!


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## Drummer's Wife (Jun 5, 2005)

I don't have a problem with it. Sometimes, it's a necessity.

What bugs me now is that my 4 yo has been wanting to ride on the very bottom of the cart lately. That's probably more dangerous b/c I worry about him getting a limb ran over. Mostly I am annoyed because he climbs in and out easily to grab things off the lower shelves w/o me noticing.


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## Dr.Worm (Nov 20, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Alyantavid* 
That's what I do with my 7 year old. Its still fun to do that!

yeah..we go fast so it's like an amusement park ride..wish i could try it but I am a little too big for someone to push me...maybe when i lose weight


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## ChetMC (Aug 27, 2005)

We have three kids. Sometimes one is in the seat, and two are in the cart. Often though, our five year old walks, or stands on the cart frame holding on to the back of the cart.

Honestly, in crowded stores like Costco where everybody is pushing their giant cart around and not paying attention to where they are going prefer to have the kids in the cart where they won't get squished by somebody with a dolly full of dog food.


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## funkymamajoy (May 25, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Storm Bride* 
I can understand that, but if my kids stop riding in the cart, they can stay home. I hate shopping as it is - I hate it even more when I'm dealing with kids not staying with me. DD's not bad, but ds2 is a nightmare.


Honestly, I prefer to not bring the children when I'm shopping by myself. My oldest didn't object to the cart until he was past the running away phase and DD doesn't seem to mind the seat.


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## Storm Bride (Mar 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *funkymamajoy* 
Honestly, I prefer to not bring the children when I'm shopping by myself. My oldest didn't object to the cart until he was past the running away phase and DD doesn't seem to mind the seat.

DS2 likes the cart, but he's starting to object to the seat, and he can't use the strap in most of them.


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## riverscout (Dec 22, 2006)

So far we've gotten by with a baby carrier of some sort, the grocery cart seat, or walking. I've never really understood how any actual shopping could get done with a kid in the cart. The carts at my Whole Foods are so small I could probably only get a loaf of bread in there with my 3 year old. And at the big regular grocery store we go to, the carts are those sort of high shallow ones. I wouldn't feel comfortable putting my kid in there.


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## eclipse (Mar 13, 2003)

I let my kids ride in the basket once they're old enough to understand the no standing up rule.


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## Ceili (Nov 21, 2001)

Most of the time we grocery shop as a family so dh carries ds (almost 5) around on his shoulders or they walk around together and I push the cart and everyone's happy. If I need to go without dh, then ds rides in the basket of the cart, he's too big to fit in the seat part of the cart now or I would put him in there. He doesn't stand up and the carts at our stores are the really deep ones. His weight in the basket actually helps with the carts center of gravity.


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## Storm Bride (Mar 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *riverscout* 
So far we've gotten by with a baby carrier of some sort, the grocery cart seat, or walking. I've never really understood how any actual shopping could get done with a kid in the cart.

DD actually likes it when I bury her partway. I obviously avoid putting anything too heavy, cold or uncomfortable on her, but she'll ask me to put fruit, veggies, bread, cereal, etc. on her. One day, she told me it was her goal to have only her head sticking out of the groceries.

I shop mostly at one of two stores. One of them has standard older carts - one seat, and a narrow, deep basket (this is the store that used to have the car carts). It can be hard to fit my groceries in sometimes. The other store has wider, shallower carts. They have two seats, but only three leg holes - my kids are too big to share the shelf comfortably now - and two baskets - one upper one that's about half the length of the cart, and then the lower one. They hold more, and sometimes one of my kids will ride in the upper basket. That's not quite as safe as the lower one, but still fine, if they stay seated...and I don't have any problem fitting in my groceries that way!


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## Just Elsa (May 18, 2009)

The carts at our store have a sign on them forbidding children in the basket area. I figure the cart owner has spoken and that's that. If there's not a prohibition... well, I think it's a safety risk because of the way those carts are balanced, but that's your call.


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## mouthcave (Oct 9, 2008)

I've just started letting my 2.5 year old do that. Standing up isn't an issue or hasn't been one yet. He usually just rests his head on something and relaxes, haha. This doesn't really work on big trips to the store as there isn't any room in the basket.
We usually start off in the seat, then move on to walking and then he asks to sit in the basket. I'm often relieved once he asks for the basket because he has a habit of walking REALLY close to the buggy and it makes me nervous because he is so little!
The first couple of times I let him do it, I did feel a little uncomfortable about what other people were thinking, to be honest, because I was always taught that was "wrong" when growing up.


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## eclipse (Mar 13, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Just Elsa* 
The carts at our store have a sign on them forbidding children in the basket area. I figure the cart owner has spoken and that's that. If there's not a prohibition... well, I think it's a safety risk because of the way those carts are balanced, but that's your call.

My husband used to work for Michael's and they had a rule against kids sitting in their carts because they were particularly tippy due to their size. So, no sitting in the baskets when we shopped at Daddy's work!


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## vegemamato (Jul 4, 2007)

We avoid letting the kids ride in the cart all together, unless I forget to bring the ergo









I like the room for groceries, I prefer not to have bites taken from our produce and, honestly, I'm rather grossed out by the raw meat and stuff that people put in there carts. When we can, we forego the cart completely and just use reuable bags..

I don't mind other kids sitting in them though, as long as they're actually SITTING- my partner works in a grocery store, and we have seen more than a few accidents waiting to happen (or happening as we're walking by







)


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## LynnS6 (Mar 30, 2005)

They can ride in the shopping cart but the rules are:

You sit on your bottom or stay on your knees. The first time they stand, they're out and either walking or riding in the designated seat. I only had to remove dd ONCE to teach that rule.


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## Bug-a-Boo's Mama (Jan 15, 2008)

I see nothing wrong with it. My DS has never minded sitting in the seat of the cart though. Only recently have I let him sit in the bottom of the cart. I generally prefer him in the seat so that I can see/hear him when he talks. He also tends to want to play around in the bottom part and I don't want him to pinch his fingers







.


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## karemore (Oct 7, 2008)

It's too dangerous. We see other kids doing it all the time and DD always asks why she can't. I tell it's not safe. Period.

She rides in the seat, one of the "fun" carts shaped like a car, or target has big kid seats in some of their carts, or she walks.

When she was an infant, I pushed her in her stroller and pulled the cart. I wouldn't put her car seat carrier on top of the seat like most people do. She didn't ride in the cart at all until she was able to sit up strapped in the seat.

Google shopping cart accidents or safety if you think I'm overly cautious.


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## JessBB (Apr 10, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *karemore* 
It's too dangerous. We see other kids doing it all the time and DD always asks why she can't. I tell it's not safe. Period.

Finally, someone who shares my unpopular opinion! Let's go shopping, karemore!


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## mamazee (Jan 5, 2003)

Sleeping in bed with your kids can be unsafe if you're not careful too. I have done both, and I've done both carefully. I'm very comfortable with it, but you do have to watch them like a hawk to make sure they stay sitting the whole time. First time they try to get up, they come out of the cart. It doesn't take but one or two times for them to understand.


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## theatermom (Jun 5, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mamazee* 
Sleeping in bed with your kids can be unsafe if you're not careful too. I have done both, and I've done both carefully. I'm very comfortable with it, but you do have to watch them like a hawk to make sure they stay sitting the whole time. First time they try to get up, they come out of the cart. It doesn't take but one or two times for them to understand.









This. My rule is simple: stay seated, or get out. We've never had a problem.

A friend's son did fall out of a cart when he was 5. He was standing up, and someone bumped the cart. He was hospitalized briefly for a head injury. So, yes, STANDING in a shopping cart CAN be very dangerous.

I'm very comfortable with a child sitting in a cart, if the parent is actually watching.


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## lilyka (Nov 20, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *vegemamato* 
I like the room for groceries, I prefer not to have bites taken from our produce and, honestly, I'm rather grossed out by the raw meat and stuff that people put in there carts. When we can, we forego the cart completely and just use reuable bags..


you make a good point! carts are pretty gross. someone complained once because I was hauling garbage in one. Hello! raw meat goes in there. kids with who knows what on their shoes and hands. cans that have had maggots and botulism on them. they have been in a parking lot gathering exhaust residue. my garbage bag full of fresh coffee grounds is probably the cleanest thing that has been in there in months!







but yeah, I also wouldn;t recommend letting your kids sit on the conveyor belts or put their hands on them. seriously. dirtier than a toilet seat . . . .


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## hopefulfaith (Mar 28, 2005)

I know it's not safe, and I agree it's disgusting...but I do it anyway. Mine are 3 and 2, and I think of it as a containment device. Grocery stores are easy when I've only got one along, but both of them walking alongside? Nope. I'd be *that* mom that gets talked about in an MDC thread: "I saw the worst mom today! She was actually -hissing- at her children at the grocery store!"

Yep, that would be me.







Until they can accompany me without "helping" me by putting all of the stuff on the bottom shelves into our cart while my back was turned, they ride.


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## Storm Bride (Mar 2, 2005)

I'm a little confused about the "unsafe" thing. How is being low in the basket less safe than being up high in the seat?

I don't care about the germ factor. Germs are honestly something that barely register on my radar.


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## Just Elsa (May 18, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Storm Bride* 
I'm a little confused about the "unsafe" thing. How is being low in the basket less safe than being up high in the seat?

I don't care about the germ factor. Germs are honestly something that barely register on my radar.

It has to do with the center of gravity/balance of the cart. They are not designed to have large children in the basket and a sudden movement can cause them to tip. They are built to safely have small children in the seat- it's factored into the design.


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## Storm Bride (Mar 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Just Elsa* 
It has to do with the center of gravity/balance of the cart. They are not designed to have large children in the basket and a sudden movement can cause them to tip. They are built to safely have small children in the seat- it's factored into the design.

I guess that makes sense, but it does presume that children are going to _stay_ in the seat. IME, a lot of kids don't.


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## FreeRangeMama (Nov 22, 2001)

I have 4 young kids and I generally do the shopping with all of them along. I put them wherever I need to in order to get the job done! Seriously, how else would we eat? I am dealing with kids with ASD so it is necessary for me.

The 8 yo gets really overwhelmed/overstimulated in stores. He needs to go in the cart or he just can't function. The 5 yo also gets overstimulated in stores, but he swings the opposite way and becomes uncontrollably hyperactive. He can't help it, he just gets overwhelmed. I bribe him into the cart to prevent him from running around me in circles (coping mechanism) which inevitably leads to him getting hit full on by someone else's cart. Or running into people, or any other variety of things. It is safer for all of us to keep him in the cart.

The younger ones sit safely in the double seats (if available) though they are both quite adept at getting out of the belts if I am not looking! I am not generally worried about it. Like anything, a good amount of common sense is necessary. As is teaching kids to sit and WHY they should sit. But honestly, on my list of things that could be dangerous it is not a big priority for me.


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## kirstenb (Oct 4, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *funkymamajoy* 
Honestly, I prefer to not bring the children when I'm shopping by myself. My oldest didn't object to the cart until he was past the running away phase and DD doesn't seem to mind the seat.

I love when I get to go shopping without DS but that's few and far inbetween. Since he is usually with me, I have to make do any way I can.


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## runes (Aug 5, 2004)

Personally, I don't do it because I think it's unsafe.


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## wondertwins (Oct 12, 2007)

Wow, I've read most of the replies, and didn't realize until now that I'm very much in the minority. Since they were old enough to stand and "hold-on", I've let DD or DS stand in the cart, with the other one sitting in the designated area. Of course the child in the carrier part of the cart wouldn't allow me to actually put groceries there, so I placed a basket under the carriage (and if the car/truck option isn't available, I still use this method). I usually give them some kind of snack in order to make it through the store in peace and the rule is that DS has to hold onto the cart with at least one hand or sit down.

Funny that I thought this was a better option than the car/truck carts, until they were about 18 months, though I can't remember why. DD knew how to hold on at an earlier age, but she also seemed less trustworthy (i.e., she tried to hoist herself over the edge). She didn't come close to climbing out, but after that I switched them, and just stay within arms reach of the cart. Before they were able to stand I carried DD in a Beco, as she's much lighter, but she tired of being confined for the weekly shopping trip around 12 months.

Maybe it's different with twins? You just have to make otherwise unsafe things work?! I know that if I allowed one twin to walk the other would not be content in the cart, and if they were both walking they would take off in opposite directions, which seems really unsafe to me.


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## mbbinsc (May 8, 2008)

My sister had 2.5 yo twins tip the cart over while she was shopping. They both wanted to be on the side facing Mommy (and standing up). She luckily got to the cart before her 1 yo (who was sitting in the seat) got hurt. The stores around here have the fun carts so my nine year old often gives his 3 yo sister a race through the store. Thank goodness we shop at off times.


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## tayndrewsmama (May 25, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *funkymamajoy* 
I don't put my kids in the cart because I need that space for groceries.









When they start objecting to the seat, I start teaching them how to walk along with me.









This is what I did with my kids.


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## mistymama (Oct 12, 2004)

I don't have a problem with it at all.

I've put ds in there before when he was not feeling well (didn't want to walk) and I needed to get a few groceries. His biggest complaint was that his butt hurt, so I had to buy some TP rolls for him to sit on.









Now that he's 6.5 he thinks it's very babyish to sit in the cart and the last time I made him get in (he was running off and not listening) - he sat there and said "Mom, I feel like such a DORK in here!" I bursted out laughing, it was so cute.


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## ChinaDoll (Jul 27, 2003)

We do it

I know it's not really safe

Usually at Kroger we go for one of the carts with a car attached. And sooner or later there is arguing, so we move one kid to the front "baby seat" (both kids are around 40 lbs)

But Walmart doesn't have car carts - only those big, molded seats at the back of a regular cart. And those promote kicking one another for amusement.

So the alternative is one in front, one in back. Or one walking, which soon turns to complaining, running in front of the cart, or hanging off the side of the cart, which I consider more dangerous (for tipping purposes).

Whoever sits in back must stay SEATED. FWIW, I was a kid who fell out of the shopping cart at age 3 -- one of those very high, very shallow kind (what was my mother thinking?!) I hit face first, lost consciousness, blacked both eyes ... daycare called CPS because of the black eyes and my refusal to give a plausible reason why ... yet I still do put a kid in the back of a (regular, deep) cart. And stay right beside the cart.

Shopping with 2 kids - it's not fun.


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## Alyantavid (Sep 10, 2004)

Quote:

It has to do with the center of gravity/balance of the cart. They are not designed to have large children in the basket and a sudden movement can cause them to tip. They are built to safely have small children in the seat- it's factored into the design.
Yeah but is a 50 lb kid any different than a big basket full of groceries? And if I don't have a kid with me, I put my purse in the seat part so that could roughly weigh the same as a small child (I have a big purse). Having a child sitting the basket can't be anymore dangerous than having it completely full of groceries really.


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## fairymom (Sep 15, 2008)

I DO NOT let my dc ride in the basket EVER. as you can see I have strong feelings on this issue.

When my 2 oldest where little I had ds14 in the seat and dd15 in the basket- she was 2 and 1/2.She had always been really good at staying sitting but just that once she stood up while my back was turned for just a moment, and fell out. She broke her arm.

Since that incident i have worked in a couple retail stores w/carts and have seen soooo many accidents and los getting seriously hurt.EVEN brain injuries (yes I know this because they come back and then try and SUE the store for damages!).The right fall at the right angle could snap their necks! I never thought about it before my dd fell but the distance they fall is about twice their height and usually these kids fall head first.I think its plain dangerous and worry very much every time I see someone ALLOWING their dc in the basket!

I have since had 4 more dc and if the store doesn't have the multi kid cart the littlest goes in the seat and the olders walk! If my dc won't sit in the seat (w/the belt on) then he can try to walk w/me and if that fails we leave. I want my children to be safe and not suffer unnessacarily.

Would you let your baby or dc ride in the seat w/o a belt? The car w/o a car seat or seat belt? I know some of you said you did it as a child and your mothers let you- but would you do everything your mother did as a parent? My mom was a great mom but I don't spank my dc which she did to me.


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## Tigerchild (Dec 2, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Alyantavid* 
Having a child sitting the basket can't be anymore dangerous than having it completely full of groceries really.

Except for the fact that most groceries can't stand up unexpectedly or lean over the side just this one time. And if your groceries fall out when/if the cart tips, at worst there will just be a mess to clean up. If it's a child, there probably will be a serious injury. I really don't care if a watermelon or apple juice container bounces headlong along the floor--I'm sorry, but I don't really want to see a child do that.

But as people say, parents choose risk all the time. I don't think that parents who let their kids stand up in the back of the cart, ect. are horrible people, it's just a risk that I personally didn't feel comfortable taking, since I was able to find other solutions.

My kids have never ridden in the basket of the cart, and I have 3--my singleton is 17 months older than my twins. For awhile I was having to make shorter shopping trips, using my own shopping bag plus the cargo area of my triple stroller, did a babysitting trade so that I only had to take 1 or 2 kids with me, ect. It was a little more pain in the butt, but since I'd already had a scare catching a child falling out of the shopping cart, it was better on my nerves. Other people might choose differently.


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## ShadowMom (Jun 25, 2004)

Good grief. I only have one child, I can only imagine what it's like to go shopping with two or more!

For me, if DS wants to sit in the big cart basket, he can, I just remind him to stay seated. He's 5 and he's really too big to sit in th eseat of the cart, I can't get him out easily and it kills my back. It's much easier in the main cart compartment because I can swing his legs to the side when getting him out.

I mean, honestly, virtually everything is unsafe to one degree or another. I think our attention is most on the things that other people can be liable for because they have the most motivation to prevent or control our behavior. It's all a matter of risk reward, just like everything in life is.

I think whatever situation gets you through shopping alive with the least amount of heartache is OK, personally.







When my DS was smaller shopping was a nightmare and it's one of those things that has to be done. Too bad they don't have carts that are designed differently, I mean these things were all made in the 70's or so, right? Have they fundamentally changed since then, except the seat belt? Don't think they have. I would think that they could make a better cart design at some point.


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## Just Elsa (May 18, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Alyantavid* 
Yeah but is a 50 lb kid any different than a big basket full of groceries? And if I don't have a kid with me, I put my purse in the seat part so that could roughly weigh the same as a small child (I have a big purse). Having a child sitting the basket can't be anymore dangerous than having it completely full of groceries really.

Do the groceries wiggle?


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## Dr.Worm (Nov 20, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Just Elsa* 
Do the groceries wiggle?

well Jello does







sorry, couldn't resist....that is all...


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## tayndrewsmama (May 25, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Alyantavid* 
Having a child sitting the basket can't be anymore dangerous than having it completely full of groceries really.

I disagree. Groceries pretty much stay where you put them. If a child can't be trusted to walk along side, they can't be trusted to not move in such a way that may cause the cart to tip or for them to fall out.


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## Alyantavid (Sep 10, 2004)

Quote:

Having a child *sitting* the basket can't be anymore dangerous than having it completely full of groceries really.
Sitting in the basket. Not wiggling, jiggling or trying to jump out. Sitting.


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## mamazee (Jan 5, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tayndrewsmama* 
I disagree. Groceries pretty much stay where you put them. If a child can't be trusted to walk along side, they can't be trusted to not move in such a way that may cause the cart to tip or for them to fall out.

I disagree with that. They are two different issues. My dd would get distracted when walking along the cart but had no problem sitting the whole time in the cart.


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## tayndrewsmama (May 25, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mamazee* 
I disagree with that. They are two different issues. My dd would get distracted when walking along the cart but had no problem sitting the whole time in the cart.









I guess we can agree to disagree. Perhaps it's the things I have seen happen and heard of happening that leads me to feel that way. A little bit like people who have a 15 year old dog that always rode just fine in the back of a pickup and then one day it jumped out an no one knows why. Things happen, that's all.

And, no, I am not saying children are dogs.


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## Tigerchild (Dec 2, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Alyantavid* 
Sitting in the basket. Not wiggling, jiggling or trying to jump out. Sitting.

The problem is that (most) children are not static. You can normally expect groceries to remain as they're placed, unless you get bumped or something tips. Children far less so. The kiddo I caught was not behaving wildly or out of control. He just peered over the edge, not even standing up fully (he was kneeling) The balance of the cart's groceries plus him hit the magical angle, and out he went.

So I do think that children in the cart are inherently more dangerous than groceries because children have a mind of their own. Though I think an unbalanced cart falling on someone can be very dangerous too. And having had skin taken off my heels and calves because of rampaging Costco cart ladies not paying attention to where they're going, totally childless carts driven by inattentive people can be harmful as well.


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## One_Girl (Feb 8, 2008)

I think that is safe if she is seated and you hold the cart. Kids that age move so fast though that if you take your hands off the cart for a few seconds they can tip the cart and hurt themselves, even if they are buckled in. The impulse control just isn't there for young kids.


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## Storm Bride (Mar 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ChinaDoll* 
FWIW, I was a kid who fell out of the shopping cart at age 3 -- one of those very high, very shallow kind (what was my mother thinking?!)

I don't know what your mother was thinking, but if that had been me with dd _or_ ds2, I'd have probably been thinking something like "this is a better price in bulk - I wonder if I can afford to tie up that much grocery money in it", and not thinking about the child at all...as they would have been strapped into the seat. DS1 and dd could both unstrap & stand up - quietly - in second by the time they were 18 months old. It took ds2 until he was a couple of months older. Any of them could have fallen out of a cart in the time it took me to turn around and pick up a couple of cans of tomatoes...even though they were strapped in.


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## ChetMC (Aug 27, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Just Elsa* 
The carts at our store have a sign on them forbidding children in the basket area. I figure the cart owner has spoken and that's that. If there's not a prohibition... well, I think it's a safety risk because of the way those carts are balanced, but that's your call.

This policy would honestly lead to us shopping elsewhere.


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## Storm Bride (Mar 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tayndrewsmama* 
I disagree. Groceries pretty much stay where you put them. If a child can't be trusted to walk along side, they can't be trusted to not move in such a way that may cause the cart to tip or for them to fall out.

I beg your pardon? All three of my kids are/were far more reliable in the cart than out of it. When their feet hit the floor, they get a little crazy.


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## tayndrewsmama (May 25, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Storm Bride* 
I beg your pardon? All three of my kids are far more reliable in the cart than out of it. When their feet hit the floor, they get a little crazy.

Uh, no need to get upset. I challenge anyone on this board to prove that they can predict every single move their children will ever make. Not going to happen.


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## Storm Bride (Mar 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tayndrewsmama* 
Uh, no need to get upset. I challenge anyone on this board to prove that they can predict every single move their children will ever make. Not going to happen.

Who said I could? But, my kids are far more predictable in the cart than on the floor. That's just a fact. If I'm going to let my kids walk, I may as well not even pretend to shop, because I won't be able to get anything done.


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## choli (Jun 20, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *lilyka* 
you make a good point! carts are pretty gross. someone complained once because I was hauling garbage in one. Hello! raw meat goes in there. kids with who knows what on their shoes and hands. cans that have had maggots and botulism on them. they have been in a parking lot gathering exhaust residue. my garbage bag full of fresh coffee grounds is probably the cleanest thing that has been in there in months!







but yeah, I also wouldn;t recommend letting your kids sit on the conveyor belts or put their hands on them. seriously. dirtier than a toilet seat . . . .

I find the idea of kids with dirty shoes and diapered butts in the cart gross. Not particularly logical, just a gut feeling.


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## tayndrewsmama (May 25, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Storm Bride* 
Who said I could? But, my kids are far more predictable in the cart than on the floor. That's just a fact. If I'm going to let my kids walk, I may as well not even pretend to shop, because I won't be able to get anything done.

...and there's still much room for error in the basket of a cart. Do what you need to. I mistakenly thought that you were suggesting that it was safe to have children in the basket, not that you felt it was easier than chasing them.


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## Storm Bride (Mar 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tayndrewsmama* 
...and there's still much room for error in the basket of a cart. Do what you need to. I mistakenly thought that you were suggesting that it was safe to have children in the basket, not that you felt it was easier than chasing them.

I find the idea of "safe" where little kids are concerned completely humourous. My son broke his arm in my living room. My son and I almost got killed crossing a street with the pedestrian light, when a truck pulled out from a red, and turned, without checking the intersection. All three of my kids have come close to getting run over by cars...and ds1 did it by pulling free of my hand and bolting (when I tried to grab him, my feet went out from under me on wet grass). Two of my kids have, when walking with me on a shopping trip, bolted for the doors to the parking lot. The only one of my kids who has ever even come close to falling out of a shopping cart is ds2...and he was strapped into the seat at the time.

If I wanted to keep my kids safe, we'd never leave the house, and I'd pad all my furniture with pillows.


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## Alyantavid (Sep 10, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Storm Bride* 
Who said I could? But, my kids are far more predictable in the cart than on the floor. That's just a fact. If I'm going to let my kids walk, I may as well not even pretend to shop, because I won't be able to get anything done.

Exactly. True the bag of flour might not jump out the side, but my kid's not going to either.


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## tayndrewsmama (May 25, 2004)

My I suggest bubbles? Then you can still maybe leave the house on occasion, providing the sun isn't too hot that day.


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## lilyka (Nov 20, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *choli* 
I find the idea of kids with dirty shoes and diapered butts in the cart gross. Not particularly logical, just a gut feeling.

my kids have leaked more than once in the grocery cart. and I think shoes are gross. you never wash them and they walk through heaven knows what. I mean think of all the chemicals in the grocery store parking lot a lot. I'm just saying. carts are not clean. groceries are not clean. I don't mind my kids getting dirty but I am under no illusions of what has been dropped, spilled, leaked or tracked into things like grocery carts. and the closet they ever come to getting washed is left in the rain a few minutes. and I work and shop at a more upscale grocery store.

I also think stores are ridiculously dangerous places for kids. even if your kids didn't break it things get broken constantly and you never know where a stray shard of glass could be lurking. end caps are constantly falling over where I work. other people not watching where they are going. I think even the back of a cart is safer than kids walking through a store. . . .I constantly have cuts from products and shelving on my hands. its insane.


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## Storm Bride (Mar 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *lilyka* 
and the closet they ever come to getting washed is left in the rain a few minutes.










I live in the Pacific Northwest...there's no "few minutes" about it. It's more like a few days. But, yeah - certainly not sterile.


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## leighi123 (Nov 14, 2007)

The only time he rides in the big part is at Joann's, when he gets bored of waiting for the fabric to be cut. - at the grocery store he has never asked to, so it hasnt been an issue yet, I dont think I'd want him sitting where he could squish the food!
He is ONLY allowed to sit in the big part if he is sitting on his bottom - if he keeps standing up, he goes back in the seat.

And I ALWAYS buckle him up in the seat - I've heard of several kids falling out, just from wiggling around bored or whatever, and it really bugs me when people dont buckle up their kids. I dont remember what the number is but there are thousands of kids injured in shopping cart accidents every year! You buckle them in the car right? So why not the cart! And it also bugs me when people put the infant carseats on top of the cart, its so dangerous, makes the cart top-heavy and they tip over all the time - saw one fall over at walmart a while ago, very scary.


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## GuildJenn (Jan 10, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *leighi123* 
And I ALWAYS buckle him up in the seat - I've heard of several kids falling out, just from wiggling around bored or whatever, and it really bugs me when people dont buckle up their kids. I dont remember what the number is but there are thousands of kids injured in shopping cart accidents every year! You buckle them in the car right? So why not the cart! And it also bugs me when people put the infant carseats on top of the cart, its so dangerous, makes the cart top-heavy and they tip over all the time - saw one fall over at walmart a while ago, very scary.


My son was a bit of an oddball this way but - when he learned to pull up on things (late-sh - around 10 months) the second thing he pulled up on was the cupboard door. Because he wanted to undo the child safety lock. Which he did.

By 12 months he could undo many straps (if they worked at all... half of ours were unbroken). The ones he couldn't do through sheer strength would induce massive rages in him.

So we couldn't strap him in. Mostly I used the Ergo, but sometimes, he sat with no straps. Trust me it was safer than him thrashing around irate that someone had dared design a clasp he couldn't get undone.


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## Just Elsa (May 18, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Alyantavid* 
Sitting in the basket. Not wiggling, jiggling or trying to jump out. Sitting.

If you have mastered making small children sit perfectly still without shifting their weight around you are destined to be rich.


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## alekslasce (May 6, 2009)

DD HATES sitting there, so she just walks. But I don't think I would mind.


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## boringscreenname (Sep 26, 2007)

Fortunately the grocery store we frequent has the carts with the seats for two or three kids, and they also have the carts that have the little car. So if DS doesn't want to sit in the seat we can just one of those carts, or if one isn't available one of us can carry him or he can walk along with the other parent. I'm a non-driver so all of our shopping trips are family outings (DH hates shopping and won't do it alone).

As far as riding in the basket goes, no he won't be allowed to, because I need the space for groceries since we only go shopping twice a month.


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## Ceili (Nov 21, 2001)

Honestly I'm more concerned that ds might get run over by some other person's cart, either because he wasn't looking where he was going or they weren't, than I am about the cart tipping over with him in it. If we're shopping and it's just me and him, I usually bring him a book and he sits and as still as a 4.5 year old is capable of doing. Which while wiggly is not enough movement that it changes the center of gravity of the cart.

I've had a lot more near misses of getting hit by a cart than I have of tipping the cart over. The only tipping problems I've had occur when I hit a crack or a seam in the sidewalk or parking lot, so he doesn't get to ride when we're out there.


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## OkiMom (Nov 21, 2007)

I don't mostly because I know DD1 will NOT stay sitted if she was in the big part. She either stays sitting in front (some of the carts here have a car part in front with steering wheels that she likes) or walks with me. If she won't do either either DH or I take her out.

Last couple of times I went alone which was great. Its a whole lot faster and cheaper if I don't have DH and the girls with me.


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## meemee (Mar 30, 2005)

i have not read all the pages....

but i say oh thank goodness for the 'car' carts.

my dd never sat in the designated seat. she either 'sat' inside or walked or was carried. until the car cart.

*sigh* however the moment she outgrew all of them she wanted to be strapped in, she wanted to sleep in the baby seat







: now she just sits in there with her nose in a book. or she sits and waits at the childrens' section with her nose in her book while i finish shopping. she is 6. and i feel completely safe adn comfortable doing this. in fact we've been doing this since she was 5.


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## Alyantavid (Sep 10, 2004)

Quote:

You buckle them in the car right? So why not the cart!
Those straps are only so big. My 2 year old is a big boy and those straps rarely fit him, even though he loves to be strapped in.

Quote:

If you have mastered making small children sit perfectly still without shifting their weight around you are destined to be rich.
I was being a little sarcastic about the wiggling and jiggling. But if my kid is going to sit where the food is, he has to be fairly still. Luckily, my 2 year old hasn't discovered that he can sit in there and my 7 year old is too big now. When he was younger, I did let him sit there and he always sat on his butt and didn't move too much.


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## Smalls181 (May 12, 2006)

I let DD ride in the basket. If she stands up, the cart stops until she is seated again. She also likes to walk with me, though, and she is pretty good at staying nearby and not messing with everything she sees.

ETA: We had a shopping car injury last year, because she was goofing off around and on the cart. I am still not sure exactly how it happened, but I ran her hand over with a pretty full shopping cart, and we had to spend the rest of the afternoon in the ER getting X-rays. It was no fun.


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## octobermom (Aug 31, 2005)

as long as mine sits I'm fine with it. At around 2ish I had her in the back of a Target cart and she kept standing and once before I knew it she fell over the edge flipped over and slammed her head on the hard floor.







After than the must sit rule was firmly enforced.

Deanna


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## becoming (Apr 11, 2003)

My 3.5-year-old rides in the back part of the cart, because my not quite 2-year-old has to ride in the front part. She knows not to stand up or hang on the side or any of that business.


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## Princess ConsuelaB (Apr 11, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tayndrewsmama* 
My I suggest bubbles? Then you can still maybe leave the house on occasion, providing the sun isn't too hot that day.

















:


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## octobermom (Aug 31, 2005)

Quote:

Quote







riginally Posted by Just Elsa
The carts at our store have a sign on them forbidding children in the basket area. I figure the cart owner has spoken and that's that. If there's not a prohibition... well, I think it's a safety risk because of the way those carts are balanced, but that's your call.

This policy would honestly lead to us shopping elsewhere.
I've never seen a cart that didn't have this warning actually...

Deanna


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## Mommy2Austin (Oct 10, 2006)

I also love the "car" carts because I like not having to push two carts. DH and I just automatically started pushing 2 carts because we always fill up the grocery cart so there's no way a kid would fit in the basket if we were shopping. So one kid goes in one seat and one in the other unless the car is available









(As a side thought to the OP, is it possible she fights it because she's uncomfortable? Maybe it slows circulation in her legs and makes them fall asleep or her bottom hurt?? Maybe padding the seat to make it comfy would make it easier to get her to sit.)


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## mrspineau (Jan 15, 2008)

i watch a little girl during the day, I take her and ds shopping a lot and I often let one ride in the basket. i do have a double stroller though and i use it a lot. i have never really thought about it before i just thought everyone does it.


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## mbhf (Jan 8, 2005)

in the grocery store... no. I need that space for my groceries. My 2yo sits in the seat or on my back and my 4 and 6yos walk beside me with a hand on the cart.

in target? oh yes. My 2yo still rides in the seat but I put my other boys in the basket with a bag of popcorn and walk around looking until the popcorn runs out.


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## Yooper (Jun 6, 2003)

The place we frequent only has the high basket carts that were popular in the 1980s so the basket was not OK for sitting. They also do not have functioning seat belts. During dd's squirmier phases, I brought a long tie to fashion as a belt. However, if I felt that my child could be trusted to sit reasonably well and I was feeling attentive enough to keep an eye on her, I would have had no problem with her sitting in the regular grocery cart basket.

Perspective people. Seriously. I am quite surprised that people are flinging around thinly veiled insults at each other over this. You do what you gotta do. If you have the kid that bolts for the door or climbs the end caps, the basket is likely a far lesser risk.

Yes, kids get hurt in shopping carts. Kids get hurt doing just about everything. My dd fractured her leg tripping over her own feet in our kitchen...... The far greater danger is the car trip to the store...even with the latest and greatest car seat. If kids sitting in the cart makes you nervous, don't put your kid in there. But to call one negligent/dumb/EVIL for weighing up the scenario and deciding the cart basket makes the most sense is a bit over the top IMO.

FTR, I was victim of a runaway cart. My mom was loading the groceries into the car while I was properly fastened into the seat. As she put the last bag in, the slight slope of the lot caused the cart to roll away. It picked up speed until it hit a drain cover and surrounding depression and went end over end. It was terrifying for everyone involved, but I was fine. Then my mom put me in the trunk of the station wagon with no seatbelt to keep the groceries from toppling on the drive home







Bigger fish to fry.


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## Tigerchild (Dec 2, 2001)

Uh....where has someone called people using the basket "evil"?


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## lilyka (Nov 20, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Yooper* 
FTR, I was victim of a runaway cart. My mom was loading the groceries into the car while I was properly fastened into the seat. As she put the last bag in, the slight slope of the lot caused the cart to roll away. It picked up speed until it hit a drain cover and surrounding depression and went end over end. It was terrifying for everyone involved, but I was fine. Then my mom put me in the trunk of the station wagon with no seatbelt to keep the groceries from toppling on the drive home







Bigger fish to fry.

oh my gosh! thats absolutely horrifying!!! (the cart not the station wagon part)


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

Oh good grief, people do get bent out of shape over the littlest things....

DD fell out of the 'babyseat' part of a cart (roperly buckled) when she was about 2.5. The edge of the cart fell off, and she went down with it (it was a pretty new cart, there would have been no way to predict that.)

I can't put my kids in bubble wrap, but given the risk of a child wandering off or being injured by something falling, somonne running over them, someone walking off with them etc, I'll take my chances with the cart. If they sit on their bum in the bottom of the cart, they can stay. If they can't do that, or remain safely buckled, they certainly aren't to be trusted walking around.

I do think it's dangerous to see a kid standing in a cart and leaning over, but when they're sitting nicely, it simply isn't a big enough risk for me to feel like I should judge someone else's choices because it might not be the ideal solution.

What is the ideal solution though when you have a cart with one child seat, and two kids too small to walk around on their own? A carrier may not work for everyone.. not everyone has child care...

I suspect we all do the best we can, and try to keep our kids as safe as we can.


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## queenjane (May 17, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *confustication* 

What is the ideal solution though when you have a cart with one child seat, and two kids too small to walk around on their own? A carrier may not work for everyone.. not everyone has child care...

I'm a single mom with a 16 month old and a 13 month old, and shopping was somewhat of a nightmare until i figured out to just take two carts. Its actually easier than you'd think! (Though i get lots of looks from other shoppers.) I dont have a problem with kids in the big basket but my toddler insisted on standing, so that didnt work out, plus he would step on the groceries. taking the double stroller in also wasnt a great solution, as they are more likely to fuss than when up high in the cart, plus not too much room for groceries. So, if i take two carts they can each have a seat, i can put my purse, diaper bag and any jackets in the basket of one, and the groceries in the other. I pretty much push one cart while pulling the other...a little tricky rounding corners but i've gotten pretty good at it!

Katherine


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## delicious (Jun 16, 2003)

i just leave my kids in the car while i shop


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## sweetpeppers (Dec 19, 2007)

My son sits in the designated spot, stands in the food area, pushes the cart, rides on the front and the back of the cart, or walks beside.


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## tayndrewsmama (May 25, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *delicious* 
i just leave my kids in the car while i shop









My parents did.


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## swd12422 (Nov 9, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *funkymamajoy* 
I don't put my kids in the cart because I need that space for groceries.









When they start objecting to the seat, I start teaching them how to walk along with me.

This. Fortunately, DS (18 mos) has never known anything different, so doesn't mind riding in the seat. Hopefully that won't change anytime soon...


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## Yooper (Jun 6, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *delicious* 
i just leave my kids in the car while i shop


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## Yooper (Jun 6, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *lilyka* 
oh my gosh! thats absolutely horrifying!!! (the cart not the station wagon part)

Actually, from a physics standpoint, the basket of the cart has a lower center of gravity than the seat, even if a small child is standing in it. So, had I been in the basket rather than the seat, the cart may not have flipped. It probably would have still tipped over but the tumbling action might have been avoided. You just never know.....

All of the witnesses were shocked that I came out with only a couple of minor cuts and bruises. So was I. I was only three but I still vividly remember thinking it was NOT GOOD that I was rolling away..... The road was only another 10 feet past the drain cover







:


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## delicious (Jun 16, 2003)

lol!

what i really want is a nanny to watch my kids while i shop.

i really hate those car carts. they are impossible to maneuver, when ds was around 2ish, we always had to get them, and then he would grab stuff off the shelves as i went by.

i have seen carts turn over from kids standing on the side and holding on. my 7yo always does that and i keep having to remind her to get off!


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## riverscout (Dec 22, 2006)

With all the talk of falling, flipping, being run over, carts falling apart, end caps toppling, and runaway carts, I'm thinking about making my daughter wear a crash helmet and perhaps a bubble wrap suit next we go to the store.


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## eclipse (Mar 13, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *delicious* 
i just leave my kids in the car while i shop

Might be safer.


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## Storm Bride (Mar 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *queenjane* 
I'm a single mom with a 16 month old and a 13 month old, and shopping was somewhat of a nightmare until i figured out to just take two carts. Its actually easier than you'd think!

What's your secret? I've tried that a few times, for various reasons, and I've never been able to make it work at all.


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## Storm Bride (Mar 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Mommy2Austin* 
(As a side thought to the OP, is it possible she fights it because she's uncomfortable? Maybe it slows circulation in her legs and makes them fall asleep or her bottom hurt?? Maybe padding the seat to make it comfy would make it easier to get her to sit.)

Oh, yeah - I didn't think of that. I should have. One of my nephews has always hated the cart seat, because his legs went to sleep and he was really, really uncomfortable in it.


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