I’ve always maintained that my daughter is one smart cookie (I’m her mother, what do you expect?), but I recently discovered that she is even wiser than I give her credit for.
Since she was a newborn, my daughter has hated shopping carts. She would scream each time I placed her infant seat in one and wouldn’t stop screeching until I removed her from it. This trend continued during her toddler and preschool years. Now that she is six, I don’t even bother suggesting that she ride in a cart because my groceries would never fit if she actually took me up on the offer.
Interestingly, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), my daughter’s aversion to shopping carts is in fact a good thing, a very good thing, and not because of obvious reasons.
By now most parents have heard about the dangers associated with dirty shopping carts. Tests prove that fecal matter and other nasty substances breed on shopping cart handles and the little seats where you pack your precious cargo (your kids, not the $25 steaks).
In a new report, just released by the AAP, more than 23,000 kids sustain injuries from shopping cart accidents every year. Apparently, shopping carts are dangerous machines and parents should follow these tips to keep kids safe:
1. If you dare allow your child to ride in a shopping cart, make sure he is properly strapped into the seat with a belt or harness. I should mention that the AAP strongly urges parents to skip the cart altogether when shopping with kids. Rather, experts suggest that parents place their kids in strollers instead of a shopping cart. Now, am I the only mom who thinks this is a ridiculous proposition? I’ve tried pushing a shopping cart and stroller at the same time and I ended up abandoning the cart midway through the trip and stuffed what I could in the diaper bag. Fortunately, I didn’t get stopped for suspicion of shoplifting.
2. The AAP also advises against leaving your child unattended in a shopping cart.
3. You should also never let your kid to stand up in the cart. Easier said than done when your kid is trying desperately to reach for his favorite cereal.
4. Experts also advise against letting your kid climb on or hang from a cart. Apparently, a shopping cart is not a jungle gym. I suspect the AAP would also look down on parents who allow their children to hitch rides on the lower shelf portion of a shopping cart with the bottled water and cases of soda.
Do you let your kid ride in a shopping cart?
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