Crimson Wife Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 My sister-in-law posted a picture of her 11 mos. old on FB just now with the caption "Look at our little elf!" Yes, he looks adorable in the elf hat she put on him. But she's got him sitting in the basket part of her shopping cart rather than safely strapped into the seat part. :cursing: I see parents doing this all the time and even once witnessed a toddler tumble OUT (luckily the mom caught her before she hit the ground). I'm going to say something to MIL the next time I talk to her because I think SIL may listen to her mother even if she probably wouldn't listen to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Only time my kids have been in the cart vs seat part is when it's the only place to put the infant carrier/seat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melbotoast Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Alright, I'll confess. I let DS ride in the basket of the cart (until he got too heavy) because DD is in the seat. A few months ago we let DD ride in the basket because she wanted to be like DS. She thought it would be fun to jump up and down in the basket and she fell out and landed on her head. Luckily she turned out to be fine, but she is riding in the seat from now on! This was also the same week that she got her hand stuck in the elevator door... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrn Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Because no matter how tight I'd buckle them in they'd just get out of it. They much preferred sitting in the basket and would sit in there well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Sometimes I just didn't have it in me to carry one while I shopped or to do the weird dance of tugging the cart and the stroller behind me. Around 1 yo was when I gave in and started doing it. I knew it was wrong, but I did it anyway. We're not doing a very good job with the jawm though. It really is unsafe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathkath Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 one time my middle son pulled a cart completely over sideways when our baby was sitting up front strapped in. Miraculously no one was hurt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Because no matter how tight I'd buckle them in they'd just get out of it. They much preferred sitting in the basket and would sit in there well. Sometimes. Big whoop. I'm so sick of the constant fear mongering parents have to deal with. Sure she might fall. Kids fall. The majority of the time, they survive it. A shopping cart isn't that high. What? 3 feet? I've had babies 11 months old crawl over the back of a sofa that high. Or crawl onto a table and then off it. Or the beds. Sure I don't like it, but falling is part of childhood. *shrug* ETA: and I would think if she is standing right next to him, he isn't likely to fall out. That's what we do. If a kid in the basket, we don't push the cart, we pull it and stand next the cart basket. Really, it's not that big a deal to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 I don't know because I don't know her. Myself, I have two kids whose birthdays are 3 mos apart. Most stores don't have carts with two seats. So for some time period, I had one kid in the back of the cart (having food piled on top of her). The only time there was any danger that I recall was when my kid in the front seat opened her belt (age 1) and stood up on the front seat when my back was briefly turned. Thankfully another shopper saw and told me. I don't think either option is inherently safe or unsafe. You simply have to watch your kids when they are little enough to fall out of a cart. And pray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meriwether Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 When Ds6 was born, I had a three year old and a two year old. It was easier for me to have the two year old contained. He was very slow and hard to shepherd through the store. He would usually ride until the basket was too full and then walk beside me. He never had trouble sitting still in one corner. It was hard shopping when the three of them were so little. Dh would often get groceries after work, but sometimes I had to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeaganS Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 I have one strapped onto me, one in the seat and one in the cart. The one in the cart is the 4 year old and she never stands up, but I only allow a child to ride in the cart if they are older and there aren't any other seats. If a child was prone to standing in the cart, though, they wouldn't be there too much longer. That's way too unsafe for me. Lately we've been using those gigantic carts that can hold tons of kids. I hate them, but it allows me room in my cart as my kids get older but not old enough to reliably walk with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UmMusa Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Sorry, cannot agree with you on this post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Because I had kids close in age. The youngest sat in the seat and the older sat in the cart. Not much of a safety concern if they are sitting. Sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 My sister-in-law posted a picture of her 11 mos. old on FB just now with the caption "Look at our little elf!" Yes, he looks adorable in the elf hat she put on him. But she's got him sitting in the basket part of her shopping cart rather than safely strapped into the seat part. :cursing: I see parents doing this all the time and even once witnessed a toddler tumble OUT (luckily the mom caught her before she hit the ground). I'm going to say something to MIL the next time I talk to her because I think SIL may listen to her mother even if she probably wouldn't listen to me. I missed the bolded. I wouldn't do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth in MN Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 My dd had legs too long for the seat when she was three. Toddlers don't do well when you're grocery shopping for two hours and they have to walk the whole way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Well since mine has been able to undo the buckle since before she turned 2, and will stand up at whim, I would much rather have her stand in the basket with a good 18-24 inches of cart to hold her in than have her stand on the seat with barely 3 inches of cart to hold her in. At that point, I think the basket of the cart is MUCH safer than the seat portion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Are mine the only ones who could wiggle out of the strap to stand in the seat? I had 3 dc within 3.5 years of each other. I often wore baby, put 1yo in the front seat, and 3yo in the basket. It was the safest option I had. My oldest was a compliant, happy boy and the worst trouble he got into sitting in the wagon was smushing the bread. That said, my kids don't wear winter coats in carseats. I'm an enigma. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justLisa Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 I purposely told my kids to never touch that buckle thing. GROSS! It's not like I ever leave the cart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Because I grew her big for her age and she was too young to walk with me while shopping but too big to get into the seat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Can't agree either. There are lots of reasons the basket part is preferable and just as safe or safer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Too big for the seat? I will never forget the day my kids were 1.5 and I decided they would push their own cart. Oh, what a Kodak moment. (Too bad I didn't have a camera on me!) However, as close to the ground as it was, it was't all that safe . . . for the store merchandise. :) Hey, I like living on the edge! (Just trying to lighten things up around here....) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Sometimes the seat leg openings are too tight. I do not think any good will come of tattling to your mil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Can't agree either. There are lots of reasons the basket part is preferable and just as safe or safer. I agree! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Sorry. I don't see the big deal as long as they're sitting down. If my mom had ever made a comment to me about it, I would have said, "Yes, Mother," then secretly rolled my eyes and ignored the unsolicited advice. I also know someone whose baby was strapped into one of the attached shopping cart infant seats. In the parking lot, the cart hit a bump or pothole and ended up toppling over. Thankfully, he was OK. Unfortunately, accidents happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MistyMountain Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Are mine the only ones who could wiggle out of the strap to stand in the seat? My youngest did that. I was looking at something in the freezer section. Umm mam your baby is standing up. My kids have ridden in the basket portion at times. Shopping carts are tippy but they are tippy no matter where the child is sitting. The top part is actually more tippy than the basket though. If my kids are in the basket portion they must sit or they get out. My youngest wiggled out of her strap and stood up in the seat portion. That was riskier than being in the cart portion. Kids can fall in shopping carts but it isn't that high of a fall. My ds sat in the basket recently because he was really tired after a long day and wanted to rest rather than walk. My kids have been in various arrangements in stores from being in a baby carrier, the top part of the cart and in the basket and walking besides me. I had a lady stop me once about the carrier saying how dangerous it looked. She saw a kid tip out of a shopping cart recently and thought that the baby carrier looked dangerous too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindyD Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Because they sit more comfortably and are happier in the cart so I get my shopping done faster. Never heard of death or dismemberment from grocery cart accident. =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mohop Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 I put my kid in the basket part when I feel like doing so will result in an easier, quicker shopping trip. Sometimes, i put both my kids in the basket because they will entertain each other that way. I also rarely have come across shopping cards with working, secured straps that would keep my toddler sitting anyways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 At 11months? Monkey was in the carrier part of her carseat in the back of the basket. Now she's in the front. I can't imagine putting her in the back. I do put my 4yo in the basket part. My 5 and 6yos usually ride the end of the baskets. The "new kids" are buckled in because they don't know how to behave yet. We usually use two large baskets (the kinds with two seats on the front and still has a place for a little to sit too) since we have 7 under 8 :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Because I had kids close in age. The youngest sat in the seat and the older sat in the cart. Not much of a safety concern if they are sitting. Sorry. I had 2 non-walkers at one point and I had to do it, too. Sure, there may be safety concerns, but.... what are you gonna do? I always kept a hand on the cart and made sure the kids were sitting down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lang Syne Boardie Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Mine also rode in the basket part. Seated only, with me right there, and usually with a sibling wedged in beside them. I was very vigilant when mine were little but I never did bubble-wrap them. I'm so sorry for young moms sometimes! I feel as if I lucked into having babies in that Golden Age of increased safety for children but before the new hysteria that seems to be one of extreme of parenting today. (The other common extreme is the oft-reported outright neglect of little ones today.) Life is better in the middle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 My son was super sized and would not fit in the seat of the shopping cart. The one time I did manage to squish him in we couldn't get him out. The same thing happened with the baby swings at the playground. It took me and 2 nannies to get him out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 What are you feeding all these super-sized kids? My first-grader negotiated herself into a shopping cart seat last week (I was not there :-/). ETA, what are the keystrokes for this smilie: :glare: ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 I'm barely over 5ft tall. If the cart was on the larger side I could not get my kid back out of the seat. I rarely took them shopping though so it didn't come up much. It is hard to get them out if the kid is overly tall. I found myself lifting and tugging and getting feet out to be a nightmare at times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 What are you feeding all these super-sized kids? My first-grader negotiated herself into a shopping cart seat last week (I was not there :-/). Dd was born average, but with a dad 6'2" and uncle 6'3" and a grandmother at 6' even she didn't take long to get huge. By age 2 she was in 4Ts. She is now 5'8" and just turned 13. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Dd was born average, but with a dad 6'2" and uncle 6'3" and a grandmother at 6' even she didn't take long to get huge. By age 2 she was in 4Ts. She is now 6'8" and just turned 13. Did you mean she is 5'8"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Embassy Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 I think I've done in the cart a couple times, but mostly I wore my little one when grocery shopping. I wore them until they were at least 18-24 months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Did you mean she is 5'8"? Yeah, I'll fix that. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 My kids were tall relative to me, but yeah. One time I felt nearly panicked over it. I mean it's ridiculous to have to go up to a stranger and ask them to please help you get your kid out of the cart. It's one big reason I didn't take them shopping much. Oh, I can imagine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 I can't remember what age I started allowing them to ride in that part of the cart... My rule for being able to sit in that part is that they must at ALL times be seated. The cart does not move if they are standing up, and they will be removed from the cart if they stand up. Just plain not allowed. If they're sitting in the cart, I think they're as safe as in the seat part (or possibly safer). I also never used the buckle in the seat part except when they were newly sitting and needed it for support (if I wasn't wearing them). But my kids never were the type to want to stand up in the shopping cart unless they were upset and wanting out. That said, my kids don't wear winter coats in carseats. I'm an enigma. :tongue_smilie: Ditto. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 I have a totally random/weird/dumb question Chucki. Do you feel weird around very short women? I feel very weird around very tall women. LOL I have always wondered if it goes both ways. I don't mean I think tall women are alien...just that I feel like a little kid next to them. It's kinda weird. Sometimes I feel like an amazon if I'm in a group of shorter women. I'm only 507 (Okay I'm reverting back to cop sizes. The ' " are making me crazy) so I know people taller and people shorter. Of my three friends that I hang out with regularly 2 are at least 3 inches taller. The other one is about your height. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morningcoffee Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 My sister-in-law posted a picture of her 11 mos. old on FB just now with the caption "Look at our little elf!" Yes, he looks adorable in the elf hat she put on him. But she's got him sitting in the basket part of her shopping cart rather than safely strapped into the seat part. :cursing: I see parents doing this all the time and even once witnessed a toddler tumble OUT (luckily the mom caught her before she hit the ground). I'm going to say something to MIL the next time I talk to her because I think SIL may listen to her mother even if she probably wouldn't listen to me. I wouldn't put a 11 month baby in the basket part of the cart but I think toddlers can be safe as long as they are sitting down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Because it is easier to put a flailing octopus in a basket than a seat. Seriously though...if the kid is sitting, I fail to see a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto10blessings Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Sorry, I don't think it would be wise to bring it up to anyone. I hate it when anyone tells me I am doing something wrong with parenting. Telling me my baby should be wearing socks, should not be sitting there, should not be held like that, is too hot or cold, should be eating this or that. blah, blah. It's extremely annoying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misty.warden Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 I totally agree it's frustrating to see people openly flaunting the rules, even unenforced and IMO totally unenforceable ones. It's a pet peeve of mine as well. However ratting your SIL out to your MIL? Why the extra step? At least if someone was going to criticize my parenting I'd like them to be rude to my face, not run to tell mommy. Well since mine has been able to undo the buckle since before she turned 2, and will stand up at whim, I would much rather have her stand in the basket with a good 18-24 inches of cart to hold her in than have her stand on the seat with barely 3 inches of cart to hold her in. At that point, I think the basket of the cart is MUCH safer than the seat portion. This also. Standing in the seat they're about 12 inches higher up with no rail and all the weight is behind the wheels just asking for a tip over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 My 5 sons are a bit over 6 years apart, and I did what I had to do to survive The only time I almost had one fall out was when he stood up in the seat part of the cart at Hobby Lobby. And he was 18 months and already had a cast on his arm because he broke it when he fell off the chair he was standing on at home (he was on the chair so he could watch it snow). At one point I had two in the basket, one in the front, and one strapped to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juniper Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 I think those seats are horrifically dangerous. I have never had a child that would just sit in them, so I would much rather have a child STAND in a shopping chart than stand on a seat. (And this was in my Pearle days so there was pinching involved...nothing worked!) Having one child and then twins a year later meant I not only had to shop with kids in the basket, but I often had to shop with two charts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Because it is easier to put a flailing octopus in a basket than a seat. Seriously though...if the kid is sitting, I fail to see a problem. This. You also don't have any backstory. Was the kid in the seat and throwing a screaming fit first? How about walking beside and grabbing every.single.thing. off the shelves while she tried to shop, then threw a screaming fit when she decided to corral him in the seat, etc. I'm too busy trying to parent my own kids to pass judgment on what is, or is not acceptable behavior of other parents and their children. Even if I have the *thought*, it's really not my place to say anything about it. ETA: It seems I am also blind to JAWM. I don't like being told what to do, apparently. :tongue_smilie: If I think back to all of the JAWM posts I've posted on, it's almost like a personal dare for me to be contrary to the OP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 Actually, an 11mo is probably more likely to fall from the seat part rather than the basket part -- it comes up higher on their bodies. Now, I do put my toddler in the seat part (unless I'm wearing him, which I often do), but that's because I don't generally have room for him in the basket part, nor do I want him getting into all the groceries. Also, I do sometimes let my 4yo ride in the basket part, but the deal is that he keeps his bottom on the bottom of the basket, and if he stands up, he has to walk. Nobody has ever fallen this way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 My dd rides in the basket. She has a rare genetic disorder that causes low muscle tone, among other things. She gets tired following me around a supersized grocery store for god-knows-how-long, and is just too big to sit in the little front seat. And if anyone I know ever gives me crap about it, I'm going to make them regret the day they were born. And yes, I am feeling a bit touchy today. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted December 1, 2012 Share Posted December 1, 2012 I'm not going to debate seat vs basket, but I'll use this spot to share my funny/scary moment! My toddler was strapped into the seat a few months ago, and kept trying to stick his finger through the bars to get to a bag of grapes in the basket. I kept shooing his hand away, but didn't move the grapes. Eventually, he stuck his whole arm through the narrow slats... and then couldn't get it out! While he screamed bloody murder, a big biker guy rushed over and yanked the bars apart so I could slide his arm back. So don't store grapes too close to toddlers. ;-) And sorry, Shoprite, for the bent bars! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 I'm not going to debate seat vs basket, but I'll use this spot to share my funny/scary moment! My toddler was strapped into the seat a few months ago, and kept trying to stick his finger through the bars to get to a bag of grapes in the basket. I kept shooing his hand away, but didn't move the grapes. Eventually, he stuck his whole arm through the narrow slats... and then couldn't get it out! While he screamed bloody murder, a big biker guy rushed over and yanked the bars apart so I could slide his arm back. So don't store grapes too close to toddlers. ;-) And sorry, Shoprite, for the bent bars! You just reminded me of an incident I witnessed years ago. I saw a yowling toddler with his arm stuck between the bars of the cart. Everybody was frantic and the mother was crying. Finally, someone yelled, "Butter! We need butter!" So someone ran back to Dairy and got butter. They slathered the kid's arm and out it popped! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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