PLEASE READ: Shopping Carts

[eeyoregon]

I know it's been said over and over and it's simple common sense but PLEASE REMEMBER TO BUCKLE YOUR LITTLE ONES when they are in shopping carts and DO NOT ALLOW THEM TO STAND IN THE CART!!!!

At work yesterday (Costco) a couple was shoppig with their 2 boys approximately 1 yr and 3 yrs old. They were in a cart that has 2 side-by-side seats. The younger boy was buckled in but the older one wasn't.

In a blink of the eye, while Mom and Dad were comparing some items on the shelf, the older one stood up in his seat and fell out landing on the side of his head on the concrete floor!

He had blood gushing out of his ear canal. We called 911 immediately. We got an update later that he had ruptured his ear drum, cracked his skull and has a concusion.

I can not get the ear piercing screams out of my head. It was so horrible yet completely preventable!

 

[LisaNJ25]

Ugggg and a lawsuit will probably follow. I used to be the flower vendor at Costco and I would see that all the time. It would make me so nervous with the concrete floor. I love the carts since I have 2 close together and I can actually shop with them

 

[bangzoom6877]

Very sad and very scary, I have 2 boys, ages 1 and 3. Too sad when I hear stories like this.

Bonnie

 

[npmommie]

oh how scary!! I hope he is ok!

another reminder is not to let them stand and "ride" on the side.
we were shopping one day........we had just got there so the cart was not full yet........my ds was buckled in the seat and my dd was walking, i was getting cereal off the shelf and she stood up on the side of the cart, and the entire thing toppled over on top of her and my poor ds was strapped in and he went over with the cart on top of dd.
no one was seriously hurt thank goodness, just some bumps scrapes and bruises.
omg it was scary though, a customer ( man ) standing near by, jumped to help me. and we got the cart off dd. in my response I threw my purse down to jump in to get the cart, and it went flying down the aisle.........LOL........and someone else brought it to me!!
so i never let either one stand on the cart like that ever, it was scary.

 

[tnkr_bell]

Another thing to watch out for...I use to work at Walgreens and they have the smaller shopping carts. I know there was at least two or three times I saw a baby/toddler buckled in the seat, but an older sibling was spinning or turning the cart and it tipped right over. Those smaller carts are much more tipsy than the bigger ones.

 

[of2dbeach]

god reminds me when i was a teen and worked for target this father had to use the restroom and instead of taking his 2 small kids with him he left them in the cart!! anyways the smallest was about 9 mo strapped into the cart.. older was maybe 3 yep ollder was standing in the cart and leaned over. the cart was empty the cart flipped sideways pinning the baby and child under it. Thankfully i was close and me and another person had to upright the cart with the baby strapped in it. God i was freaked!! the baby seems ok was crying etc older child was scared but seemed ok. and poor dad came running out with his pants half way on .. I really felt bad but god what a ding bat to leave kids unattended like that. I make mine sit in the cart read a book or color . if they dont stay sitting they hafta walk. i only had 1 fall out in 16 years and thankfully he was ok.. scared the crap outta me though.

 

[alloyd1170]

One time I had my dd in her infant seat in a small cart and ds was standing on the smaller end of the cart. Just as I told him to get off, the cart flipped over, tossing dd. The car seat kept her from getting hurt thankfully.

Another time dd was strapped into a cart in Walmart. I turned to look at something and out of the corner of my eye I see her start to fall. Some how she managed to undo the strap, stood up and fell out. I heard splat (still cant get it out of my head) and she landed face first on the hard floor. Several employees were nearby and not one did anything. I immediately called our dr. Thankfully she was ok other than a nasty blackeye, but it was a long day and night monitoring her.

Now I bring along a tiny grocery cart for her to use (she loves it), and if she has to ride in a cart, I check the buckles as some are damaged and wont stay together.

 

[eeyoregon]

I heard splat (still cant get it out of my head) and she landed face first on the hard floor.

That is a sound that never goes away. Stomach turning kind of sound.

 

[bumbershoot]

Well, if the emergency personnel are anything like those that responded when we had Target call 911 when DS fell, but NOT from the cart, the parents got a severe talking to once everything was stabilized.

In November DS was on the ground trying on mittens (which are of course hooked together in stores) when DH decided to try a hat on DS. A tight fleece hat that velcroed under the chin. DS hates that kind of thing and vehemently was trying to get it off of him; DH tried to help, DS pulled away b/c DH was accidentally tickling DS, DS yanked his body away. Of course he couldn't put his hands down, and he went down straight back.

It was *only* the thick fleece hat still on his head that saved him, I firmly believe. He landed on the metal base of a clothing rack; all I could think of was the turning point of the movie Very Bad Things, and for the first time with all the silly things DS has done to himself, I absolutely panicked. DH had to be the calm one (total role reversal).

Target's employees, unlike the Walmart employees mentioned by a PP, were absolutely terrific. They didn't *want* to call 911, but I insisted, not b/c of the blood but because of the change in personality. (editing to add to this paragraph...) They got paper towels quickly and wet paper towels along with an ice pack. Once they saw how much he was bleeding (we were right on an aisle and were attracting attention) they ran and grabbed a soft RED medium size towel. They got me water to drink, they spoke in soft voices, they were efficient. And while waiting for the 911 people, they unobtrusively got info to make an incident report, and we absolutely understood they needed to do it, even while scared to death. And as the 911 guys got my usually feisty guy into a neck collar, strapped to a back board, strapped to the gurney and covered with towels, the Target employees quickly put on gloves and snagged everything they had given us, putting it all into a special hazardous waste bag, telling us not to worry about the towels we had used. They were VERY good. (edit done)

And as we were waiting, each Target employee asked if he fell from the cart, the 911 operator asked the employee on the phone, and since he hadn't that's what they were told. But when the emergency guys came, they separated DH from me and DS, all ready with stern looks and a flip chart with statistics. It took DH a bit of talking to get it through to them that he was NOT in the cart (thank goodness he wasn't!).

And the hospital did the same thing, especially since it was the same nurse and doctor there as 5 months before when DS burned himself...but we understood and were pleasant (especially since DS got his normal personality back during the ambulance ride).


I've actually put the details out of my mind, for sanity's sake, but some feelings remain, so I definitely feel for anyone who has heard or watched their (or another) child fall like that, especially if it was from a height (I can't imagine). It's just awful for everyone.

 

[lilybrooke14]

I don't remember where I read it, so I may be wrong, but I read that the manufacturers of grocery carts are actually changing the measurements of the top part of the basket so that infant seats will not fit on them. It's a tip hazard, and a lawsuit danger for the stores and cart companies, so they're forcing the parents to put infant seats in the basket part of the cart, rather than the top part. I've had people actually get hostile with me at work (where we sell infant seats) because we "sold them a seat that won't fit on a grocery cart."

Seriously? It's my fault? That's right, because I manufacture them in my garage. I forgot.

Dare I say....morons.

 

[Alesia]

Once at Toys R Us, I was standing near a man and his son. The little boy (probably 5 or 6 years old) was standing in the cart while his dad was looking at legos. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the little boy walk to the front of the cart and it started to tip over. I reached out and grabbed the cart and stopped it and the dad just looked at like I was an Idiot.

 

[tinytink]

we were eating our $.31 scoop of Baskin Robins and this lady carrying her daughter comes running up to the store to get in line and she tripped on the curb and fell landing on top of her daughter but I will never forget the crack sound her head made. I feel really bad for the little girl and her mom, I gues her mom was so embrassed that she ran back to the car and sent the dad back in to order the ice cream.

I other thing I have issues with is when parents let their overweight children sit in the shopping carts and push them around instead of making them walk.

sorry to go off topic. Back to your regularly scheduled program.

 

[EltonJohn]

I witnessed an incident like that when I was a teenager~except this little boy was stadning in the cart. Some parents really are stupid.

 

[jensen]

When my kids were toddlers, I was pretty good about buckling them into the cart, but one time DD was riding in the "merchandise" area of the cart instead of the seat and somehow she managed to lean so far over that she fell right out of the cart... it was scary. Luckily, she wasn't injured. We both learned our lesson - she was always buckled safely after that.

 

[Wildflowerz]

god reminds me when i was a teen and worked for target this father had to use the restroom and instead of taking his 2 small kids with him he left them in the cart!! anyways the smallest was about 9 mo strapped into the cart.. older was maybe 3 yep ollder was standing in the cart and leaned over. the cart was empty the cart flipped sideways pinning the baby and child under it. Thankfully i was close and me and another person had to upright the cart with the baby strapped in it. God i was freaked!! the baby seems ok was crying etc older child was scared but seemed ok. and poor dad came running out with his pants half way on .. I really felt bad but god what a ding bat to leave kids unattended like that. I make mine sit in the cart read a book or color . if they dont stay sitting they hafta walk. i only had 1 fall out in 16 years and thankfully he was ok.. scared the crap outta me though.

My goodness. Those kids need to wear some "I'm with stupid" tee shirts. I don't understand people at all. I KNOW it's a PITA to have to shuffle kids around all over the place when you really just need to hop into a store and pick up one thing...or go to the bathroom. But that's part of the deal when you had kids.

 

[Wildflowerz]

I don't remember where I read it, so I may be wrong, but I read that the manufacturers of grocery carts are actually changing the measurements of the top part of the basket so that infant seats will not fit on them. It's a tip hazard, and a lawsuit danger for the stores and cart companies, so they're forcing the parents to put infant seats in the basket part of the cart, rather than the top part. I've had people actually get hostile with me at work (where we sell infant seats) because we "sold them a seat that won't fit on a grocery cart."

Seriously? It's my fault? That's right, because I manufacture them in my garage. I forgot.

Dare I say....morons.

I'm so with you. This drives me mad. They aren't meant to go there! Know what else bugs me? When people turn those wooden high chairs over in restaurants and put their infant seat in them. OMFG people are you daft? The base should be wider than the top for a REASON. People!

 

[Lady V]

I know it's been said over and over and it's simple common sense but PLEASE REMEMBER TO BUCKLE YOUR LITTLE ONES when they are in shopping carts and DO NOT ALLOW THEM TO STAND IN THE CART!!!!

It was so horrible yet completely preventable!

So true! I feel so badly for the little boy and I too get so frustrated when a person lets their child stand in or on the side of the cart.

 

[licountrygirl]

When my son was just shy of 4, I was at Target. He was way too big to be sitting in the baby seat, so I let him sit in the cart. He managed to stand up just as I was turning a corner and he lost his balance and fell right over the edge onto the floor on the side of his head. I will never forget that sound or the sound of him crying like never before. The Target employees were nice and offered help but for some reason, we didn't call 911. I really have no clue why. Sitting on the floor in the middle of a wide aisle, I called my Pediatrician who said, bring him in.

We went straight there and my doctor wasn't in. A doctor I had never seen before felt all around his skull and said she didn't feel anything out of the ordinary and to go home and let him rest, but not sleep for a while. She said the only thing to worry about is if he vomits more than twice, then it's a trip to the hospital.

Well, I'd say at least an hour after we got home, he threw up. We waited patiently to see if he'd do it again, and he did. Then he just kept on throwing up. We jumped in the car and flew to the hospital, I swear at one point I was airborne over a little hill, and to make a long story a bit shorter he was admitted with severe post concussive syndrome. After 4 days in the hospital and 2 CT scans - we finally went home. Those four days in the hospital were absolutely the most horrific hours I've spent since becoming a parent. My son was a different person for those days. He couldn't have the light on in his hospital room because it hurt his head. He got a bazillion gifts - didn't care. When my dad would come to visit - which normally thrilled him - he just laid there. I actually requested the 2nd CT scan because after 3 days, he was still not himself.

Thankfully he's made a full recovery and now this incident is 8 years behind us.

If this story has made a difference to even one person, it was worth the time and any possible "what a jerk parent" comments may come my way.

 

[lilybrooke14]

When my son was just shy of 4, I was at Target. He was way too big to be sitting in the baby seat, so I let him sit in the cart. He managed to stand up just as I was turning a corner and he lost his balance and fell right over the edge onto the floor on the side of his head. I will never forget that sound or the sound of him crying like never before. The Target employees were nice and offered help but for some reason, we didn't call 911. I really have no clue why. Sitting on the floor in the middle of a wide aisle, I called my Pediatrician who said, bring him in.

We went straight there and my doctor wasn't in. A doctor I had never seen before felt all around his skull and said she didn't feel anything out of the ordinary and to go home and let him rest, but not sleep for a while. She said the only thing to worry about is if he vomits more than twice, then it's a trip to the hospital.

Well, I'd say at least an hour after we got home, he threw up. We waited patiently to see if he'd do it again, and he did. Then he just kept on throwing up. We jumped in the car and flew to the hospital, I swear at one point I was airborne over a little hill, and to make a long story a bit shorter he was admitted with severe post concussive syndrome. After 4 days in the hospital and 2 CT scans - we finally went home. Those four days in the hospital were absolutely the most horrific hours I've spent since becoming a parent. My son was a different person for those days. He couldn't have the light on in his hospital room because it hurt his head. He got a bazillion gifts - didn't care. When my dad would come to visit - which normally thrilled him - he just laid there. I actually requested the 2nd CT scan because after 3 days, he was still not himself.

Thankfully he's made a full recovery and now this incident is 8 years behind us.

If this story has made a difference to even one person, it was worth the time and any possible "what a jerk parent" comments may come my way.

I don't think you're a "jerk parent" at all. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say I'm pretty sure that we've all had our children in one situation or another that could have gotten them hurt (unintentionally) at some point in their little lives. Thankfully all wound up well in your situation. It just serves as a good reminder for everyone to be more careful, because despite your best intentions, things can go wrong in an instant. I can think of about four places on our local playground that could cause the same kind of injuries, and they're meant for children.

 

[bumbershoot]

licountrygirl


Wildflowerz, I've seen restaurant employees do that...