Grocery Cart Inserts....thoughts?

hopefulinCO

Y'know, the ones that cover up the front basket part of the grocery cart to keep the germs off your kids while they ride.

I'm not sure what I think about these.  Do people actually use them?

lisamonkee11

I've seen a bunch of people using them but I've got to be honest with you - I think people these days are WAY too freaked out about germs. The reason why the incidence of allergy & illness is so increased these days is because people don't develop strong immune systems when they're young. Everything is way too sanitized these days.

Now I'm not saying you should let your 3 month old suck on the side of a grocery cart, but I don't think spraying everything with bleach & letting your kids live in a bubble is the way to go either.

But maybe I should post that bit on the UO post...

jonnygurl76

a shopping cart cover?  yes, i still use it.  now it is more for helping to keep DD from reaching everything in the cart and squishing/throwing it and i know it has a safety belt that works (so many of those store carts don't have working straps).  when she was younger it was to help keep her clean and stop her from biting the cart when she was teething ::gag::

plus you just throw it in the washer and dryer--easy.

mabst196

I used mine with DD until she was about 15-18 months and I plan on using it for this one. If anything it helps prop them up in the cart and helps keep a toy or two corraled when they are just learning to sit up. Grocery carts are filthy Period.

mars37810

I'm actually planning on using one and I'm in no way a germaphobe or plan on basically keeping my child in a bubble.  I'm really against the amount of hand sanitizer people use now days especially when there are sinks available for them to wash their hands at.  I see so many kids coming into the pharmacy constantly getting antibiotics especially at young ages.  It makes me wonder how many actually need them and how much it has to do with parents not letting their children get exposed to anything.  

The reason I'm planning on using the cart cover is because people have truly disgusting habits.  I don't know how many times I use the bathroom at a store and I hear someone leave without washing their hands.  I want to avoid having my child put their mouth on the handle bar of the cart that that person might have touched.

jonnygurl76

PappsMcgee:

I was thinking about this the other day... how do you not keep from spreading the germs from the bottom to the part they sit in? How often do you wash it?

 

it really is just a cover so that they don't touch the cart.  when DD was younger i was a maniac and washed it after everytime i used it, LOL.  but now i was it after 2-3 shopping visits.

UGADawg8

My thoughts are unless you wash it after every use, the germs from the carts/high chairs are just going to end up on the cover and then all over your car.  I do think they make the cart more comfortable to sit in though.  We have one only b/c my SIL gave me hers.   I don't know if I will actually use it.   

NickyCicc20

I plan on using one and am definitely not a germ-a-phobe!  Those carts also get wet when it rains and very cold in the winter up here in New England and I'd rather have her sit in something with fabric than on the cold metal.  That was another reason I wanted one.

renogaw

DH bought one for DD#1 but I refused to use it.  Grocery carts have been tested a bunch of times and found to have nasty stuff like feces on them.  I always wash off the seat area with the antibacterial wipes because I don't want my kid or food sitting in that.  I greatly prefer the wipes to the seat covers because the wipes kill the germs.  The seat covers are going to get covered in germs, then go back in my car.  That seems gross to me.

hopefulinCO

lisajay09:

Oh, and also, DS is a finger sucker and his hands are always in his mouth, as is the case with most babies (forget about it when he's teething) so without the cover he would hold onto the handle of the cart and then put his hands in his mouth, which wouldn't be any different than him licking and sucking on the cart handle...and the thought of him doing that makes me want to go rock in a corner somewhere...

LOL!

cantalopes24

I used one for the reasons PP mentioned. More comfy for them, E was a thumb sucker, mine has attached toys they can't toss on the ground too. You can also use them in restaurant high chairs so the attached toys are a bonus there too.

rockdragon

I probably won't use one.

ProcrastinatingBride

UGADawg8:

My thoughts are unless you wash it after every use, the germs from the carts/high chairs are just going to end up on the cover and then all over your car.  I do think they make the cart more comfortable to sit in though.  We have one only b/c my SIL gave me hers.   I don't know if I will actually use it.   

This.  I had no intention of buying one, but my husband insisted on putting it on our registry.  In the meantime, no one has bought it for us, and, for a while at least, I plan to wear LO when we go grocery shopping, so I'm still not sure if it will ever be something we actually buy.

StephK

lisajay09:

Oh, and also, DS is a finger sucker and his hands are always in his mouth, as is the case with most babies (forget about it when he's teething) so without the cover he would hold onto the handle of the cart and then put his hands in his mouth, which wouldn't be any different than him licking and sucking on the cart handle...and the thought of him doing that makes me want to go rock in a corner somewhere...

Years ago, many, many, many years before I ever thought about having kids, I saw a kid in a grocery store lean over and lick the shopping cart handle from one end to the other.  *shudder*  It was everything I could do not to run away screaming.  LOL.  OMG.

I'm a bit of a germophobe, but that comes from taking too many microbiology classes and reading about obscure bacteria and viruses every day at work.

After reading this thread, I flat out don't understand the logic that the germs will get on the bottom of the cover and get carried back to the car, so why bother.  I was planning on leaving the cover in the trunk - and washing it.  So, its kind of irrelevant whether germs get transported to the trunk of my car.  Better on the cart cover, than on the baby, IMO...

cfemiani

I got one at my baby shower.  I just can't stand touching things that so many other people have touched (not knowing what they have done to it), so I figured it would just be one more way that I can combat germs!  

babes12

yes i used it w/ DS.  It's not something you need right away since LO will have to be able to sit up before they can sit in it.  I just thought it was comfy for DS b/c it had some cushion instead of sitting on the freezing cold seat etc... but also b/c i'm a germ freak.  DS still puts his mouth on the cart sometimes.  Drives me insane!!!

txbabs111

NickyCicc20:

I plan on using one and am definitely not a germ-a-phobe!  Those carts also get wet when it rains and very cold in the winter up here in New England and I'd rather have her sit in something with fabric than on the cold metal.  That was another reason I wanted one.

And conversely, if you're in the south or somewhere that it's routinely in the triple digits during the summer, it's very handy to have so that your LO doesn't have to touch the hot metal if the carts are kept outside the store. 

xtencornfield

I had one and didn't care for it. All of the stores we shop at where we use a cart have Purell sanitary wipes available, so I just wipe down really good before we put DS in there. And they keep the carts in-doors, so I just make sure I pick one that's not been recently brought inside if it's inclement out.

CalinsBride

I think that in flu season you can never be too careful, but I also think the cart cover gets dirty after each use and you'd end up having to wash it pretty regularly. I personally just wipe down the front part of the cart where LO's and my hands will be (or where LO will eventually end up putting their mouth--gross) and leave it at that.

Snooks

We used ours all the time, for all the reasons above (DD liked to lean forward with her mouth resting near the handle bar, it kept toys and belongings in the seat with her, and half the time the buckles were broke on the cart so this kept her buckled in safely).  We also used it for a high chair cover when we'd go out to restaurants - this wasn't super often, but on many occassions we used it when we went out to eat and the high chairs weren't always the cleanest.  We tossed ours in the trunk as well, and washed it frequently.

I had a friend who's 3 month old got hand, foot, and mouth from a shopping cart!  Not that it's life threatening but it's very awful to watch your kid have that especially when there's nothing you can do to make them better.  It's really not heavy and they fold into a ball so it's easy to transport.

rubysue267

UGADawg8:

My thoughts are unless you wash it after every use, the germs from the carts/high chairs are just going to end up on the cover and then all over your car.  I do think they make the cart more comfortable to sit in though.  We have one only b/c my SIL gave me hers.   I don't know if I will actually use it.   

That's what I was thinking. I could see using it for the comfort aspect, but I'll probably just bring disinfectant wipes to clean everything before dropping DS in. 

OUKap

I thought they were pointless and now with a baby I might get one or make sure I have a huge container of sanitizing wipes.

Saemilyn

lisamonkee11:

I've seen a bunch of people using them but I've got to be honest with you - I think people these days are WAY too freaked out about germs. The reason why the incidence of allergy & illness is so increased these days is because people don't develop strong immune systems when they're young. Everything is way too sanitized these days.

Now I'm not saying you should let your 3 month old suck on the side of a grocery cart, but I don't think spraying everything with bleach & letting your kids live in a bubble is the way to go either.

But maybe I should post that bit on the UO post...

Agree!

TaraDustin

I bought one at a Just Between Friends sale for like 5 bucks. I like them just for the comfort of LO! Those carts aren't exactly comfortable, so it gives them somewhere softer to sit. Also, a lot of them have little toys connected to them for LO to play with while you shop. I wouldn't spend a ton of money on one, but it's nice to have one.

TaraDustin

lisamonkee11:

I've seen a bunch of people using them but I've got to be honest with you - I think people these days are WAY too freaked out about germs. The reason why the incidence of allergy & illness is so increased these days is because people don't develop strong immune systems when they're young. Everything is way too sanitized these days.

Now I'm not saying you should let your 3 month old suck on the side of a grocery cart, but I don't think spraying everything with bleach & letting your kids live in a bubble is the way to go either.

But maybe I should post that bit on the UO post...

 

I totally agree!!

MrsNash37212

I'll be using one and I am far from a germophobe. As in antibacterial soap is banned from our house and I won't be washing LO's pacifier if it falls on the floor and gets dog hair on it.

That said, someone recently tested a bunch of carts from all sorts of stores (not just dumpy ones) and 72% of the handles had fecal matter on them. Fecal matter. That is effing disgusting. I'm down with germs and building immunity, but some crack addict's kid's poo in my kid's mouth? No thanks.