And this is why you don't put your car seat ON TOP of the cart!!

mlm646 · January 2014

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wk9MtYSTsB0&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dwk9MtYSTsB0 What an awesome Home Depot employee!

KHendy27 · January 2014

I saw that on the news! Back of the cart or put those babies in a carrier! Target carts are the worst because they're plastic and very wobbly.

sking72 · January 2014

I thought the thread said car and I was terrified someone left their child on top of a car and started driving away. Phew. That's still scary though!

Tferr02 · January 2014

I had a family friend who put her baby on the top (strapped into the car seat) and the car seat fell off. Her baby was luckily fine, but the idea terrified me and I never did it with my son.

klgallup · January 2014

When the car seat clicks it is still unsafe. It gives a false sense of security and makes the cart too heavy. NEVER put the car seat on top of the cart!

ar87kb04 · January 2014

I've put all three of my kids car seats on the top of the shopping cart and have never had an issue. If that parent was stupid enough to not have their baby buckled in the car seat and left alone they were stupid enough to not make sure the car seat was snapped on. It's not an issue if you stay with the baby and they are buckeled....it's common sense... Do you make sure you hear the click when you put the seat in the base in your car?... Then make sure it clicks else where! People are ignorant!

mlm646 · January 2014

I think she means top heavy... Obviously the cart doesn't change weight based on where a car seat is added, but it does change weight distribution if the car seat is on top versus inside the cart.

Sarahjess06 · January 2014

Car seats are not designed to snap on to carts. It comprises that connecting piece.

I'm guilty of doing this until I read that. In the event of a crash there is a chance that piece could snap and break.

amhah09 · January 2014

jellysparkles said:
What sense of security? Also, the cart is the same weight regardless of where the car seat is...

Top heavy. I have read that it's not recommended even if it clicks in. But I'll be honest and say that I have done it in the past and just made sure I stayed in front of it the whole time. It is still advised against, though.

sking72 · January 2014

I hope that baby's parents saved that video in a time capsule for his/her 18th birthday.

"See, right there? That's when I knew I was a bad parent...but you turned out ok somehow." hahaha

sking72 · January 2014

jellysparkles said:

The 'click' alone isn't any promise of safety. Neither is keeping a hand on the carseat the whole time, but I do that too. I prefer keeping kid close vs. having less ability to keep strangers from grabbing at her, which happened several times to us. If that's the worst I did as a parent, shun me.

wait, explain strangers grabbing her please

sking72 · January 2014

Oh god, that's terrifying...I'm gonna go sharpen my claws.

mlm646 · January 2014

I'm not sure why this has sparked a debate... Putting the car seat on top could potentially be dangerous regardless of "clicking in"... Just because it's never happened to you doesn't mean it won't next time.

KatieGummow · January 2014

No big deal but I was friends with his older brother in high school. People know me. I am kind of a big deal.

Seriously though, good thing he was there. How scary. Hopefully dad learned his lesson.

amhah09 · January 2014

LuckySquare said:

jellysparkles said:

Strangers think they have the right to touch your baby, much moreso than your bump.

Yes, yes they do. All the damn time. My son is 15 months old and he flinches away when strangers try to touch him at the store while riding in the cart's seat.

If a 15 month old isn't comfortable with it and senses it's not okay for a stranger to touch him, why doesn't a 50 year old woman understand that?

I smacked an elderly lady's hand at the grocery once. It was cold and flu season and I had a light blanket over DS' carseat in the cart and she reached under the blanket to touch him. Livid!

sugarrush · January 2014

amhah09 said:

I smacked an elderly lady's hand at the grocery once. It was cold and flu season and I had a light blanket over DS' carseat in the cart and she reached under the blanket to touch him. Livid!

wth is wrong with people!!! id be livid too!!!

sking72 · January 2014

I will literally claw someone's eyes out if they just grab my baby. A family friend warned me "Oh I'm a baby snatcher!" and I just said right back "Well, I'm an over-protective mama bear so...don't be offended if I attack you!"

Everyone tells me that "Oh you'll be handing that baby off once it's here, you'll be so tired" etc. Well, I am very much like my father (psycho over protective, always thinking someone is trying to steal me, attack me, roofie me, etc) and he didn't let anyone hold any of us (me and my three siblings) for a good while because he didn't trust them. So good luck strangers!

amhah09 · January 2014

sking72 said:
I will literally claw someone's eyes out if they just grab my baby. A family friend warned me "Oh I'm a baby snatcher!" and I just said right back "Well, I'm an over-protective mama bear so...don't be offended if I attack you!"

Everyone tells me that "Oh you'll be handing that baby off once it's here, you'll be so tired" etc. Well, I am very much like my father (psycho over protective, always thinking someone is trying to steal me, attack me, roofie me, etc) and he didn't let anyone hold any of us (me and my three siblings) for a good while because he didn't trust them. So good luck strangers!

My MIL is one of those people who will take your baby right out of your arms. Like, trying to calm a crying baby? MIL will walk right up and take it from you. She only did it to me once and she'll never do it again. It's one thing for you to ask or offer and it's another thing to say "give him here" and snatch him right out of my arms.

melissashogan · January 2014

I think this is the perfect example of the what ifs. Most people do something or another that poses risks for injury without thinking of it. I am guilty of putting the car seat on top with DD but now know better for DS. One of my pet peeves are parents who allow children to climb on high furniture like the back of couches ( I know of a tragic accident happening from this), others don't see the threat. I was also super protective of DD by putting a babygate over her 2nd floor bedroom window (I was terrified she would fall out).

MamaFantastic · January 2014

so scary. and imagine, for every time there's a handy rescuer, there are probably 150 babies who aren't as fortunate to be caught in time

we have never put the car seat in the top of a shopping cart. it was a risk i wasn't willing to take.

rlmanning · January 2014

Yea, the top of the shopping cart scares me. Not a risk Im willing to take. The baby will be either in large the basket of the cart in his/her carseat or at home with the other parent. We gladly shop with out eachother when the baby is small and it is a possibility.

irisheyez7 · January 2014

LalaMama81 said:

Some carts now forbid this right on the cart and many car seat manuals do as well. It's not like it's not easy to avoid.

Carts can "Forbid" this in warnings all they want but I see people do it all the time! I mean come on, they have to put warnings on superhero costumes so people know they don't actually allow them to fly!

Avion22 · January 2014

Our grocery store has carts with a carseat-like seat permanently attached to the upper basket area. It is lined with coated foam padding (so it's waterproof) and has an adjustable 5-point harness. I don't see people using these very often though.

What terrifies me about having the baby anywhere in the shopping cart is stuff falling off the shelves onto the baby. I realize this might be slightly irrational, but honestly people at the grocery store are really rude and probably wouldn't think twice about reaching OVER a baby in a shopping cart to get their super-heavy thing or box with pointed corners off the top shelf (instead of, you know, asking politely to move the cart).

And now, of course, I'm paranoid about people trying to touch my baby! I never would have thought people would do that (the nerve!) but I guess it's pretty common? I would be LIVID.

avidkeo · January 2014

I see this happen a lot (people touching baby) and while i find the urge (man is that strong sometimes) I absolutely won't. Even in my job when I xray babies (not often) i still wont hold baby without asking mum first - even for her to put on a led gown. Its a respect and trust thing.

I read an article a while ago about strangers demanding affection - hugs and/or kisses - from kids and about how we try to teach kids about protecting themselves, yet at the same time we allow people - mostly older people - to demand this and even force the kids to. It really made me think and i will not force any child, especially my own, to give affection on demand. If my child does not want to hug granny, then they wont have to and granny will just have to accept it!

Hmmm thread hijack.... Sorry!!!

DemoDoll · January 2014

I don't know what kind of benefits outweigh the risk of possibly having your baby fall to their death. That's just me though.

https://macon.13wmaz.com/m/news/news/58804-infant-dies-after-falling-out-shopping-cart#bmb=1

clickactual · January 2014

I tried to pic my car seat on too ONCE. It's a chicco, so it doesn't snap in, and being 5'4 I could not see over and barely around it. So I deemed it unsafe and either wore DS or put the seat IN the cart. A girl I knew always had her seat on top and told me he really couldn't see well either but she assumed people would move for her or she would hit them and they would learn... She was a winner

blahswife · January 2014

Thank you for this post. This is something that I've done in the past and never thought of something like that could happen. I actually thought that car seats were equipped to go up there. It's been along time since I've cared for a small baby and this really shed light in my eyes. Actually I've learned a lot of new things from visiting these boards that I didn't realize before. In some small ways I feel like a FTM all over again. With this new knowledge this is definitely not a mistake I will make ever again. So thank you very much.

AcaAwkward · January 2014

I admit this is one choice I see parents make in public and I can't help but cringe. I've read too many of the worst-case scenario stories to ever attempt this, even though it's much more convenient than putting the infant carrier in the main basket (although that does eliminate the Stranger Touch Factor -- it takes some effort to bend down into the cart and tickle a little foot). If I need to do a solo grocery or Target run, and I need loads of basket space, I just wear the baby. Otherwise, I put the seat in the big basket and pile items around it, or take the Snap-N-Go and put my items in the basket under the stroller.

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And this is why you don't put your car seat ON TOP of the cart!!

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