Released: August 07, 2006

Shopping carts not a safe place for kids

Source: Janine DeFao, San Francisco Chronicle

The nation’s pediatricians are warning parents today against putting children in shopping carts. “Parents are strongly encouraged to seek alternatives,” says the American Academy of Pediatrics, which reports that shopping carts were involved in injuries to more than 24,000 children last year, mostly when a child fell out or a cart tipped over.

But parents who have tried to pick up a couple things at the store while keeping their children from toppling the displays or playing hide-and-seek in the clothing racks may find the warning hard to accommodate.

“So what are you supposed to do with your kids?” asked Sheryl Enomoto of Pacifica as she loaded her trunk at Oakland’s Wal-Mart while admonishing her 3-year-old son, Kalani, to “sit nicely, please” in the cart’s main basket - which doctors say is a particularly dangerous spot. “I think it’s absolutely ridiculous to expect parents not to bring their kids shopping.”

The association suggests having a second adult supervise kids on shopping trips, leaving kids home or shopping online. The organization of 60,000 pediatricians says many carts are unstable or have inadequate restraint systems, and they are urging stronger manufacturing standards.

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