Children in Shopping Trollies

[smurfchops]

Does anyone out there agree with me (and I am probably opening up a can of worms here) that small children and toddlers should not be placed in the main part of shopping trollies so that they stand and sit next to the food?  It seems very unhygienic to me, and particularly to the next person to use that trolley.

[vinnyk]

your kid

your food

who cares

[silly moo]

Probably not the safest place to put a toddler - strapped into the 'seat would be better.
As to hygiene , I don't suppose the trolleys that are left outside in all weather and with birds, dogs, etc around are particularly hygienic anyway.

[irisred]

Children should not even be allowed in supermarkets, they have to touch everything, they get under your feet if they are allowed to roam free and if they are in the trolley they are generally bored out of their tiny minds and screaming (can't blame them I hate supermarkets too!)

Should have creches in so you can drop them off and pick them up like they do in Europe!

[simsfreq]

Most food is packaged, and if you're buying loose food you should be putting it in bags anyway... less unhygenic than kids running riot around the supermarket and playing with all the food.

[Curious_Me]

I agree with silly moo re. hygiene, but have a different opinion to irisred - taking even quite smalls kids into the supermarket can be a great positive experience.... teaching them from a young age about how, what, why we choose the foods that go in the trolly..........games involving numbers, colours, smells! etc are endless and trust me can be fun!!!

[shaneystar]

Large children shouldn't be allowed anywhere near shopping trolleys either.
I always get to the checkout only to find half the stuff was put in there unawares to me by my 24 year old son.

[EssJay1]

Is a lot of the stuff chocolate, shaneystar? 

I don't think there's a hygiene issue, so much as a safety issue.  Put kid in trolley, then leave unattended, seems to be a recipe for accidents.  And I see it every week. 

[milfman]

i've got several trolleys in my back garden.....i like to make bbq's out of them.......but i always return them after the barby!!!!!

[kick3m0n]

agree re hygiene of trolleys etc kept outside, kiddies shoes are the least of our worries.  For safety reasons, I'd always haev him strapped himto the correct child seat.  As for not taking kids around the supermarket, our wee guy is nearly 2 and he loves it.  We talk about all the things we buy, he gets to smell and touch stuff that we put into our trolley and we have great fun.  Why dump them in a creche like some sort of cattle?   If you can't involve your kids in that sort of day to day family activity, why would you bother having them?? Weird.

[smurfchops]

Nice to hear all your comments, I don't know why it gets up my nose, every time I look at young children plonked in the trolley, I automatically look at their dirty trainers! Well at least that got it off my chest.

[boobesque]

i must admit that silly moo is on the same wavelength as me, i think the trolleys left outside is more worrying!

As for Irisred, i disagree, if you can control your children, many mothers round here can't, then taking your children shopping can be a great and wonderful experience, we can't teach our children if we are going to stick them in a creche, most of which i wouldnt put my children in because they can be scummy too!

Although on the same note i wouldnt put my children in the main bit of the trolley, my brother used to sit on the food!

[Ouisch]

It's just dangerous, period, to leave a child in the main part of the shopping cart.  I've seen so many kiddies standing up, leaning over and reaching out for something on a shelf while Mommy is distracted and turned the other way.  It's just an accident waiting to happen.

[Eels]

Hygiene schmygiene.

As for the safety issue, I have to say that a high-speed shopping-trolley collision on a concrete carpark, which left my NHS-outpatient plastic specs embedded in the side of my face, was one of the most character-building experiences of my young life.

[sunflower68]

Yay milfman; years ago we did the same with a shopping trolley.  How happy we were to melt the �1 coin out too!

[Robinia]

Well I'm quite willing to be corrected but isn't the most unhygenic place in the supermarket the check-out?  I've always been led to believe that cash is teeming with bugs - & think about where men keep theirs!  Also nine times out of ten during the winter the assistant will sit there coughing & sneezing all over the place! 

....laughing at shaneystar's answer....!

[FP]

Totally agree with Curious_Me.  Children should be taught from an early age how to behave in a real world.  Too many children are in creches and day nurseries when they should be out there learning what living and socialising is all about.  Off the thread I know, but it's great to take a child shopping and spending time teaching them and if they are disruptive and horrible in supermarkets then it's the parents' fault. 

[FP]

Shaneystar, I have the same problem with my 22 year old son - strangely, beer bottles seem to find their way into my trolley!!