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Shopping Cart Safety
According to a new policy statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), "Shopping Cart-Related Injuries to Children", more than 24,000 children were treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms for shopping cart-related injuries in 2005.
Most of these injuries occurred when a child fell from a shopping cart, the cart tipped over, the child became entrapped in the cart, or the child fell while riding on the outside of the cart.
Injuries to the head and neck accounted for 74 percent of shopping cart-related injuries among children younger than 15. Of the 4 percent of children treated in an emergency room for a shopping cart injury, more than 93 percent were under age 5.
The American Academy of Pediatrics offers the following suggestions to increase your child’s safety while you shop: Instead of putting your child in a cart while you shop, try one of these safer ideas: Get another adult to come with you to watch your child while you shop. Put your child in a stroller, wagon, or frontpack instead of in a shopping cart. Ask your older child to walk and praise him or her for behaving and staying near you. Leave your child at home with another adult while you shop. Shop online if your store offers shopping on the Internet.
If you decide to put your child in a shopping cart anyway, then follow these rules: Place your child in a safety belt or harness at all times when in a shopping cart. Never leave your child alone in a shopping cart. Do not let your child stand up in a shopping cart. Do not place an infant carrier on top of the shopping cart. Do not put your child in the basket. Never allow your child to ride on the outside of a cart. Do not allow an older child to climb on the cart or push the cart with another child in it, because it is very easy for a child to tip the cart over.
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