AIBU to put my toddler's legs through the bread / flowers section of the trolley to keep him in place?

[Ninkynork]

His shoes don't tie together when I sit him in the seat, (perhaps I should invest in chavvy trainers with laces), he screeches and tries to climb out, defeating the straps with ease. Not fun at the self-service checkout especially.

Only recently did I notice this fine design-feature on the trolley. Bit like leg braces I would imagine and once experienced, then the DC will be perfectly happy to be bored and comfortable in the seat with a nice lolly or cheapo car / doll

AIBU?

[SOLOisMeredithGrey]

Have to say that I hate to see people with their Dc's in the trolley that may well have my food in it tomorrow. Sooo, YANBU to try to tie him down safely, but YABU to put your Ds into a food trolley. Sorry.

[Alambil]

get cheap reins and secure the clips on to the back of the seat - then he can't wriggle free

[jasper]

YANBU
DO whatever it takes

[Ninkynork]

Thanks. I was thinking that it's much too late for this really.

I do sometimes covet something like that though when I think how many snotty handle-licking toddlers and filthy-handed people have touched the toddler seats and bar. Surely nobody lets their child touch unpackaged food in a trolley, they may tread on it like my DS but you'd have to be a right scutter to put back touched food

[Dlamis]

YANBU. I would be abit worried about unlikely events like the trolley getting knocked though. Could be a bit awkward for him as momentum whips his legs away while his upper body gets left behind ifswim.

I used to hate seeing kids in trolleys too (before i had any), but since our local supermarket has just renewed all it's trolleys with new ones with only one child seat (what idiot designed that then?) then 3yr old ds1 either goes in the food bit or wanders round getting in everyones way. Ds2 (15months) is also very skilled at climbing out of the seat even when strapped in so a couple of weeks ago they both ended up in there (as ds1 fell asleep!)

[MissSunny]

Message withdrawn

[SheSellsSeashellsByTheSeashore]

There is something that confuses me about all this "Don't you dare stand your toddler in a trolley that my food might be in tomorrow" I can see the safety aspect of it re: the toddler falling/climbing out, but the not the hygeine issues.

I mean surely you wash your unpackaged food? Or are you fine with eating unwashed food that has been in a trolley frequently left out at night, with rain and dead leaves falling in it and god knows what sort of bugs crawling all over it.

Not to mention cross contamination from other unpackaged raw foods stuffs, or people sneezing all over the trolley?

But a toddlers feet might kill you????

BTW mine is the same and can escape anything with ease. I have found no solution as yet. But will watch with interest.

You could always try feeding him grapes on trip around the supermarket. That might keep him occupied

[Ninkynork]

"But a toddlers feet might kill you????"

[saggyhairyarse]

LOL at SeaShells! If anyone has ever gone behind the scenes at a supermarket they will know that a toddlers shoes are the least of their worries!!!!

[pjmama]

When you've got two small children and no double seated trolleys available, you have no choice but to put one of them in the main bit! It's either that or spend the entire shopping trip chasing one up and down the aisles whilst they trip up other shoppers and generally cause bother. Or alternatively, online shopping which has the added bonus of not having to mix with intolerant people who find this offensive.

[peppapighastakenovermylife]

'online shopping which has the added bonus of not having to mix with intolerant people who find this offensive'

PMSL

[BalloonSlayer]

When I had DS1 and DD in a double seated trolley, DS1 went through a phase of hitting DD to pass the time in the supermarket. He had a denim jacket at the time, and I found if I unbuttoned one cuff and re-buttoned it around the handle I could effectively restrain his hitting arm.

Mindful of his human rights under the Geneva Convention and all that, I only did it to one arm, not both. So he managed to hit her with the other one, but it took the force out of his swing a bit.

[bella39]

I find a skateboard and a bit of rope tied to the back of the trolley works better, tbh.

[Sheeta]

@ chavvy trainers with laces.

Does this include baby converse

[SheSellsSeashellsByTheSeashore]

Hmmm, hand baskets might be better as they are not left outside overnight.

However they are still not completely safe. A toddler may have touched it with a hand previously used to wipe their snotty nose. Or an older child may have raced the basket around the floor, in which case it will be full of toddler feet germs anyway from the ones who are left to roam the floor, thus getting in peoples way.

I think the only safe thing for those worried about toddler feet germs would be to take some dettol spray and a hygenically clean cloth to clean the trolley or basket throughly before putting in any unpackaged food.

Or if they are too embarrassed to do this in public they could club together and invest in a farm and produce all their own food stuffs safe in the knowledge that it is 100% toddler free!

[Meglet]

PMSL at balloonslayer buttoning ds to the trolley .

[Lilymaid]

Agree with Lewisfan "get cheap reins and secure the clips on to the back of the seat - then he can't wriggle free "
Always worked for me, though I rarely saw any other parent doing this - their DCs seemed to be either standing in the trolley or pulling themselves out - either way was very dangerous for them and anyone else passing.

[Stayingsunnygirl]

My one worry with children standing in the trolley is dog poo on shoes, though I've never been sufficiently worried by it to take any sort of extra action - other than normal hygiene.

Of course, any dirt in the trolley is going to end up on both packaged and unpackaged goods - so if you were really worried, you'd have to wipe all the packages before putting them away, as well as washing anything unpackaged.

Shopping with small children is hard work, so if this works for you, NinkyNork, then go for it! And console yourself with the fact that they will grow up, and you will be able to skip round the supermarket alone, looking sympathetically at the mums with toddlers, trying to do the weekly shop without losing their final marble.

[goldrock]

Goodness OP - do you shop at Tesco ? I would have thought that the baguette/flower part of their trolleys would only be suitable for the most long legged of toddlers or would you also take with you a small stool to aid balance and ensure that your DCs don't fall out and leave unsightly blood stains on the pristine supermarket floor?

[Ninkynork]

Ah, I was joking about the leg-irons, one shunt and he'd have broken bones. The reins thing sounds like a good solution, thanks Lewisfan

Now back to arguing about whether toddlers should be allowed to stand in the trolley. I was rather hoping that he'd be able to scan stuff for me in a few months!

[goldrock]

hehe Ninkynork, I did realise that I was just imagining it at my local supermarket

[Stayingsunnygirl]

When my dses were toddlers, there was one big Tesco quite near to us that had a creche for children under 8. You could do your shopping childfree whilst they cavorted in the ballpond or did drawings, and we even used to have time for a peaceful cup of coffee and a sticky bun before we had to go and get them back!!

Now we just leave them at home with the tv and the playstation, and instructions not to burn the house down.

[melmog]

I have to confess I always wondered why anyone would put a toddler, who is perfectly capable of walking, into the food bit of a trolley. Nothing to do with the hygiene side of things, just thought the sensible thing to do would be to let them walk.

Now I have a one and a two year old.

Now I get it!!!

So no, yanbu.