Do you feel strongly about toddlers inside regular shopping trolleys...

[squatsandcrunches]

...or at least, do you feel strongly enough to have a go at a stranger in the middle of Sainsbury's about it?

Today a very noicely dressed, well spoken lady in her 60's (I'd guess) actually shouted at me in Sainsbury's for having toddler DD in a regular (small) basket trolley without a toddler seat. From what I could make out, she felt that it was unhygienic as "my food goes in there".

(In case it's relevant, I was trying out a little trolley because I've been finding the big ones there increasingly hard to manouvre with my raging SPD - I'm very pregnant.)

I'm not sure I get her logic - surely the vast majority of stuff in a Sainsbury's is going to be packaged; and the stuff that isn't you'd wash before eating anyway? If my toddler had handled an apple (or if it had brushed against her) in a different circumstance would she feel that apple was irreperably damaged?

How sterile does she imagine the trolleys are normally? Does she know they're parked outside where spiders can rub their willies on them with impunity all night?

Very keen to establish whether society at large would consider this a revolting thing to have done. It has honestly never crossed my mind to think that people who do this are doing anything wrong.

I don't like it from a safety perspective. I once witnessed a kid fall out head first whilst their mums back was turned - that CRACK noise is not something you forget. It was a little bit traumatic to witness.

Oh my god I saw the same thing happen a few years back, a boy fell right on his head and I felt a bit sick hearing that noise.

I put my children in the trolley, there’s usually no two seater trolleys so I generally put youngest in the seat and eldest in the trolley. As others have said it’s only as unhygienic as keeping the trolleys outside. Ignore the silly woman who shouted!

I think it's unhygienic, antisocial, and shit parenting. Most children can walk, or put them in a buggy and carry a basket. Or get your shopping delivered, or do your shopping when your partner can look after the child.

@Rubicon80 I agree. It’s one of my pet hates...

Clearly I’m in the minority but I find it disgusting particularly as the vast majority of children I see in them are off school sick😷. Last week, the woman at the till next to me was explaining to the cashier how said child had been throwing up the whole night before...I get that trolleys on the whole can be pretty grim but there is still no need to make that worse by putting sick kids and dirty shoes in there...

I'm afraid I see this as inconsiderate and selfish behaviour and though I wouldn't say anything directly, I'd be looking down on you a bit....OK, a lot.

Shoes might have dog poo, human spit, oil on them etc, whatever traces are on the pavement. I don't want that on my fresh baguette (fresh bread often pokes out of the wrapper and isn't washable) or on clothes I might buy as well as food. It''s unhygenic, plus unsafe for the child. If the right sort of trolley seat isn't available, just ask at customer services.

Quote the willy rubbing spiders story if this ever happens again, theres no answer to that, made me laugh out loud

🤨 let's just assume she was having a bad day and incorrectly felt the need to take it out on you. i would not put my child in a small trolley but only because i would not trust him not to vault out of it. he certainly goes in the baby prison/big trolley when all other options are exhausted.

Having witnessed a toddler fall out of one and really smack their head on the ground, I admit I cringe when I see toddlers in small trolleys, big trolleys - I couldn’t care less. DD loves sitting in the trolley seat, even at 4.

Thanks for all the responses, so interesting to see the range of perspectives - some very passionate!

I can definitely see the safety concerns and I do know that technically it's not allowed for safety reasons. She's not a wiggly get-upper and it was a very brief emergency dash / hobble round where I wasn't going to be leaving the trolley, so it didn't feel unsafe, but I can only imagine how sickening it would be if a kid was to fall out. That was certainly NOT on this lady's list of concerns today, though! 😂

To the pp who asked about SPD and lifting - I'm not sure how best to explain it. I find that it's rotational / sideways / opening-up type hip movements that cause me the most pain. So I can do a squat & lift sort of movement without much bother, but that weird twist you have to do when a big unhelpful trolley doesn't want to turn round an aisle is really horrid.

“unhygienic, anti-social and shit parenting” how dramatic
I put one of my twins in the trolley all the time and yes I still get online shopping. Sometimes you need to go to the supermarket.
It’s better they are in the trolley than let the kids run off in different direction, handle food etc the ladies working on the tils love my kids and are always super nice likewise many strangers who stop for a chat.

I did this with my child, I didn't let him out of my sight or let him stand up. Some old biddy still tutted and made comments. Shopping with toddlers or kids is stressful enough without people passing judgement. Deal your pain OP!

Feel even...

Supernarket trolleys are not clean. They get touched by dozens of people each day, some of whom will have had their fingers in their crevices. People put their never/infrequently washed bags for life in them, that could've picked up all sorts. Rats get on them when they're outside. The idea that your son is the thing that's going to make it unhygienic seems heroically optimistic.

Blimey she needs to get a grip or carry one of those arsey little bottles of antibac on a key ring with her to decontaminate her life.

I put ds 6 in a trolly if I can’t find one of those double seaters for both my boys. He gets totally overstimulated in supermarkets and needs containing!!!

I wouldn't shout at anybody, not in anyway concerned about the hygiene aspect but I may tap you on the shoulder and quietly suggest that you be careful with them in there . My sister fell out of a trolley as a toddler and cracked her head open, ended up with lots of stitches.
I broke my shoulder fucking about in a trolley with my mates as a teenager so I'm aware from experience how little it can take to tip one over and seriously hurt yourself (concrete floors are not forgiving)
I certainly wouldn't put my toddler in the basket of the smaller trolleys as the centre of balance is high and as he's so interested in everything it would only take him to reach a bit too far for a bit of food he liked when I wasn't looking and it would easily tip over.

I wouldn't comment but I think it's a stupid thing to do. I work in a supermarket and I used to be a first aider. I've seen kids who've fallen out of trolleys. Never heard a parent say 'yeah, I knew that was going to happen'. Everybody thinks their kid will never move or they'll grab them before they fall if they do.

I would never say anything. But I do inwardly judge when I see people doing this.

I've never even thought of that. But I don't care my child is often in that part, sometimes with his cousin. I cant find double seats on trolleys in many shops so that works for us.

I couldn’t care less about hygiene. It’s injuries, fingers through the bats getting caught, falling from a height onto concrete floors and in an evacuation it is slower to lift a child from the main bit than from a trolley seat. We were sent on a trolley safety course....that was a fun morning

Oh and bird shit. I forgot bird shit. I do understand the safety concerns though.

Same as many pp's the hygiene thing doesn't really bother me as they are filthy anyway but I thinks it's really dangerous. Not a risk worth taking IMO.

I had bad spd with my second and I can well remember the pain of pushing a big trolley full of food with a toddler in the seat around the supermarket, the movement of that is definitely a killer. I ended up online shopping, getting dh to to the shopping or going with him so he could push the trolley.

If people are that bothered by the hygiene standards of the trolley then why dont they pack thier shopping into a bag or box as the go round. This would prevent food touching the actually trolley. I've seen dogs cocking legs up trolleys, birds pooping on them, there are outside so are in no way clean.

What about walking sticks and the pull along trollises you see placed inside a shopping trolley?

Plus if a child is in the seat they are usually touching the handle bars, thier shoes usually scrape the handles bars, which in turn you touch and then you pick up food with those contaminated hands.

Yes safety can be an issue but as long as the child is being watched or held on to it will be fine.

OP the lady was being rude and I would have just walked off leaving her to talk to herself. You dont need that when in pain and pregnant along with a toddler. Says more about her then it does about you.

I never did this because it seemed unsafe as DS is so skinny that he fitted in those seats at 4 (he probably still fits at 5). I discovered recently though that DH put him straight in the trolley every time from about 18 months and DH took him to supermarkets loads more than me.

Hygiene thing is nonsense - toddlers are not dirtier than trolleys.

I always remember seeing warnings to parents not to do this when I was younger, I dunno what happened to them

Heavily pregnant with SPD and honestly, lifting DS(3) in to and out of the main body of the trolley is a lot easier than trying to get his legs in and out of the seat holes.

If I was a bit more flexible at the moment, I'd be using this time to get him used to walking alongside the trolley but I literally can't keep up with him and sometimes I do need to go to the supermarket and not get a delivery.

Although, something tells me his grandparents may let him in there as well because he automatically takes his shoes off and asks to put them in my bag the second he gets in there.

He's not allowed to stand, he sits and everything is a lot less reachable, or kickable than if he's in the seat, he has been known to launch off the end of an aisle using his feet from the seat.