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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

People taking ridiculous risks with their dc in supermarket trolleys

211 replies

wherewasi · 21/04/2013 16:30

Just done the supermarket run, as always I find I have to avert my eyes and bite my tongue at the sight of so many tiny children standing up in the trolley while it's being pushed round the shop or hanging off the side.

I have seen so many accidents where the trolley gets shunted and the child falls over/off and hurts themselves - bangs their head, bites their tongue, scrapes themselves on the metal. Why do parents do this? Presumably they take the normal precautions in other areas - car seats, road safety awareness, advising dc to take care in the playground or running round the house?

Even saw a really tiny one today slumped in one of the shallow trolleys with his head lolling over the edge, just at the right level to bang it on a shelf.

AIBU or OTT to cringe about this?

OP posts:
MeetTheMartian · 02/01/2017 21:13

Does it not depend on the age of the child??
A 13 months old is still small. They will not make the trolley tip over (not heavy enough), they won't be falling over (sides too high). At worst they will end up on their bottom, something that happens very regularly at that age.
So the same thing with a nearly 3yo, quite tall etc... and you have a different picture.

If you want to do a real evaluation of the risks, you need to take everything into consideration, incl how steady the child is on their feet, weight, height etc etc as well as how likely they are to fool around in the trolley. Again not the same to have a child standing up, holding onto the side to one that jumps up and down and is trying to climb out....

I really think it's up to the parent to make that judgement. Not you. And therefore I would feel you are very judgemental as you do not have the tools to make an appropriate evaluation of the risks.

NotStoppedAllDay · 02/01/2017 21:13

good god, this attitude is awful....we all know the minute a child gets hurt its then the shops fault!! part of our extensive health and safety training involves telling parents to use the trolleys responsibly. we have signs up to supervise your children adequately

but they don't

GabsAlot · 02/01/2017 21:14

havent rtft but o9ur tesco has a sign up sayiing not to let kids stand up in the trolleys so theyre obvciously aware of some accidents

TheThingsWeAdmitOnMN · 02/01/2017 21:14

FIRST TIME POSTER OR NAME CHANGER TOO

Resurrecting a Zombie thread...

MeetTheMartian · 02/01/2017 21:15

Oh bugger

ZOMBIE THREAD
ZOMBIE THREAD
ZOMBIE THREAD
ZOMBIE THREAD

GabsAlot · 02/01/2017 21:17

crap didnt notice

Itsjustaphase2016 · 02/01/2017 21:47

My children are always clambering around on high and/or wobbly surfaces at home/at the playground/in supermarket death traps. They'll probably be okay..

AliceInUnderpants · 02/01/2017 21:47

why not just put them in the trolley seats as designed?

My DD is 11, she gets stuck in the seat, but can easily climb in the main part herself Wink

AliceInUnderpants · 02/01/2017 21:48

Fuck, zombie... sorry

Ibloodyhatethomasthetankengine · 02/01/2017 21:51

My toddler can escape from the 'designed' trolley seat in less than 15 seconds. Buckle and all..... The trolley 'cage' however, is a far tricker beast. He sits down thigh, no standing.

Ibloodyhatethomasthetankengine · 02/01/2017 21:52

Where are all the zombies coming from this week? Effing annoying....

acquiescence · 02/01/2017 21:58

My 12 month old can't quite walk but can climb out of the seat. As they don't have straps on the seat bit it is safer to let him stand in the trolley than climb out of the seat or crawl on the floor. I generally pack the sling in case of extreme climbing.

pklme · 02/01/2017 22:07

One of mine screamed the supermarket down after managing to get himself stuck underneath the trolley. No idea how he did it. It took me and an assistant to lift it off, all the while he screamed like a stuck pig- which was reassuring as he obviously wasn't short of breath... I didn't take him again for years.

LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 02/01/2017 22:11

What's with all the zombie threads being resurrected? If you have something to post, start a thread!

Glitteryunicorn · 02/01/2017 22:15

I saw this happen to a little shit kid at tesco he was unsupervised running up and down hanging off the trolley when he jumped on it too heavily and went full face plant splat on the floor

I had to scurry down a different aisle as I was laughing so hard, years later it still makes me chuckle out loud when I think of it.

People should control their kids

And yes I know I'm a terrible person Grin

kali110 · 02/01/2017 22:20

Nope, yanbu.
Having worked in retail i've had the pleasure of seeing what happens when said child falls out of the trolley. That will stay with me forever.
Truly horific.

sailorcherries · 02/01/2017 22:35

My DS doesn't stand in the trolley, instead I pile all my food around him and he becomes the desginated bread/egg guard.

missm0use · 03/01/2017 00:15

I ALWAYS let my DD trolley surf unless I am using her pushchair / pram.
The trolleys at our local supermarket have broken seats so when I try to put DD in them they just close over and squash her or they have no 'seat belt' and she ends up standing on the seat. In these circumstances it is safer for my DD to trolley surf than to sit in the seat.

DailyFail1 · 03/01/2017 00:31

I only see kids too fat/old for the seat actually sit in the bed of the trolley itself. I think in that case parents prob just want to do some shopping in peace and not run the risk of child running off/misbehaving etc.

IgnoreMeEveryOtherReindeerDoes · 03/01/2017 00:36

Pisses me off more ZOMBIE threads

OopsDearyMe · 03/01/2017 02:25

Why standing? Why can't they sit? Mine do!

kmc1111 · 03/01/2017 03:06

When I worked in a supermarket I saw 3 kids crack their skulls open after toppling out headfirst, one kid who broke his leg in a really nasty way (bone jutting out, leg twisted round the wrong way) and 10+ who broke or fractured an arm/wrist. Also a very small toddler who got a concussion after losing his balance and falling backwards in the trolley. Almost everyday a trolly would tip a kid out and fall on them and there'd be tears and cuts and bruises.

Now when I shop I notice many supermarkets are constantly interrupting the music to play a warning about children in trolly's. The fact that it's such a liability risk for the supermarket that they feel the need to broadcast it like that should tell people how dangerous it is.

3luckystars · 03/01/2017 03:50

A friend from work got a terrible fright with his child in a trolley. He had her in the trolley seat thing and was putting the shopping into the boot of the car, when the trolley slipped from the kerb thing and toppled over onto the ground. he said only by pure luck she avoided slamming full force on to the side of her head. He read about it afterwards and children have gotten fairly bad head injuries from this type of accident.

It didn't even occur to me that this could happen so I am more careful now going up and down kerbs and bumps with the trolley.

GilMartin · 03/01/2017 04:20

Why do people get their knickers in a twist over zombie threads being re-activated?

If it was something current affairs-related or the op had posted 'I need a costume idea for a fancy dress party tomorrow' then I could understand it.

As far as I know, and admittedly I am no great expert on the matter, children still stand up in trolleys! So, if people still want to talk about the topic (and people seemingly still do) is there any need for people to screech 'zombie, zombie' as if someone had run into the room with a bottle of anthrax, rather than posting on a thread that has been inactive for a bit.

3luckystars · 03/01/2017 10:01

I 100% agree with you. What's the big deal, there is good stuff in old threads.