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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

aibu to hate seeing kids sitting in shopping trollies?

207 replies

mrsfuzzy · 23/04/2015 20:51

shoes that have walked in god knows what and in the trolley where food goes, never thought about it until i saw a trolley with mud in it at local supermarket !

OP posts:
MythicalKings · 24/04/2015 07:20

He's all grown up now, full. He works in academia so being a stickler for rules and detail has served him well. Grin

soapboxqueen · 24/04/2015 07:22

I certainly do avoid the supermarket where possible with my sen ds but life isn't always that easy to plan out. Once in a while I need to get something I've forgotten or have run out of because he decided he needed smoothies or milkshakes or sandwiches until they eye coming out of his ears.

I certainly can't wait for an Internet shop to arrive.

NapoleonsNose · 24/04/2015 07:24

Gives me the shivers. I used to work in a supermarket and the amount of accidents we used to see were quite eye-opening, particularly when smaller children were sat in the shallow trolleys which then over balanced. One accident resulted in lots of blood, a split head, a trip in an ambulance and one very upset mum.

Catsize · 24/04/2015 07:27

Hmmmm. So tempting. I have an errant 3yr old who runs off in supermarkets the second I turn for some yoghurts or whatever. Reins haven't worked - he uses them to fly.
I am fed up with bribery parenting.
He knows I can't run after him, as I have a pelvic problem and would have to abandon his baby sister (imagine the MN Shock) but this thread might have solved the problem. Without shoes of course. Wink
It might be safer for all concerned if he was left at home alone with a happy meal and a Playstation caged in the trolley. But then he'd probably try to do gymnastics on it.

claraschu · 24/04/2015 07:27

Love seeing kids in the shops, especially if they are having fun, whatever they are doing. I don't even mind if they are being a nuisance, running around, etc (though I never seem to see this). As far as safety goes, parents have to be aware of their kids and take care of them, which is perfectly possible to do with a child sitting in a trolley.

fulltothebrim · 24/04/2015 07:32

mythical- having worked in academia myself for 20 years I know that boundaries are there to be challenged.

OrangeOwl · 24/04/2015 07:41

I've learnt lots of things on Mumsnet. I now know, when in the supermarket, not to glare when I see children sat inside trolleys (most people think it's ok, I don't but anyway just smile and nod etc). Also, following a previous thread move away from the till asap, don't sort your receipts into those sections in your purse. However, make sure you're on the lookout for a good shopping list left in a trolley Wink.

Sirzy · 24/04/2015 07:50

Someone up thread commented about children they had seen in trolleys having "working legs"

DS has legs that work pretty well. However his lungs are fucked and his brain isn't wired quite the same as you and I! The combination of both does make shopping trips interesting. To look at him though he looks like a normal 5 year old.

As I said earlier I'm no fan of kids in trolleys but I wouldn't judge others for taking that approach when maybe it is the only way they know they will manage to get a child around the supermarket without them being ill or having a meltdown.

ArcheryAnnie · 24/04/2015 07:50

Foxes and rats are very unlikely to go near empty trollies so that's a red herring.

I too hate the thought of mucky toddler shoes in the bit of the trolly you put your shopping in. It's dirty and inconsiderate of parents to do it. (Another one for the "your children's behaviour is only cute to you" list.)

Moreisnnogedag · 24/04/2015 07:52

I'm with Blue on this. It's fun, they're kids. If I got glares, I'd think you were a sourpuss and would probably smile and wave.

Pengweng · 24/04/2015 08:04

YABU. I don't like the fact that most supermarkets don't have enough twin trollies or if they do i see people with one kid pushing them around while i'm struggling with one in the seat and one walking (very fucking slowly and grabbing shit) or talking up valuable food space in the main part. Mainly i just shop online so i don't have to deal with supermarket crazies and rude people who should mind their own business. (grin)

MythicalKings · 24/04/2015 08:06

Full ye kanna change the laws of physics.

Haggisfish · 24/04/2015 08:13

It wouldn't even occur to me that children's shoes had mud on them! You must mean if they are standing in the actual trolley, not sat in the trolley seats where they are designed to sit and their feet are nowhere near food?!

hazeyjane · 24/04/2015 08:15

If it's that much of an issue to take your children to the supermarket why not go on your own?

Really??

Do you know what, going out to the shops, going on holiday, going to the park, getting the children to school, going to the hospital, going to friend's house.....doing pretty much everything, is harder with a child with disabilities. So why do we even bother, hey?

Well life goes on and we are a family with other children, and we all deserve to go about our normal every day lives, in the best way possible, even if, at times, it is a struggle.

Most supermarkets have, at most, one trolley for children with additional needs. I have sent letters to all our local supermarkets to provide more, and to make sure that those they have are safe to use.

mammmamia · 24/04/2015 08:29

YABU
Try going to the supermarket with twin toddlers
And I always use the parent and child parking space too and tut loudly at people who don't have DC using them. So there.

MNHQ
YetAnotherBeckyMumsnet · 24/04/2015 09:28

Hello everyone

Just a quick reminder that you can't always tell when someone has a disability. Our This Is My Child campaign aims to raise awareness of this and other common misconceptions surrounding disability. You can read more here.

Thank you.

MrsHathaway · 24/04/2015 09:37

At our Morrisons all the big trolleys are twin trolleys. You have to go out of your way to find a horrible hard cradle one.

I agree that it's far easier to shop without even NT children, but people who can't see that life doesn't always fall like that are deluded.

ArcheryAnnie · 24/04/2015 09:53

Do all of you who let your children stand with their dirty shoes - unsafely - in trollies which are not designed to carry them like this, also let your kids stand on cafe tables, etc?

hazeyjane · 24/04/2015 09:59

I don't think I have ever seen any kids standing in a trolley, to be honest. I have seen children sitting in them. I would have thought in the deeper trolleys it is pretty safe, as they are unlikely to tip - it is the shallow ones that would be dangerous.

I am guessing people wouldn't let their children stand on the table in a cafe, but that isn't really the same, as the tables aren't going to be outside in all weathers being pooped on by birds, they will be wiped down frequently with antibacterial spray, and they have food that isn't wrapped up in packaging sat on them

GuybrushThreepwoodMP · 24/04/2015 10:13

Can't see why this would bother you. There's probably been a million other people touching your food before it ends up in your trolley.
Unless you'd prefer to make my life totally unmanageable and your shopping totally miserable as we both deal with my two year old running away, shrieking and throwing things?

Sickoffrozen · 24/04/2015 10:17

This doesn't bother me but OAP's choosing to shop on a Saturday and Sunday when they have all week to do it does.

I am not a great fan of family outings to the supermarket either. Sometimes there are families of 6/7 all walking round and basically getting in people's way. Why not one do it and the other stays to look after the kids or take them to the park or something?

hazeyjane · 24/04/2015 10:20

but OAP's choosing to shop on a Saturday and Sunday when they have all week to do it does.

are you joking?

bruffin · 24/04/2015 10:23

I would have thought in the deeper trolleys it is pretty safe, as they are unlikely to tip - it is the shallow ones that would be dangerous.

Ive seen kids standing in the deep ones, wobbling all over the place, I know one child who tipped out and landed on their head. I never let mine sit anywhere but the proper seat. I saw a toddler kneeling up in a shallow one and wobbling all over the place, parents taking no notice at all.
I never let mine as it is dangerous and not necessary. My dc managed to get teens without going in the basket and it didn't ruin their lives, I had exactly two year gap as well.

PannaDoll · 24/04/2015 10:30

Astonishing. I would not have even thought to be bothered about 'germs' from children or supermarket trolleys and I don't even bag my fruit and veg. Living on the edge here. I don't drive so don't use trolleys; sticking to baskets means I have a better chance at being able to carry everything I buy on the pram ride home. I wouldn't hesitate to chuck the kid in with the shopping if I used one though.

I didn't believe how seriously germ phobic people had become until I started reading Mumsnet.

hazeyjane · 24/04/2015 10:31

ah, ok. it isn't something I have really seen here. I have seen little kids sat in the deeper trolleys, and I know my friend has to sit his older boy in the trolley with his tablet, when the trolley for older children isn't available, as he is severely autistic, and it is the only way he can go around the supermarket.

I don't do it with my ds as he would hate it, and is in his sn buggy, so I push that and drag my shopping trolley along behind me!