Always use the straps in the shopping cart.
By jchampany
@jchampany (1130)
United States
March 16, 2007 11:47am CST
Okay, you are all probably going to tell me what a horrible mother I am. And believe me I sure felt like the worst mom in the world when it happened. I was at Walgreens one day (quite a few months ago) and was at the pharmacy counter. I had just told my son to go and put something back on the shelf and proceeded to pay for my purchase. The shopping cart was at my side but not in my direct line of vision and my daughter was sitting in it. I felt the cart bump me but my thought process told me it was my son comig back and that he bumped the cart. Next thing I know, I am turning around and my daughter is standing up and flipped out of the cart. Thank goodness she landed on her butt. She actually did a flip. I tried to catch her but I just wasn't fast enough. She looked at me and started to cry. I held her for a minute. It didn't really take her long to calm down. She was not hurt at all, not even a bruise but I know how lucky we are for that. If she had landed differently I could be telling you all a different story. It was one of the worst feelings in the world to know that it happened because I didn't think enough to strap her in. Please always use the strap.
Has anything like this ever happened to you?
6 people like this
15 responses
@Michele21 (3093)
• United States
16 Mar 07
Don't feel too bad!! When I was a baby (not sure how old but an infant) my parents were at Kmart and I fell out of the basket and landed on my head...and I am here with no problems =) (I have never liked Kmart stores-maybe that is why) We can't watch our kids 24/7 and I probably would have thought the same thing you did-that it was your little boy....but it turned out okay so relax and don't let people tell you that you are a bad mom!!!
2 people like this
@jchampany (1130)
• United States
16 Mar 07
Thanks. It was very scary though. I think my heart fell out on the floor next to her. It sure felt like it jumped out.
@tyees2 (4)
•
16 Mar 07
I have to say do not feel bad at leastthe kid wasn't hurt. I love my kids but I am a firm believer that the school of hard knocks comes into play in all childrens lives. With my son more than once all I could say after a seemingly foolish action on his part was " bet you won't do that again" So lighten up! you can't protect them all the time.
@emarie (5442)
• United States
16 Mar 07
don't feel too bad. i mean, kids are kids. i remember stories my mother would tell me of my eldest sister taking a head dive off a shopping cart. she actually turned out great, she's probably the smartest one out of all of us. i'm the only of the 3 of us who hasn't fallen on my head. honestly, i don't strap my kids in most of the time. my son likes to buckle the things up himself sometimes though. she probably won't remember the experiance and you know what, she'll proably get into more trouble as she gets older. its part of growing up. maybe now she'll learn not to stand in the cart.
2 people like this
@amafrias (455)
• United States
16 Mar 07
we could glue them to us and still soemthing would happen to them at some point. Don't beat yourself up. When I was about 5 and my baby brother was in a shopping cart at K-mart and I was riding the front of the cart as I see many kids still do. my Mom was looking at something and stepped away from the cart. I also jumped off of the front. The buggy flipped and chopped off 3 of my baby brothers fingers in the process. I remember the lady handing my mother a bag of ice with his fingers in it. I was horrified and had to go and stay with my grandmother a few days. They put his fingers back on, thanks to the lady with the ice idea, and all is well. I havea fear about buggies and my kids though...lol
1 person likes this
@jchampany (1130)
• United States
16 Mar 07
Oh My Gosh! You had me sitting here with my mouth wide open and my hand over it. That takes the cake for sure. I'm glad all ended up being okay.
@kakemafarm (492)
• United States
17 Mar 07
I never strap my 18 month old son in the seat, my daughter who is 11 is constantly worried that something will happen to him and straps him in "to be safe". He did fall out of the cart once, in Wal-Mart, but he was standing in the basket part of the cart and not sitting in the seat. He was reaching for something on the opposite side of the aisle that I was searching for something. My son did land on his head and my heart hit the floor along with him. He cried and cried but I just held him and he calmed down. Since then, I don't let him have his way and stand in the basket part unless somebody else is with me and can keep an eye on him at all times. If it is just me and him shopping, his butt is firmly planted in the seat where it belongs or I let him push the cart. My day, like yours, could have gone horribly wrong but I thank God that it didn't. Even still, I don't use the straps, why...I really couldn't tell you.
1 person likes this
@jchampany (1130)
• United States
18 Mar 07
You know, I totally get that. There are so many things that I know I should do and just don't. I think we all have that though. Glad your son is okay.
@marilynlynn (994)
• United States
16 Mar 07
Yes, this very thing happened to me, and my son, except there were no straps on the cart i was pushing around. I remember telling him to sit down several times, but he wouldn't listen. Next thing i knew he fell out and i remember the sound of his head hitting the concrete floor, it sounded like a watermelon splatting onto the floor. I freaked of course, and rushed him to the E-room. He was hurting bad, they took x-rays and he was okay. Now he wears glasses, and i've always wonder if it was my fault. Of course it was, and i,m sorry.Wish i would of had a strap.I'm glad that your daughter is okay.:)
1 person likes this
@jchampany (1130)
• United States
16 Mar 07
You can't blame yourself like that. you don't know for sure that that had anything to do with his wearing glasses. Please don't beat yourself up about that. As you can see here we aren't the only ones. It looks like every mom has had some sort of accident with a child that makes you feel just awful.
@lingli_78 (12822)
• Australia
17 Mar 07
no, i don't think you are a bad mother... it is an accident and it does happen sometimes... so please don't feel so bad about it... the good thing is nothing happen to your daughter... so it is alright... i don't have a child yet... but i will definitely remember to use a strap if i have one in the future... :-)
1 person likes this
@cloud_kicker_32 (4635)
• United States
16 Mar 07
ohh my!! how awul! and thank God she is ok and just landed on her bum! When my son was 6 mths old i had his strapped and i was getting something from the freezer section..next thingi know i hear someone yell OMG!@CATCH HIM!! i turned and here Skylar wiggled his way out from the straps and was standing on the seat part and lost balence..and some stranger ran over and caught him as he fell!! omg! i about had a heart attack!!! thank goodness someone else was there! my wonderful guardian angel!! its happens to the best of us hun..even strapped!!
@babykay (2131)
• Ireland
17 Mar 07
Thanks so much for the tip. I am coming into this age (my boy is 9 months) and I will remember what you have said. But don't feel bad! We all make mistakes and omissions, the child isn't hurt this is the main thing - and you have learnt not to do it again so all is well that ends well x
1 person likes this
@chertsy (3798)
• United States
17 Mar 07
Don't feel bad. One of my daughter's did that at a Kroger of all things. She figured out how to unlatch herself and got out to do only God knows what and fell. It scared me and the cashier more than it did her. My daughter was one smart cookie, she learned though once buckled in not to mess with the straps. I also notice that not all carts have working straps or ones that don't even have them. I like Kroger because they have the carts that look like cars. Neat invention for parents. With Walgreens, I'm amazed kids haven't fallen out not from standing, just from being small and very not sturdy. With so many cases of kids falling out of carts, you would think they would come up with better straps.
So don't feel bad, kids will be kids. Things happen all the time. I think bad moms are the ones that leaves there kids in cars, the ones that beat there kids and I don't mean spanking either, etc.
1 person likes this
@cjthedog64 (1552)
• United States
16 Mar 07
My DS flipped himself off of his changing table, luckily without any damage. I do always use the straps on carts, and he's tried to get up or twist around. Carts are still awfully top heavy with a kid in the seat, so I try to keep my hand on the cart at all times, or at least be looking at it and within reach.
It's scary when something that seems so safe can cause you such a shock!
1 person likes this
@jchampany (1130)
• United States
16 Mar 07
You know, I remember when my brother and I were younger and he used to put his feet up on the cart and hold on to the bar and push with his foo t like a skateboard. They are top heavy because one time the whole cart tipped over on top of him. All he got was a bloody nose but my mom was embarrased and pissed. Can't tell you how many times she told him not to do that.
@Joslyn77 (374)
• United States
17 Mar 07
yes,when my kids were younger. Several times I would put them in the cart because I only had a few things to get. Thank goodness they never fell out but I did catch them standing or starting to stand in the cart. All moms know you are not a "bad" mom just one living like the rest of us,learning from our mistakes!
@Gabrielle1609 (278)
• Singapore
17 Mar 07
she needs a lesson to teach her not to stand in the cart... everyone has fallen on their heads before... or bumped their heads... it's all part of growing up...
1 person likes this
@laststand5182 (43)
• Philippines
17 Mar 07
Oh my, I know how awful that feels! But please, dont work yourself up too much about it. You're only human and your daughter knows you would never do anything to hurt her intentionally. It is a good thing she wasnt injured seriously. When it happened to one of my girls, she ended up with a big bump on the middle of her forehead which turned black and blue. I felt soooo terrible and it was a hard lesson to learn. Thank goodness there werent internal injuries. To feel i failed to protect someone who believes i would always be there for them is a horrible experience. But i thank God, there is always the new day the comes and gives me a second chance.
@jbb316 (1779)
• United States
16 Mar 07
I can sympathize with you because I definatey know the horrible feeling. I was in office max one day with my son. He is 2 and was standing in the back part of the shopping cart. He was holding on and we were playing. I stopped the cart really fast and he flipped over the end and landed on his head on the floor. I was so worried about it. But luckily no major damage just a bump on the head. I felt like the world's worst mother. I wanted to cry with him.
1 person likes this
