How a Shopping Cart Can Send Your Child to the ER

When you go out shopping with your family the least you want to happen is an accident, especially with the shopping cart you are using. In 2005 more than 24,000 children under the age of 5 were treated for shopping cart injuries. Falling from the cart or cart tip over was the leading cause of death in a shopping cart incident. We might not see a shopping cart as a weapon or unsafe because we sit our children in them and buckle them up as well, but as you can see by the numbers an incident is bound to occur.

The number one mechanism of injury is falling out of the shopping cart, the second is cart tip overs. Even though there has been testing of new modeled shopping cart this does not prevent the two most common types of injury. Child car seats are also subject to injury, not many shopping carts are made to fit certain car seats which may lead to the car seat falling from the cart therefore causing injury to the child, maybe even death.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission says falls from carts are among the leading causes of head injuries in young children. Head injuries are no laughing matter, children can get life long disabilities. In children some neurological deficits after head trauma may not manifest for many years.

To prevent an accident waiting to happen try to follow these instructions:
Don't allow your child to ride or climb on the sides or front of the cart
Don't allow your child to stand in the cart
Buckle your child appropriately with the seat belt attached to the cart
Don't allow an older child push another child in the cart

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends not placing your child of any age in a shopping cart, including car seats for they become top heavy and tip over. So what should you do when shopping with your kids, the AAP recommends putting your little ones in a stroller. You might have to bring another adult that can help you while you shop or leave them with an adult family member at the house or waiting in the car while you do your shopping.

American Academy of Pediatrics website has a lot of useful information, including information on shopping cart injuries.
www.aap.org