Children in shopping trolleys

I sympathise with anyone struggling to keep a small child under some sort of control, but I don't want the soles of anyone's shoes near my shopping.

I don't mind shoes indoors, or all kinds of other things that others are squeamish about, but contact with dog poo crosses a line, to me.

Mamardoit

I've probably been guilty of this in the past. Not in supermarkets but going around d b&q or similar. My reasoning would have been that the 3 or 4 year old would have been safer there than loose in the aisle.

I don't think the hygiene aspect would have crossed my mind. Slightly older children on scooters or kicking a ball around bother me more.

The nearby ASDA, in the past, felt it was necessary to post a sign forbidding the use of roller skates and skateboards in the store. How stupid do you have to be to think it's fine for kids to belt up and down the aisles on a skateboard?

MissAdventure

I sympathise with anyone struggling to keep a small child under some sort of control, but I don't want the soles of anyone's shoes near my shopping.

I don't mind shoes indoors, or all kinds of other things that others are squeamish about, but contact with dog poo crosses a line, to me.

👍

Exactly.

Nanna58

I’m sure even from a distance of time we can remember the stresses of shopping with children, so perhaps we could cut today’s parents some slack over a relatively minor issue of hygiene

I can remember from recently looking after three small grandchildren. What happened to a touch of discipline? Or creativity?
Give the children something to look for? Involving them rather than seeing their company as a nuisance?
Sorry but lazy parenting includes other issues such as children entering school still in nappies.
I see plenty of children with mums or dads in shops behaving well. The large majority in fact.
But there are some parents glued to their mobiles, pushing buggies and ignoring the child. Cut these some slack? Really?

I’m quite surprised from the comments on this thread that so many seem to think it’s ok. If a little person can sit in the trolley seat size wise, that’s fine, but it’s invariably older children you see in the main part of the trolley where the food goes. If they are older then as someone else said, surely by then they should know how to behave in a supermarket and not need to be restrained that way. Most of us on here are older, bringing up our children pre mobiles -you see so many young mums on their phones whilst with their children-so we I think were more ‘on the case’ behaviour wise, and I’m surprised about the current tolerance for this or the need. Of course the inside of a trolley isn’t pristine but it’s not quite the same as potentially introducing something unnecessarily unpleasant to a food space.

Quokka

Nanna58

I’m sure even from a distance of time we can remember the stresses of shopping with children, so perhaps we could cut today’s parents some slack over a relatively minor issue of hygiene

I can remember from recently looking after three small grandchildren. What happened to a touch of discipline? Or creativity?
Give the children something to look for? Involving them rather than seeing their company as a nuisance?
Sorry but lazy parenting includes other issues such as children entering school still in nappies.
I see plenty of children with mums or dads in shops behaving well. The large majority in fact.
But there are some parents glued to their mobiles, pushing buggies and ignoring the child. Cut these some slack? Really?

Thank you nanna8 for remembering the real world!
In an ideal world, yes we were practising their reading by pointing out cereal packets, colours likewise and no doubt there would have been some trendy mums who sharing the relative air miles on the back of the packets. Actually i do remember one child announcing that “M” was for Mothercare!
But a touch of discipline, or creativity implies there is none in evidence and it is all too easy to accuse parents today of lazy parenting as if we were all flippin’ Mary Poppins back in the day. And let’s not go down the rabbit hole of children in nappies - AGAIN.

The trolley park at the supermarket where I do my big shop runs directly along the car park, so cars back in and out all day. There’s a cat frequents the little Asda supermarket and, if often lulling about in an abandoned trolley. And just like week, the town Facebook page was trying to identify a man who had urinated along the trollies at Sainsbury’s.

Between exhaust fumes, the cat, and actual human wee, children’s shoes don’t seem so bad.

Well said, Rosies (again!). I even got my kids involved in politics when supermarket shopping. DD1 would have been 6 or 7 at the time, old enough to read labels anyway. I told her and her sister to go and choose some apples while I was looking for something else in the same aisle. I said, "Not South African ones", so that dates it a bit.

They brought me some apples and then DD1 said loud and clear: "That man is buying South African apples!" I replied: "His choice" and left it at that though I had explained why I didn't want SA apples and they understood the basic tenet.

So, yeah, shopping with kids can cover a lot of ideas!!

Perhaps it could cover why outdoor shoes are not appropriate in some areas.

We had to have indoor shoes to change into at school.
Can you imagine the furore if that was a school rule now?

RosiesMaw2

Quokka

Nanna58

I’m sure even from a distance of time we can remember the stresses of shopping with children, so perhaps we could cut today’s parents some slack over a relatively minor issue of hygiene

I can remember from recently looking after three small grandchildren. What happened to a touch of discipline? Or creativity?
Give the children something to look for? Involving them rather than seeing their company as a nuisance?
Sorry but lazy parenting includes other issues such as children entering school still in nappies.
I see plenty of children with mums or dads in shops behaving well. The large majority in fact.
But there are some parents glued to their mobiles, pushing buggies and ignoring the child. Cut these some slack? Really?

Thank you nanna8 for remembering the real world!
In an ideal world, yes we were practising their reading by pointing out cereal packets, colours likewise and no doubt there would have been some trendy mums who sharing the relative air miles on the back of the packets. Actually i do remember one child announcing that “M” was for Mothercare!
But a touch of discipline, or creativity implies there is none in evidence and it is all too easy to accuse parents today of lazy parenting as if we were all flippin’ Mary Poppins back in the day. And let’s not go down the rabbit hole of children in nappies - AGAIN.

It never ceases to amaze how some people jump in with both feet! Can I suggest you read my post more carefully.

Little people disappearing down rabbit holes and flying Nanny’s are not real - honestly 😂.

Neither is ‘creativity’ a dirty word.

I acknowledged that I see plenty of children with mums or dads in shops behaving well. The large majority in fact.

Not sure what part of that you didn’t understand.

,

It never ceases to amaze how some people jump in with both feet

Exactly.
Judgemental, dismissive, out of touch with reality.
The “rabbit hole “reference was to the loooooooooong thread about potty training - one of many over the years- and on which subject more than enough words had been expended.
Your clear implication was that both discipline and creativity are lacking in todays parents when supermarket shopping with their children. And you seem to have missed the relevance of the Mary Poppins reference completely.
Not only jumping in with both feet, but brandishing the wrong end of the stick, it seems.
None so judgemental as those who see themselves as above criticism.

There's no way I'd be able to jump in a shopping trolley with both feet.

Allira

We had to have indoor shoes to change into at school.
Can you imagine the furore if that was a school rule now?

My grandchildren’s primary school has shelves where the children (aged 3-11 years) store gym shoes, wellies, waterproofs etc. They change footwear and outdoor clothes depending on the activity. They have a Forrest area, ducks and hens who produce ducklings and chicks who are attached to a named class. There are also two ponies
So
Not only expected to change shoes also clothes on occasion

Oh yes, my DTC had wellies and all-in-ones for Forest school, pumps for PE etc.

I meant stout shoes for getting to and from school and a lighter pair of proper shoes kept by your peg in the cloakroom for wearing inside the school premises. As well as tennis shoes, hockey boots etc.

Quokka

No way! If they are small enough to sit in the seat fair enough. Otherwise it’s against health and safety anyway. These mums or dads would be the first to shout ‘compensation’ if their little dears were injured.

This. The sitting bits for toddlers is fine. Standing them in the main bit is not. In my view.😗

I rarely, if ever, see young children sitting or standing in the main parts of trolleys and nowadays I'm (thankfully) not personally responsible for either toddlers or 'rising 5s'. However, I have seen notices in supermarkets asking parents not to allow children to sit or stand in trolleys, except in the special baby/toddler seat. They don't ask this as a matter of hygiene, but as a safety concern. They really don't want restless kids falling out of trolleys in their supermarkets...do we?

GrannyGravy13

Please give parents/grandparents a break.

Life is hard enough without condemning them for where their children sit in a flipping shopping trolley!

Absolutely!

I rarely, if ever, see young children sitting or standing in the main parts of trolleys

I do. Quite normal around here.

Persoanlly, never even thought to question it. Never heard anyone, person or staff, say anything.

Cossy

GrannyGravy13

Please give parents/grandparents a break.

Life is hard enough without condemning them for where their children sit in a flipping shopping trolley!

Absolutely!

But many of us are parents and grandparents!

It doesn't necessarily follow that we did or would put our children in the main part of the trolley.

With you there *GrannyGravy”! I don’t buy uncovered food unless it can be peeled. So really don’t see a problem in a smallish child occupying part of the trolley.

GrannyGravy13

Having on occasions had to go shopping with our children, my main concern was getting out of the shop without losing my temper, my sanity or a child, putting one in the main part of the trolley was the least of my worries!

Just what I was thinking.🤔

Oreo

GrannyGravy13

Having on occasions had to go shopping with our children, my main concern was getting out of the shop without losing my temper, my sanity or a child, putting one in the main part of the trolley was the least of my worries!

Just what I was thinking.🤔

I remember pushing one of mine round in a pushchair, juggling a full basket.

That was in the days when sweeties were at child-height at the tills. When we'd walked home I found a couple of packets of sweeties tucked in the pushchair. A two year old shoplifter 😮

Allira

Cossy

GrannyGravy13

Please give parents/grandparents a break.

Life is hard enough without condemning them for where their children sit in a flipping shopping trolley!

Absolutely!

But many of us are parents and grandparents!

It doesn't necessarily follow that we did or would put our children in the main part of the trolley.

So isn’t what we are saying more exactly
“Give other parents/grandparents a break”?
Having “been there,done that “ we could be more sympathetic and understanding and perhaps less self- righteous.
There but for the grace of God?

With regards to hygiene I would suggest that children in trolleys are the least of our worries. Trolleys are stored under overhead cover outside at night. They are open to wildlife, especially rats which are bound to frequent areas such as trolley bays, because the trolleys will carry residual food smells.
I'm against children in trolleys, but for the obvious safety reasons.
Parents need to be vigilant in supermarkets. Someone I know stepped back from looking at the shelves and fell over a small child who was sitting alone on the floor.
Thankfully the child was not hurt, but the lady broke her arm.