AAP suggests shopping cart limitations for children

08 Aug '06

3 min read

Ask older children to walk and praise them for behaving and staying nearby.
Leave children at home with another adult.
Shop online if local stores offer shopping on the Internet.

If a parent chooses to place a child in a shopping cart, he or she should ensure that the child is properly secured in an effective and age- and size-appropriate belt or harness. Parents and caregivers should never:
Leave a child alone in a shopping cart.
Allow a child to stand-up in a shopping cart.
Place an infant carrier on top of the shopping cart.
Allow a child to ride in the basket.
Allow a child to ride on the outside of a cart.
Allow an older child to climb on the cart or push the cart with another child inside.

To help parents, the AAP recommends that businesses adopt shopping cart safety strategies and offer other assistance to help prevent injury. This may include providing a supervised in-store child-play area; a pick-up area or assistance in bringing purchases to a vehicle; cart modifications to improve child restraint and cart stability; strollers or wagons for in-store use; education and warnings about cart dangers; and/or customer incentives, such as stickers or other give-aways, to reward safe shopping cart behavior.

The AAP recommends that child health and advocacy professionals support revised manufacturer standards, and educate parents, families, the public, and the media on shopping cart risks.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.

American Academy of Pediatrics

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