Can you secure a Graco infant carrier/car seat onto a shopping cart?
Jacqueline asked:
I recall years ago that infant seats could be secured onto the top front of a shopping cart. I assumed they all did this, but when I got a Graco system, I saw nothing in the instructions about that feature. Does anyone have shopping cart suggestions for the graco car seat? I really don’t want to take her out of the seat if she is sleeping.
I recall years ago that infant seats could be secured onto the top front of a shopping cart. I assumed they all did this, but when I got a Graco system, I saw nothing in the instructions about that feature. Does anyone have shopping cart suggestions for the graco car seat? I really don’t want to take her out of the seat if she is sleeping.
I thought it was common knowledge to not put an infant car seat in the top part of of shopping cart. By my most recent visit to Wal-Mart I see it is not, or people choose to ignore this piece of advice.
Infant car seats are NOT made to be placed in the top part of a shopping cart. Buy a sling or carrier, it’s much more convenient as you don’t have that huge mass of plastic to lug around.
The AAP warns against placing infant car seats in the top of a shopping cart.
You are not, nor were you ever *supposed to* clip the infant carrier into a shopping cart. It makes the cart and the carseat companies don’t want to be liable.
i have a Graco car seat. mine has little notches in the back and a little red type of hook thing in the middle back part. you sit the seat on the front and when you want it out you push in that red hook. mine is made to go in a cart. it doesnt work on many because the bottom is so long so we just put him in the basket part.
Most, if not all, infant carseat manuals say NOT to put the infant seat on the top of a shopping cart. Children fall and are sent to the hospital every year for this.
When DD was still in the infant seat, we either pushed the stroller and pulled the cart behind us or put DDs infant seat in the basekt part of the cart and grabbed 2-3 of the hand carry baskets and put them in the toddler seat and under the cart.
No way was I risking DDs safety for my convenience.
It is not recommended to put a car seat on the shopping cart. Yes, people do it every day, and the potential for injury is huge. Shopping carts weren’t made for it, and it makes them unbalanced and can easily fall over.
Car Safety Seats and Shopping Carts
Many infant-only car safety seats lock into shopping carts, and many stores have shopping carts with built-in infant seats. This may seem safe, but thousands of children are hurt every year from falling out of shopping carts or from the carts tipping over. Instead of placing your baby’s car safety seat on the cart, consider using a stroller or front pack while shopping with your baby.
Even the American Academy of Pediatrics has taken a strong stance and released this in August 2006:
Parents and caregivers should never Place an infant carrier on top of the shopping cart
Another thing to think about is that babies are not supposed to be in car seats all the time, that it should mention in the manual, most saying specifically that the infant seat is for use in the car and stroller only. We are seeing a resurgence of developmental delays because babies spend so much time in car seat carriers, bouncers and swings. They can’t exercise their muscles in this position, and so it takes them longer to do what they’re capable of if they’re not in the carrier frequently.
A MUCH better idea, and you’d be surprised that many babies will sleep right through it, get a sling, pouch, or wrap. Not one of those silly infantino/snugli carriers, they cost too much for the short amount of time you can use them, and babies don’t seem very comfortable in them, do they? Check out the site below and you’ll see lots of different options for ‘wearing’ your baby. As a bonus, your hands will be free, you don’t have to worry about strangers touching your baby (cuz they will!) or your baby falling off the cart, and you can even breastfeed while your baby is in the pouch/sling/wrap.
So, yes, you CAN put the seat on the cart. But just because you CAN do something doesn’t mean you SHOULD. Not every seat locks into every cart. Carts come in lots of different sizes, and sometimes when you put a seat on it, the seat won’t lock, but just sit there. And sometimes it puts the seat at such an awkward recline its bad for baby.