Connecticut shopping carts now safer for babies

Every parent in Connecticut knows that taking babies to the supermarket could be a challenge if there are no safety seats in the grocery carts. Many parents shop at stores and supermarkets in the area with their infant strapped into a car seat that is balancing on the front seat of the shopping cart.

This can lead to serious accidents. Falls from these carts are the primary cause of young children’s head injuries, exceeding accidents with changing tables and high chairs, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Now, in light of this risk of personal injury, nine local stores in Connecticut are taking part in a national campaign to keep babies safe and secure while the parent shops.

Created by New Jersey-based company Safe-Strap Co., the Safe-Dock, is bolted in place to the front basket of a cart. The apparatus is able to hold any kind of infant car seat carrier. According to experts, the device has a 50 pound weight limit. The carrier is securely held by a harness, which is snapped together.

The American Academy of Pediatrics reported that close to 23,000 children are taken to emergency rooms because of shopping cart injuries every year. Some parents erroneously think the locking device which is under the car seat will secure it to the cart, but that does not always happen. All car seats are different.

Safe-Strap Co. provides a great deal of information on their website, such as which stores have the Safe-Dock or how to email a store to request the addition of the safety devices.

Source:  foxct.com, “Grocers Add Safer Car Seat Docking Systems To Shopping Carts Read more: http://foxct.com/2014/01/20/mommy-minute-grocers-add-safer-car-seat-docking-systems-to-shopping-carts/#ixzz2rWMxlHON” Sarah Cody, Jan. 20, 2014