My 11 month old is both wiggly and strong and its becoming hard to keep him seated in a shopping cart. Those silly lap belts dont help much, they come up under his arms which allows him to get his bottom off the seat and turn completely around. Its not safe. Is there such a thing as a harness or something I can buy to keep him securly in the seat? Recommendations?? Not talking about those shopping cart cover things, I have one, and that lap belt does not do the trick either. Never had this issue with my older son.
I will go ahead and add in advance: Yes, I watch my son. No, this is not a means for me to be lazy and not watch him. Its a safety issue. Dont want little guy falling on his head should I become distracted for 2 seconds by a great sale on cookies or something :)
Thanks!!
Thank you Tina, that looks like that might do the trick! I am going to try it.
Thanks to everyone for the input!! He is really very well behaved (for an 11 month old), he is just very young and curious. Every time I put something in the back of the cart, he wants to turn all the way around and try to see it and grab it. If its something safe for him to hold, I do let him hold it for a while. And I have toys and other stuff for him to play with. I do need to get something better to strap him in though, because its just not safe in the long run.
I wonder if this would work? http://www.amazon.com/Baby-BAir-Toddler-Flight-Vest/dp/B0...
If the link does't work go to Amazon and look up toddler flight vest or child aviation restraint system.
You can take your own belt and place it through the basket and around your child. The buckle should be facing you on the basket
I'm with you - those seat belts don't do much, at all.
For my older daughter, the deal was, the cart doesn't move until you sit. That worked for her. (Incidentally, it also works in the car. I pull over, "This car doesn't move until you behave!")
My youngest, though - didn't mind if the cart was still. She actually did manage to wiggle out of the seat belt, to a standing position, while I was trying to reach something off of a top shelf - I reached out to grab her, and she leaned away from me and toppled backwards into the cart, hitting her head on the edge of it. Straight to the ER for baby's first CAT scan. Fun day (she was okay, thank goodness!). Oddly - she became better after I stopped using a seat belt. She was taking them as a challenge. She really didn't want to stand - she's cautious by nature - but she doesn't like to be restricted, either. She also likes to play buckling the seat belt over and over again (which means I have to UNbuckle it over and over again, but that's cheap entertainment, so I'll take it).
(Either that, or she learned from the topple. She had a goose egg on the back of her head for a while, and it was pretty tender. I don't recommend that method of teaching, though.)
I just did a quick google search for you and this is what I found. Maybe it could work????
http://www.etsy.com/listing/21156440/shopping-cart-safety...
Tina's idea looks great. I hope it works.
Just wanted you to know that my little guy was the same way. Tightening the belts did nothing. He even learned how to undo the belt, so it did absolutely nothing. He was (and still is) a climber. Shopping was a nightmare.
It drives me crazy when people say things like, just tell him to sit and show him you mean business. Right, like I haven't already tried that for about 20 shopping trips! That's generally not something that works for 2 year olds and certainly not for the more "spirited" ones.
You are not alone!
He's now 3 1/2 and sits just fine in the big part of the shopping cart.
My dd always found the belts to be a "challenge" (*MUST*GET*OUT*)! So, I had to come up with another way to keep her safe. I don't have any suggestions for the belt issue, but what about distractions? He can help you "write" or cross items off your shopping list, help you look for specific items, name things you see, give him a drink/snack that he can handle on his own, etc. I know he's young, but this was never really an issue for my dd, she just knew she was expected to sit and behave at the store! Of course, we did have our moments of crying fits! I probably looked & sounded like a crazy person any time I went shopping with dd, but I just kept talking to her all through the store: "wow, do you see all those boxes of cereal?! Some are big and some are small. Look at this yellow box with the bee on it! Do you think daddy would want cheerios or apple jacks? I like apple jacks, but cheerios are healthier for you. Ooh, it's cold on this aisle. They have to keep the milk and cheese cold, huh? You love cheese, don't you? Should we get the white or orange cheese? Do you want to hold the cold cheese?" and on, and on! Even at a young age, they pick up on things and now, at 4, dd is an excellent helper at the store, helping me find (and remember) things on my list!
Good luck mama!
My baby is 12 months now, he does the same stuff, as well as turning around to grab everything and try to put it in his mouth plus squeezing the bread and smashing eggs, ect. I carry him in an ergo baby. He seems to like it and it keeps him from grabbing things and climbing out of the cart.
This may sound dumb...but have you tightened the belts in the cart? I found that I had to adjust the belt each time I got a new cart b/c I also needed my son to stay put!
Other than that I have no real advice. I had the same issue and I basically could never go more than a foot from the cart and shopped with one hand on him at all times! :)
There are harness straps that you can buy and portable ones to take to restaurants etc. It is almost impossible to get out of it and the kid is comfortable but safe. Its around 30 dollars. I can't remember the name, but they have them at baby stores.
I'm with Tori, I had to make the belt tight so he had a harder time wiggling out. Even then it wasn't foolproof.
Once he got really good at wiggling out, I moved him to the big part of the cart so if he stood, he might fall in the cart, but he wouldn't fall OUT of the cart.
As a side vent - the hardest part was finding carts where the belt was actually in one piece, not broken, and able to be tightened. Stores should check and replace those things!
Tina's find is great. Long long ago that is what we used in strollers, shopping carts etc.
Uggg I remember that stage. Went through it with both my boys. I had this old seat strap that had a velcro band that came with it. I cut the band from it and then strapped it around their chest and through the bars. Did not work at Target, as there are no bars on their carts. That thing bought me a few months, but once they got stronger they got out. My boys were inquisitive busy bodies who wanted to explore on their feet. Not amount of distraction worked longer than 5 minutes. I always dreamed of a device like the PPer linked from Etsy!! I would totally get that.
Hi, M.:
Even though you have suggestions to help you keep your son
from turning around. I would suggest you teach him to do as he is
told.
For Example:
Show him what you are doing and then tell him to look forward and not turn around. Or something like that. Let him know you mean business.
Another thought.
Good luck.
D.
