Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
It seems like the perfect solution – your sleeping baby’s car seat perched atop a shopping cart, clicking satisfyingly into place. A match made in heaven for busy parents, right?
Mmmm, hold up a minute! We need to talk about why this seemingly convenient combo is actually a dangerous disaster waiting to happen.
The Shopping Cart Situation
Let’s be honest — you finally got the baby to sleep in the car seat, and the last thing you want to do is wake them up. Trust me, I get it. But here’s the scary truth: placing that car seat on top of a shopping cart is like playing Russian roulette with your little one’s safety.
This is why starting in 2012 a lot of shopping carts have a label telling customers not to put their infant carrier car seats on shopping carts. The car seat manufacturers themselves are crystal clear on this one. Major infant car seat makers specifically warn against placing their carriers on shopping carts. See sample below from a shopping cart and car seat manual.
What do the Manufacturers Say
Just to clarify, yes, a long time ago, there was an infant car seat that specified in the manual that you could do this. This ages me because I used this car seat with our first two babies. It was the Baby Trend Flex-Loc. However, since then Baby Trend manual does not allow it. Nor do any other car seat manufacturers.
Car seat manufacturers should be considered the experts here right? Want to know what the experts think? Here’s what you’ll find in those car seat manuals we all should read:
- Graco: “NEVER place carrier on top of shopping carts.”
- Chicco: “DO NOT place carrier on shopping cart.”
- Britax: “Never place the carrier on shopping carts.”
Pretty unanimous, wouldn’t you say?
The Numbers Don’t Lie
Let’s talk real statistics, because these numbers are going to make you think twice.
The shopping cart warning label is in direct response to the hundreds of infants who were seriously injured in stores when their carriers fell from shopping carts. Especially after a November of 2011 incident when an infant tragically died when his infant carrier fell from the top of the grocery cart after the cart was pushed over a speed bump in the parking lot.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), about 21,000 children under age 5 end up in emergency rooms each year due to shopping cart-related injuries. And that’s just the reported cases.
Even more sobering? A study in “Pediatrics” found that between 1990 and 2011, more than 530,000 children needed emergency treatment for shopping cart-related injuries. That works out to one child every 22 minutes. The most common injury? Head trauma from falls.
Why the Car Seat and Shopping Cart Combo Is So Dangerous
Picture this: you’ve basically created a top-heavy tower that could tip over faster than your toddler can say “uh-oh.” Shopping carts already have a high center of gravity, and adding your car seat to the top is like trying to balance an elephant on a tightrope.
“But it clicks in!” you might be thinking. About that clicking sound – it’s giving you a false sense of security. Car seats aren’t designed to attach to shopping carts. That “click” you hear? It’s more like a polite suggestion than indicating an actual secure connection.
A lot of times, parents think, “well, we’re not driving in the car any more, I can remove the straps.” So they remove those harness straps and put the car seat on top of the cart. Now what happens if the cart tips or even just the car seat tilts? Baby can fall out and we all know those grocery store floors are far from soft.
And, last but not least, as convenient as it may be, babies should not stay in their infant carriers for long durations outside of the car. In strollers or on top of or in carts, the infant carrier may not be at an appropriate angle which can interfere with the baby’s ability to breath.
Plus, it can break the car seat so it doesn’t work properly in the base any more.
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The “I’m Always Careful” Myth
Here’s what Dr. Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, wants you to know: “Even the most vigilant parent cannot prevent these injuries, because these incidents happen so quickly.” One second you’re grabbing that box of cereal, and the next… well, let’s not even go there.
Safe Alternatives
Instead of risking it, try these parent-tested solutions:
- Babywearing Champion Level:
- Use a soft structured carrier
- Try a ring sling for quick trips
- Practice at home first to get comfortable
- Stroller Strategy:
- Use a car seat-compatible stroller
- Also keep baby buckled in the harness straps
- Stuff items in the cargo part of stroller or hang using stroller hooks (just don’t hanging items too heavy or it will tip the stroller)
- The Buddy System:
- Shop with a partner
- Join a parents’ group for shopping trips
- Create a shopping schedule with other parents
- Online Shopping Ninja: (This is honestly my favorite solution and since 2020, getting groceries online is easier than ever)
- Set up auto-delivery for basics
- Use store pickup or delivery services
- Join membership programs for free delivery
- If all else fails: Cart Basket Method, shown above. With this method, your cart is already mostly full with the car seat so you can’t buy much. But… maybe that’s a good thing?
- Place car seat in main basket facing you as you push the cart
- If it doesn’t tilt the car seat forward, put the handle back and down can help stabilize it
- Keep baby fully buckled in
- Use a secondary cart for groceries, not ideal if you are alone
- Ask for assistance at checkout
There are products available that claim to make it “safe” for you to put the car seat on top of the shopping cart. As far as we know, these are untested in any real way and so may not be as safe as they claim. Same goes for other products like shopping cart slings or hammocks that hook to the sides of the cart. Avoid all these products!
The Bottom Line
Look, I know it’s tempting to take what seems like an easy shortcut. But when it comes to your little one’s safety, convenience should never win out over security. Those few extra minutes it takes to use a safer alternative could literally save your child’s life.
Remember, you’re not being overly cautious — you’re being appropriately careful. And that’s exactly what good parenting looks like.
By Amie Durocher, Creative Director at Safe Ride 4 Kids and certified CPS Tech since 2004
Copyright 2025 Safe Ride 4 Kids. All rights reserved. You may not publish, broadcast, rewrite or redistribute this material without permission. You are welcome to link to Safe Ride 4 Kids or share on social media.
References:
- American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Technical Report on Shopping Cart Safety
- CPSC Shopping Cart Safety Guidelines (2015)
- Journal of Pediatrics: “Shopping Cart-Related Injuries to Children” (Smith et al., 2014)
- National Safety Council Injury Facts Database
- National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) data
