An Australian mom found herself squarely in the hot seat after she allowed her two young children to sit in the same shopping cart. Another customer shopping the aisles of the grocery store confronted Syndey’s mom and told her that it was “illegal” for her to have her two children seated in the cart as she did. Now, the mom has come forward to claim that the combined weight of her two children was about seventy pounds (thirty-five kilograms), and she shared an image of her two children with their legs dangling through the bars of the shopping cart on her Facebook page.
“I was told off by a lady today, and she told me it is illegal (to have two children seated in the same shopping cart), she wrote, according to a report from Yahoo. “Is she correct?”
The Syndey mom’s Facebook post has since started a chain reaction of discussion as people share their opinions about whether or not parents should be allowed to seat two small children in the same shopping cart or if this is indeed an illegal act.
Many people on Facebook stood up for the busy mom and defended her for trying to make it as easy as possible to get her shopping done while having to take along her two young children.
“Why do people feel the need to judge one another? It’s tough enough raising children. Why do people feel the need to rip each other down?” a woman wrote.
Another Facebook commenter wrote, “I would have told her to mind her own business!”
A third person contributed to the comments the following, “Is there also a weight limit on the groceries IN the trolley as well? I doubt it!”
Although Mom had a lot of supporters, she also found a bunch of people who questioned whether or not it was safe to put two children in the shopping cart as she did. These people worried that the cart might become too heavy and could topple over since both children were seated near the rear of the cart.
“Illegal? Sure, they probably exceed the weight limit, but who really cares,” one person wrote on Facebook.
Another person added, “Probably not illegal, but also not a wise idea because of the potential risk of the trolley falling if the weight becomes unbalanced as the kids move.”
A third person contributed, “I don’t know about illegal, but if their combined weight is significantly more than the limit stated, your trolley might not be balanced and could tip when you go over a bump if they rock it.”
The incident occurred at a Coles location in Australia. A representative for the grocery store encouraged shoppers to be safe while transporting children in the carts.
“Most Coles stores have a selection of specialty trolleys available for our customers’ convenience. These include baby capsules, twin and twin toddler trolleys, as well as trolleys for those with limited mobility. We encourage parents to ensure their children fit safely in the seat and use the seatbelts where provided.”