Photo: @crazyfamily579 / @the_nannymeg / TikTok
Car seats are only meant for cars.
By Megan Quinn — Written on Dec 04, 2022
Carseat safety is a highly debated topic in the parenting community and ne mother is learning this the hard way after she came under fire for an infant car seat hack that is being labeled as “dangerous.”
In a TikTok video posted by user "@crazyfamily579," a woman shows viewers how she avoid having to seat her kids in uncomfortable shopping cart seats but her well-intentioned video angered other moms.
The mother shared how an infant car seat can be strapped onto a shopping cart.
In the video, which has been viewed nearly 2 million times, the woman films herself clicking the car seat into place on the metal bars of the shopping cart by utilizing the car seat clips at the bottom.
“Who knew that this maxi Cosi car seat clips into the trolley,” the woman wrote in the textbox over the video.
Parents rushed to the TikTok comments in order to warn the mother about doing that.
While it appeared to be a convenient hack for parents who did not want to bring their baby’s stroller while they shop, other TikTok users warned the woman against doing this.
“Please don’t do this. It’s really not safe,” one user commented.
“Clipping the seat onto anything or base that’s not safety tested can lead to positional asphyxiation. Please be careful while doing this!” another user pointed out.
Not only did users claim that the hack was unsafe, but they also brought up the fact that strapping the car seat to the shopping cart could damage the car seat's clips.
“And then a few months later your car seat no longer clips into the base,” one user wrote.
“Good way to damage your car seat,” another user commented.
One CPST took it upon herself to advise parents not to install their infant’s car seats in shopping carts.
A CPST (Child Passenger Safety Technician) is a person certified by the National Child Passenger Safety Certification Training Program; a partner with Safe Kids Worldwide, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the National Child Passenger Safety Board.
CPSTs work with parents to ensure proper and safe car seat use.
The CPST posted a TikTok video in response to the controversial shopping cart hack video.
“This is another one of those viral hacks that everybody thinks is genius and in reality, it’s actually really unsafe she says.
“Even though it looks like the car seat actually clips into the shopping cart, it doesn’t fully clip in and car seat manufacturers have actually come out begging parents not to do this.”
The CPST claims that forcing a car seat to clip into anything that is not the car seat base can cause the clips to “bend” and “break,” which can be dangerous since the car seat will not be able to clip into the base once the clips have been damaged.
“It also changes the center of gravity on the shopping cart, so the shopping cart can tip over easier,” she adds.
She offers recommendations for parents who need to take their babies shopping with them.
“I recommend either putting their car seat in the basket of the shopping cart, putting them in a stroller that is meant to be used with their car seat, or baby wear.”
According to a 2022 study, 49% of infant car seats in the U.S. are installed or used incorrectly.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.