Focus needs to be on child safety

To the editor:

I am writing in as a concerned mom, one of many in the Valley. I am the type of parent who wipes the shopping cart down and buckles my little girl in at each and every store — especially since cart safety is a big issue in our country.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates the annual average of about 20,300 children ages 5 and younger are seen in U.S. hospital emergency rooms for falls from shopping carts. Injuries range from minor abrasions to concussions.

Recently, I came across one store in the Valley that doesn’t see this as an issue. The store manager’s direct quote was, “We don’t even have to provide shopping carts, let alone have working seat belts in them.”

In my opinion, they may not have to, but they do provide carts and in doing so should make sure they are in proper working condition. I’m intentionally not including names or the name of the store because this is not directed at just the one store, but to raise awareness about this for parents to be wary that certain places don’t have children’s safety as a priority in the store.

There are products that can be purchased for parents to carry with them to ensure their children’s safety if the stores don’t provide proper safety restraints. For more information, visit http://tinyurl.com/6cvsnk6.

Brittany Harrell

Wasilla