Shop Safely With Your Children


Five-year-old Josh Martin and his 8-year-old brother Jared enjoy playing a game called mousetrap. The object of the game, Josh said, is to "trap the other mouse; you get all their cheese."       

Josh knows exactly what it's like to be trapped, because he was locked in a safe at a Lowe's home improvement store in Naperville, Illinois.       

Josh, his brother Jared, and mother were shopping when the boys found the safe with the combination clearly visible to children.       

Josh punched in the code, and said it was easy to open. Christy says she was angry the safe was so accessible to her children.       

The boys opened and closed the safe several times, until they got the idea for Josh to climb inside. The boys thought it would be fun. Josh easily fit into the safe and his brother would open the door as soon as Josh wanted to get out. So Josh climbed in and Jared closed the door.       

But then Jared couldn't open the safe door.       

He repeatedly entered the code, but the safe wouldn't open. He ran down the next aisle and got his mother, but neither she nor store employees were able to open the safe.       

Josh has severe asthma so his parents were afraid of what could happen.        

After what his mother called 15 agonizing minutes, Josh was freed — and he was thrilled.       

"The 911 and all the people came, even the ambulance," he said.       

While this and a similar incident at another Lowes store in Ohio ended well, the incidents and the many other injuries children suffer while parents shop have to be wakeup calls to parents that shopping areas are not playgrounds for children.       

Here are some tips to keep your children safe while you shop.       

Keep an eye on your children as you shop. It is not up to mall security or store personnel to watch your children while you shop. That is your responsibility as a parent. In fact, if you need to do some serious shopping, do it with your husband or a friend who can watch your children while you shop or without your children at all. A friend can baby sit your children while you are out shopping as you do hers while she shops. Of course, there are times you have to take your children shopping with you but you can keep an eye on them and tell them not to wander off.       

Do not let your children climb on ladders or shelving. Ladders should not be left in store aisles by employees but accidents happen so it is up to you to protect your children from a careless store employee who left the ladder in the aisle instead of the backroom where it belongs when not in use.       

Store shelves are not made to be climbed on so you have to make sure your children do not climb on shelving by both telling them not to and watching to make sure they obey.       

Do not let children stand up in shopping carts. Children young enough to use cart seats need to be sitting in them. Children old enough to walk should walk with you and not be in the cart.       

Do not let children use store equipment as amusement rides. That device for moving pallets or store goods may seem like the biggest scooter your child has ever seen but it was not designed with your child's safety in mind. Store equipment is only for the use of experienced store employees.       

And, do not let your children go into areas only for employees. Explain to your children that store rooms and even safes are dangerous places where your child can be hurt. While store rooms and safes should be locked off so only store employees can get into them, not all are so you need to protect your children by making sure they stay in the areas of the store designed for consumers.       

While shopping with your children can be fun it is also needs to be safe.

~ SafetyIssues Staff Writer