Open Letter to the Mom at the Supermarket...

[hecubus]

Dear mother of the two-year old,

For future reference, please remember that, if your two-year-old is wearing only a dress and a diaper, the belt at the checkout is not a really good place to have her sit. Call me strange, but I kind of have a thing about putting my food where your child's butt has been, barely covered by that disposable diaper. There's a new thing around, it's called sanitation. Please look into it. Thank you.

Me

Honestly, what the hell is wrong with people?? I mean, it was a cute kid, I even got a smile out of her. But c'mon! Food. Kid's butt. Not compatible. Ever!

[Becks]

Ugh. Why do people think that's OK? I don't understand!!!

Parents, if you can answer, please do.

[UncleImpy]

Eew. I have yet to have someone do that in front of me, but trust me, the moment it happens, I WILL be saying something. "Scuse me, can you please get your baby's butt off of where I'm about to put my food??"

[GayleShy]

I firmly believe that the parents who do this think that their child is perfect, has none of these germs you speak of, and you should damn well think that the child is every bit as germ free and adorable as they know the kid is. And if you ask them to remove the offending butt, you will be in the wrong, because no normal person would even hint that their child is anything less than perfect.

When I was a cashier, some woman got mad at me for asking her to take the kid off even though I told her it was a safety issue. Because perfect, germ free childeren also bounce, you know ,

[Soulstealer]

How dare you imply their precious angel is dirty! Why they're probably as clean as the day they were born. Alright maybe slightly cleaner.

[CanadaGirl]

When I was a cashier, some woman got mad at me for asking her to take the kid off even though I told her it was a safety issue. Because perfect, germ free childeren also bounce, you know ,

Same here. Asked a couple to take their child off the conveyor belt, as there is a major risk of them getting a finger caught in the sides and end of the belt. (old tills and such) They gave me a look like "oh how dare you tell us what to do with our offspring". Puh-leez. Don't pull that crap with me.

[XCashier]

When I was a cashier, some woman got mad at me for asking her to take the kid off even though I told her it was a safety issue.

Same here! Despite the fact that it was a four foot drop to a hard tile floor*, people insisted on sitting their children on the counter. Plus there was also the leaky-diaper vs food counter issue, but pointing that out would make the parents raise an even bigger stink (pun fully intended)!

*A four foot drop may not be much to an adult, but to a toddler who can barely keep balanced, that can cause a serious injury. But just try getting the Perfect Parents to understand that!

[GayleShy]

But just try getting the Perfect Parents to understand that!

And then, when the kid falls off and does not bounce back, unharmed, into the parent's arms, who's fault is it?

*Hint: It's not the Perfect Parents' fault*

[MystyGlyttyr]

There was this guy who worked at the same grocery store I was employed at once who was a cashier, and he actually typed up a "legal waiver" (I'm sure it was in no way legal), and if he had some parent who put their children up on the counters or the belt, he'd whip one out and tell them how their child could fall and hurt themselves or be killed, and ask them to please sign it in the event that their child fell to acknowledge that they were warned.

People got their kids down after that, of course.

[Ree]

Let's not kid ourselves into a false sense of security.
I highly doubt the belt is as germ free and sanitary as people think, whether a child in a diaper is sitting on it or not.
What about that raw chicken the lady ahead of her had on the belt?
What about the unwashed produce covered in potentially harmful bacteria?
What about that apple in your own cart that someone handled? (Did they wash their hands after using the toilet?)

What about that shopping cart you just took your food out of? How clean is that?

I wouldn't put my child on the belt anyway, just because of the safety issue, and it boggles my mind when I see parents letting the kiddies have a ride on it. There were a few times, though, when I had to set my daughter down on the belt briefly because I had to use both hands, and she was very small.

Diapers are usually pretty secure because of the plastic coating that holds everything in. If the baby didn't have a soiled diaper, then there was a pretty low risk of an already unsanitary situation being any worse. I always washed my daughter's bottom pretty good when I changed her diaper, so her legs and butt were probably cleaner than your hands (or the hands of that person I mentioned before )

[myswtghst]

As offensive as that seems, I'm kind of with Ree on this one, and I really appreciate her bringing a different point of view on this. Kids should not be on the belt for safety reasons, but the sanitary thing is kind of secondary. Given that your food was in a cart that may have had children in it earlier (butts and all!), along with the possibility that it was a bird perch/toilet out in the parking lot, or that the man who used it before you had pink eye, or used the washroom without washing his hands, I just tend to not worry about it, and wash all my produce and such when I get home.

[Boozy]

The thought that setting your baby down on the belt might be unsanitary had actually never occurred to me before. I've seen mothers do it (and not step an inch away from their kids at all) and never thought twice.

I wash the hell out of any non-packaged food I bring home anyways. My wine shop gives me a full view of the produce section of the grocery store. There's some seriously nasty stuff happening to our food long before it hits the belt. You wouldn't believe the things people do to produce in an attempt to establish its freshness.

[huckster]

A family was checking out and not paying attention to their 2 year old daughter that managed to climb atop the shopping cart. She was not sitting where the "seat" is, but at the narrow edge of the cart. We informed her mother to remove her daughter and she ignored us. Other customers were hanging around her in attempts to catch her if she fell. Tell mom again, no response. She fell. Face first. Onto concrete. It was the day after Thanksgiving and the store was swamped. Fortunately, she was breathing okay but was knocked out cold. Out of nowhere two women run up from different directions that were nurses. The guy standing behind them was an EMT. They went to work while we waited for the ambulance to arrive. I had to have incedent reports filled out for insurance purposes and had at least 6 people state the same thing. The mom knew what she was doing, no one but the mom had the right to remove her child from the cart, thank god the kid is okay. It totally sucked to watch it happen and know that it was avoidable.

[XCashier]

That's just it, Huckster. Parents think that their children can't possibly fall, because they'll be there to catch them. How often does Mummsy set Junior down on the counter, then walk a few feet away to do something else, or else ignore the kid while he is using the shopping cart as a jungle gym? More often than you realize. How often is Mummsy able to lunge with super-speed and catch Junior before he hits the floor? Very rarely! And the employee isn't too likely to make the save either, what with that wide counter in the way. So, knowing the laws of gravity and Murphy, why tempt fate? Keep your kid on the floor, or strapped into the safety seat, and always within your reach!

[HowMayIHelpMe?]

Ugh. When someone plops a baby down on the grocery belt? Um.......ewwww?
Having heard too many horror stories about diapers and leaks, I've no faith in their protecting my groceries from their foul, putrid contents.

Keep your baby's gross-ass diaper-bum away from my groceries!