Shopping carts designed for children with special needs

Caroline’s Cart is a shopping cart designed to securely and comfortably seat a child with special needs.

Regular readers of Springwise may remember our recent article on the Downs Designs clothing range, which was designed to help those with disabilities overcome an everyday hurdle. Now, in a similar vein, Caroline’s Cart in the US hopes to make trips to the grocery store easier for parents of children with special needs, with a specially-designed shopping cart. Caroline’s Cart was created by Drew Ann and David Long to enable children with special needs, such as their daughter Caroline, to be more included in everyday activities with their families. For many such parents, a visit to the supermarket involves pushing a shopping cart while maneuvering a wheelchair, as most conventional shopping cart seats are unsuitable for their child. With Caroline’s Cart, however, the handles can swing back to enable easy-loading on to the seat, which has a five degree tilt and abductor to help children with low muscle tone sit up and feel more secure. A five point harness ensures the child can’t fall out, and the steel and plastic frame is designed not to flip over easily. Meanwhile, hooks along the side of the cart and a plastic base create ample space for shopping items. Caroline’s Cart is available in retailers across the US. This video explains the cart in more detail: Easy and accessible shopping facilities are something most consumers take for granted, which prompts the question, what other simple every day activities could be adapted to accommodate those with special needs? Spotted by: Judy McRae