Having a nightmare shopping with a disabled child? Just ask!!!!!

Do you like me have an absolute nightmare trying to shop with a child with poor trunk control and muscle spasms?

Stuck with a choice of trying to push a buggy and a shopping trolley at the same time or take a huge pram and stuff as much shopping in the basket underneath, on top of the hood and carrying a bag on each shoulder just waiting for security to accuse you of shoplifting. If it wasn't such a stressful and strenuous experience it would be comical.

Well I have been doing this every few days (you can't fit a whole weeks shop on a pram) for nearly two years now and two days after I spent £240 on a Goto chair I saw on Manchester Evening News website that Wythenshawe Asda had a Goto trolley made for disabled children with a five point harness and fully padded. So I looked on line and saw that 650 Sainsbury stores,500 Asda stores and 400 Tesco stores all had Goto trolleys. I began phoning my local stores with the thought that if there are that many Goto trolleys around they should have one closer to me.

My local Tesco didn't have one but said they will look into it and if other stores have them then they will get one sent over and keep it at the store for me to use at my leisure, my local Asda said they didn't have one sorry, but I pushed it and said if other stores have one then with their store being one of the biggest they should have one and could they please find out if they have any plans to get one and when. The lady took my number and said she would call me back when she had some information for me. 15 mins later the lady from Eastlands Asda called me and said they already had one and it had been there ages and was really sorry she didn't know when I had first called.

I grabbed Ziyal and drove straight to the store, I was so excited at the prospect of doing a decent shop with my daughter safe and comfortable, and it didn't disappoint, the wheels were a bit stiff cos I was the first person to ever use it but Ziyal was strapped in with a 5Point harness on a comfortable chair and facing me so we could chat, it was heaven I actually cried and I had been shopping at the Eastlands Asda for ages but I just didn't think to ask because I assumed that they didn't have a shopping trolley for disabled children who can't sit up.

So I urge anyone still struggling with your disabled child to ask at your local store and don't just leave it at "sorry we don't have one" because like I found out today most staff at the stores don't know even when they do have one. I don't know the situation with Aldi or Lidl but I will be making some more calls tomorrow because I use a few different supermarkets every week as my daughter has food allergies and have to buy different things from each supermarket. I am hoping Aldi pleasantly surprises me as much as Asda and Tesco have done today.