I might be the only one who didn't know this but...
 

When I went grocery shopping with my niece two summers ago in Texas, I grabbed a cart and stuck my purse in the top part of the cart. She stared at me for the longest time before she told me that people put kids with dirty diapers up there. I couldn't believe I hadn't ever even thought about that. And all that time I was putting my nice purses there. And I would save the top part for my bagged fruit and veggies. Oh my!!! Makes me cringe when I think about it. Did you all know that? I can't believe I never thought about it before.

Do you also push the cart with the handle? Think about everything people do with their hands (without washing afterwards) and then they go shopping! I can't freak out about everything or I'll become a hermit.

I think that is why around here now the stores have the wet wipes by the cart area - so you can wipe them down before using them - But I did the same thing without thinking about it - and what about the buggy part of the cart that the kids stand in - think of the crud off the shoes :( Kind of scary

Ditto - it's like when they try to tell you to close the lid when you flush the toilet so "spray" doesn't go everywhere and land on your toothbrush and make you sick. I don't and I never get sick.

Just wash your hands once in a while and don't drive yourself crazy worrying about everything..

I'm in favor of good hygiene - but I think we've gone totally overboard on 'sanitizing'

How can our bodies build up any immunity to anything if they never get exposed to anything 'minor'?

Sometimes I think bleaching everything in sight is more harmful than our normal household bacteria.
(Exceptions: if someone comes over with something 'bad' - etc)

When we were kids, we ate dirt all the time. We survived and I'm afraid to think of what might have been in that!!

I always put my purse in the cart, but I flip up the plastic seat cover so it's just sitting on the metal part. I sometimes use the wipes they now have by the carts. But I always always wash my hands well after returning home. Every so often, I take a cleaning wipe to the (vinyl) bottom of my purse just to get the cooties off. LOL

You know other people have sat on the toilet before you, touched the doorknobs, pen on the credit card machine, soda machine buttons, pen at the doctor's sign in, ate at the table you are at, etc etc etc... If a baby in the cart is the worst I have to deal with today, then my day is looking up already.

I know you might be trying to bring something to someone's attention, but you said this happened a couple summers ago so why bring it up now instead of then?

Just curious

DH and I have been telling people for years about this. Most stores have the wipes and we make sure we use them all the time since a friend got impetigo. Her dr. asked what she had touched that possibly others had touched. She said a shopping cart. Cost her a dr appt. and medication because of the cart handle. We constantly wash down and disinfect the door handles inside and out of our car too.

I always fold the plastic "seat" up, before putting anything into the cart.