Many businesses place electric rocking cars at their store entrances to attract customers with children. But are these cute rocking cars that are loved by young children really safe and hygienic?
"The rocking car downstairs in my house sings from morning to night, making it so noisy that people can't rest. The sound is very loud, especially during the lunch break. The loud sound made by the rocking car makes people unable to sleep." On October 9, in Taining Garden Community, Chengdong District, Xining City, an aunt who came back from shopping said that the sound of the children's rocking car was very harsh. She went to the supermarket and asked to turn down the sound, but was refused.
"I suspect that my son got hand, foot and mouth disease because he was infected by playing with a rocker," said Ms. Li, who lives in Taining Garden Community. It turned out that Ms. Li took her child to play with the rocker every day. 10 days ago, the child was diagnosed with hand, foot and mouth disease. "How many children touch this car in a day? If it is not disinfected regularly, the hygienic situation will be worrying."
“I come here every day, three times a day on weekends,” said Master Ma, who lives in Century Village, Changyun. "Children can't even sit for a whole day. Sometimes they still don't get down after sitting. Even sitting two or three times in a row is not enough." The grandmother of one child told reporters.
Witness: Safety and health are worrisome
On October 9, the reporter visited many merchants operating rocking carts in Xining City and found that many small supermarkets, pharmacies, vegetable shops and other densely populated places have electric rocking carts at the entrance. The reporter found in front of a vegetable store operating in Changyun Century Village, Chengdong District, Xining City, that within ten minutes, no customers entered the vegetable store, but six children, mostly between one and three years old, were riding the rocking carts one after another. The reporter saw that as soon as a child approached the door of the store, he sat directly in the rocking car and pointed at the coin slot to urge adults to buy coins quickly.
During the interview, the reporter found that most of the rickshaws were placed at the entrance of businesses. Not only were the bodies covered with dust, but some of the rickshaws also contained garbage such as paper towels and plastic bags. Some parents also let their children play with the cars while eating snacks. The operator of the rocking car located in the Qinghai-Tibet Railway Garden Community in Chengdong District, Xining City told reporters: "When the car is dirty, just wipe it with a rag and rarely clean and disinfect it."
In addition to health issues, the safety issues of the rocker cannot be ignored. The reporter found that most of the power cords of the rocking carts are exposed. The quality cards of some of the rocking carts do not indicate the manufacturer, and there is no product certificate. Many parents come to shop and leave their children alone in the swinging carts to play. Although there are warm reminders in the rocking car, parents generally do not pay attention to them, let alone follow the prompts, leaving potential safety hazards to their children.
Doctor: Frequent use has many disadvantages
Dr. Chen Keju, a pediatrician at the Provincial Women and Children's Hospital, said that in early childhood, children's hearing and brain are in a state of development. It is not suitable for children to be in an environment with loud noise for a long time. This will cause mild hearing loss and affect the standardization of children's language development and pronunciation. It will also be detrimental to brain development in the future growth process.
Chen Keyu reminded parents that in addition to causing external injuries to their children, rocking the stroller may also cause internal injuries to their children. Especially in autumn and winter, there are high incidences of infectious diseases. Children who come to sit on rocking strollers are very mobile, which can easily bring hidden dangers to children's health. Parents should strengthen supervision to prevent the spread of diseases.
Li Jianqing, a staff member of the Xining Municipal Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau, said: "Currently, the country has no clearly defined standards for rocker products. They are neither toys nor the scope of the quality supervision department's supervision."
A staff member surnamed Wang from Xining City's 12315 Complaint and Reporting Platform reminded parents that children need to keep relevant credentials when riding a stroller. According to national regulations, the operators and manufacturers of strollers have the obligation to provide safety reminders and protection to users. If danger occurs due to quality problems, they should bear corresponding responsibilities.