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'She told me it is illegal': Debate after mum 'told off' for common Coles trolley practice

A debate has erupted online after a mother questioned whether her seemingly innocent act at a shopping centre was “illegal” or not.

The mother shared a photo of her two children sitting in the front of a Coles shopping trolley on a local Sydney mums Facebook group.

She asked if other parents did the same thing after an interaction she had with another woman, while she was grocery shopping.

“I was told off by a lady today and she told me it is illegal,” the mum said.

“Is she correct?”

People were quick to point out in the comments trolleys usually have a weight limit, with people saying it was usually 18 kilograms.

The mother then said the combined weight of her two kids was 35 kilograms.

A Sydney mum was told it was 'illegal' to have her children sitting side-by-side in a Coles trolley.
A Sydney mum was told it was 'illegal' to have her children in a trolley like this. Source: Facebook

“Illegal? Sure they probably exceed the weight limit but who really cares,” one person responded to the concerned mother.

More people were just concerned for the children’s safety as opposed to viewing it as “illegal” to have two children in the front of the trolley.

“Probably not illegal, but also not a wise idea because of the potential risk of the trolley falling if the weight becomes unbalanced as the kids move,” a Facebook user replied.

“It’s kind of a shame the person who told you didn’t try to explain more kindly.”

“I don’t know about illegal but if their combined weight is significantly more than the limit stated, your trolley might not be balanced and could tip when you go over a bump if they rock it,” a third person said.

Many other mothers agreed they also put their children in the seats in the trolleys as many admitted shopping without the provided seat and young children can be a “nightmare”.

One person said if having two children in the front of the trolley are over the weight limit, it would be up to the store to enforce, not the police and not other customers.

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