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Hillsborough County mother believes sanitizer used to clean carts burned her child

Posted at 5:47 PM, May 26, 2020
and last updated 2020-05-26 17:59:46-04

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — A mom is warning other parents after her daughter appeared to have burns on her body from what she thinks was a simple trip to the grocery store.

Last week, Bobbi Edens says she took her 18-month-old daughter, Finley, to Walmart in Gibsonton.

“We were in the store for maybe 10 minutes, and she became extremely irritable and was crying like something was wrong,” said Edens.

Later, Edens’ wife found big marks on her daughter’s arms and legs. She says their doctor told them the marks looked like chemical burns. Edens thinks the burns came from the cart her daughter sat in at the store.

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After talking with Finley's doctor, Edens spoke to a store manager.

“She advised me that kids have sensitive skin,” said Edens. “They do use industrial-type sanitizer that they spray on the carts. This was brought down by corporate due to the COVID-19, and there’s not much that could be done, but she was sorry.”

Edens also shared an email response she received, saying if she sought medical treatment or wanted compensation beyond a refund, she should speak to a salaried manager at the store to file a report. Edens explained she’s not in it for money, but awareness.

“These chemicals can have an impact,” said Edens. “We just need to do things the right way and maybe a little bit more safer.”

Edens says her daughter is a little sore, but otherwise, she’s a normal 18-month-old girl. She wants other parents or people at risk to take extra precautions the next time they walk out the door.

“Look into cart covers, blankets, taking baby wipes and doing a thorough wash down of the cart before you get in it,” said Edens.

We’ve reached out to Walmart. We are still waiting for a response back.