New study shows... kids need more TV!!!

..... well it was probably a marketing study and nothing related to childhood development....

Behold..... the TV Kart!

I was leaving the grocery store a few weeks ago and saw three of these puppies lined up near the exit, parked at some sort of docking station. Such a complex piece of electronics need not be left outside in the cart corral. From a distance it looks like your run-of-the-mill car-themed grocery cart. But this one's been pimped.... TV screen inside for the kiddo and up top for the parent. Well, little Charley got to take 'er for a test drive the other morning. (Forgive the bad cell-phone pics)

Seriously, if you see one of these at your local grocery store, give it a try. It's hilarious. Probably not the reaction the TV Kart makers were after but I laughed the whole time (see the parent's screen below....).

Climbing in and shutting the door....

View for the parent (you can see our little test driver through the parental supervision portal). As you can see, we were test driving a dual-screen model.

There were a few buttons that took you through picking out a show and getting it started. We chose the Mickey Mouse Playhouse, I think it was.

But the best part is, while your kid is in the cab watching a cartoon, you're getting fed all kinds of great parenting advice, such as what foods to pick out for your child, or how to bond with your child. For instance, one way that I learned how to bond with my child is to leave loving post-it notes around the house for them, such as......

I was reminded by this very responsible and safe looking lady to make sure I signed it, "Love Mom."

She did NOT want to get out.....

Only way I could get her out of the TV Kart was to bribe her with a pony ride. And by the way, props to the King Soopers on Quebec St for having a kiddie ride that only costs a penny. I thought the one cent marking on the coin box was for nostalgia... ya know, reminisce about the good ol' days when a kiddie ride only cost a penny. Nope, a lone penny fires this pony right up. On top of that, they put a bowl of pennies next to the ride for you to use so you don't even have to front the $0.01 for a pony ride.

Charlotte and I both got a kick out of the TV Kart but I suspect we won't be using it that much. It's a lot more fun to watch Charlotte toddle around the store and come very close to knocking things off shelves and causing a "cleanup on aisle 1."