This B.C. mom asked local grocery stores to bring in special carts for son who has a disability. They did

When Chantal Martin and her family go to the grocery store, there's often a struggle to keep track of her seven-year-old son. 

Her boy, Nicholas, has Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome, a rare genetic condition that causes physical and cognitive differences. In particular, he struggles with sight. 

"He'll often walk into things that are right in front of him that you would assume he can see, but he doesn't see them," Martin said. "He's very distracted and curious and will just take off."

Nicholas has outgrown the child seat on traditional shopping carts, so he can't sit in them. The problem is, he often runs off. 

"We have gone through emergency exits and set off alarms," she said. "He has melted down in aisles ... sometimes we just head straight to the car and don't get our groceries."

Now, after advocating for local grocery stores to bring in special carts designed for people with disabilities, some shops have stepped in to help families like Martin's.

Caroline's Cart

Earlier this month, Martin was the first person to take one of these special carts, called a Caroline's Cart, for a spin around the local Real Canadian Superstore. She's also used one at the local Walmart. In an email to CBC News in November, one of the Save-On-Foods locations confirmed it had ordered one cart. 

The Caroline's Cart was developed by Drew Ann Long in Alabaster —  a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama.

Her daughter Caroline was born with Rett Syndrome, a rare genetic condition that affects brain development. She can't walk — and as she got older, she couldn't fit in carts, making trips to the grocery store difficult for Long. Finding no shopping cart alternatives through her research, she developed a concept for a special cart herself. 

The idea went from a drawing on a napkin in about 2009, Long said, to being available in stores within about four years. 

The cart is like a traditional cart but removes where small children often sit and replaces it with a larger seat that accommodates up to 250 pounds and has a five-point safety harness.

Now, Long says she's sold thousands of the carts; they're in every Walmart in the United States. 

'Makes shopping possible'

Long said the carts meant her family had the freedom to go shopping on a whim without having to secure a babysitter in advance. 

"It allows families and children that did not have the ability before to be out in the community," she said. "It makes shopping possible for families like mine."

In Kamloops, Nicholas's 11-year-old sister, Janaie, says having access to the carts means she and her mom aren't chasing him all over the store. 

"Sometimes he does want to get out, but for the most part, he can still stay in the cart, and he's fine if we just give him something to play with," she said. 

"Usually, we have to keep him busy at home when mom or dad is making dinner. It's the same thing when they're buying groceries. So it's nice that he's just in the cart and that we can just chat."

Having that mother-daughter time is "a game changer," Martin said. 

Martin hopes it will encourage Loblaws and other large chains to bring the carts into all their stores across the country so that families in a similar situation are able to grocery shop more easily. 

In an emailed statement, Kamloops Real Canadian Superstore manager Mike Banh said there are now two of the carts in his store, which multiple customers are using. 

 "Real Canadian Superstore is a people-first business, and we take great pride in supporting our local community here in Kamloops in any way we can," Banh said.

Long said she'd like to see Walmart Canada bring in the carts across the country, just as the company's American counterpart has done.

In an email to CBC in November, Walmart Canada said Caroline's Carts are available in select stores across the country that managers can request.