Mom Discovers a ‘New Fear Unlocked’ After Toddler Gets Fingers Stuck in Cart on Shopping Trip (Exclusive)

• A mom of two went shopping with her toddlers, but discovered one had her fingers stuck in holes in the cart when they went to leave
• Target’s team tried to help free her, but had to call the local fire department for help
• First responders were able to help the nearly 3-year-old, who did her best to keep calm in the scary situation, mom Emily tells PEOPLE

A mom doing a quick store run with her littles had no idea a “new nightmare” was around the corner.

The mom named Emily was out at the store with her two toddlers. Emily allowed her almost 3-year-old to sit in the cart, with her little sister in the seat. Things were fine as they shopped, but when it was time to leave, the 3-year-old informed mom she was “stuck.”

“Normally, I have two carts and my husband will push one and I’ll push the other. This time I let her sit in the cart. I went to get them out and I realized that because of the shape of the openings, she stuck her two fingers in the little hole,” Emily, on TikTok @emannem13, tells PEOPLE.

“We had gotten out to the car when I realized and it was crazy. We had to go back in and get Guest Services, who were really helpful.” But after the team couldn’t help, “the fire department had to literally cut her fingers out of the cart,” the mom recalls.

The scary moment felt like it lasted a lifetime for the nervous mom, who also had to handle her younger child as she navigated what came next.

“We tried Vaseline, but that didn’t work. The Target employees … were really good with her, too. They gave her a cake pop to help calm her down,” she adds. “But once we realized we couldn’t get it, the fire department was called.”

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The toddler was keeping it together pretty well, considering the situation.

“She was really calm, at first. The only part where she started freaking out is when the paramedics had to actually like cut the cart,” Emily shares.

“At the point she started screaming and the fire department showed up, everyone was looking. They were trying to figure out what happened. A couple of people stayed until she was out to make sure she was okay. It was very sweet.”

Thankfully, the quick-working first responders got the whole situation sorted in “20, maybe 25 minutes,” Mom recalls.

Emily admits to being “very stressed,” as this all unfolded. “My husband ended up meeting us at Target because I was like, ‘I can’t handle this by myself.’ So luckily when he got there he did calm her down, but it was definitely a stressful situation,” she shares. “She doesn’t speak in full sentences yet, so I’m sure it hurt but she couldn’t really tell me what she was feeling.”

Emily decided to share the moment on TikTok so that other moms would be aware of this possibility.

“I’m a young mom with young kids, and I’ve never heard of this happening. I didn’t even think it was possible. So I did share it on TikTok just to spread awareness so if somebody else is juggling two kids, they know to bring the stroller,” she says.

Most parents were sympathetic, with a few sharing similar stories as well. Emily says some commenters have been hard on her, but maintains it was a genuine mistake and lesson learned. “I’ll never do it again,” she says. “I’ll bring the stroller next time. I just hope it doesn’t happen to someone else.”

Emily also appreciates Target’s handling of the situation, noting their accident team followed up with her after the fact to make sure her daughter was all right. (Target has not yet replied to PEOPLE’s request for comment.)

“Thankfully, she didn’t get hurt. She didn’t have to go to the hospital or even have a doctor’s appointment for it,” Emily adds. “They were prepared to help no matter what the case.”

“I’m glad I shared it because maybe more people can be aware. When I filled out the incident report from Target, they asked if I wanted to pass a message on to them,” she adds. “I wrote that maybe they should change how the cart is formatted so that this doesn’t happen. Apparently, it does happen more than you’d think. It’s a new fear unlocked.”