If you’re a parent, you’ve probably used a car seat at one point in your life. You know the struggle. Keeping your kid in that seat is like fighting with a gladiator–they just don’t seem to want to stay put, and will always try to wriggle out for no particular reason.
You’re not alone. Did you know 51% of American parents say their tots have learned how to unbuckle themselves from their seats? According to a Yale School of Medicine study in 2011, 75% of them were under 3 years old, and 43% freed themselves while the car was in motion. In motion. Yikes.
But now, there’s a solution.
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There have been a slew of new products, like the Houdini Stop, which is a harness that the company claims can prevent any escape routines your tot tries to pull. But more recently St. Louis inventor Bob Steffen came up with a digital solution called Driver’s Little Helper, because hey, we’re in the modern age now.
So, what does Steffen’s product do? It’s a sensor pad you can attach to your kid’s car seat that works as an app for iPhone and Android, which then communicates to your phone. If your kid tries to pull a Houdini, it sends an alert to your phone. It also has another use: It prevents children from being left inside cars accidentally, which can truly be a life-saver (literally). About 36 children die every year from being left in overheated cars. Driver’s Little Helper sends an alert if the car’s temperature climbs too high, or if the child is in the seat for more than five minutes in a stationary vehicle.
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So it seems like this app could help out in many ways. What are your thoughts? Any other tips for keeping kids in their carseats?
