Nellie Fitzgibbon is a mompreneur who invented a product, the Kid Qubie (soon to be available), in direct response to the issues related to shopping cart safety. Here is the full interview with her about shopping cart safety, her research on the subject, and her decision to create a product to make carts safer.

Question: Can you tell me more about what you invented, why it’s safer than a standard cart?

Answer: I invented a small 12″ x 13″ x 5″ foam seat that can be securely attached to a shopping cart basket. I think it is safer because 1. your child is comfortable thus more willing to stay seated, 2. Having him in the seat lowers the center of gravity of the cart (since he is no longer at the top and on the end) 3. He is away from the germ laden handle bar 4. since he is further down in the cart he is less likely to reach out and grab stuff off the shelves 5. with the seat belt fastened he can’t stand up and flip out on to his head.

Question: What have you learned in your research about shopping carts?

Answer: I have learned that it is a SERIOUS safety issue. Over 24,000 kids go to emergency rooms EVERY year with serious injuries. Can you imagine what the number of injuries actually is if you count all the times that kids get hurt and don’t go to the emeregencyroom? I have had mothers tell me of broken fingers, head injuries and one mom said her child knocked out his two front teeth by falling head first.

Question: How serious of an issue do you believe shopping cart safety is?

Answer: It is a very serious issue. There have been needless deaths and head and neck injuries that just don’t have to happen. A lot of parents are oblivious as to how bad their child can get hurt. The other problem is that parents with more than one child under the age of 5 don’t have much choice other than to place their older toddler in the basket. Have you ever tried pushing a cart and holding your toddler’s hand while they walk? Impossible.

Question: What prompted you to create this product? What was the inspiration? Did you have a personal experience with a shopping cart incident?

Answer: Thankfully, my child was never hurt. I love to shop. I love to take my time in a store and just look at stuff. This was very hard with a toddler that hated sitting in the seat provided by the cart itself. It is hard and uncomfortable and digs into his little thighs. So, I, like many others would place him in the basket part where he would be more comfortable. I would take throw pillows or towels off the shelves so that he could sit on them and let me take my time shopping. I started looking for a small foam seat I could buy for him but never found one. So I decided to make one myself.

Question: What tips would you offer to parents when they encounter unsafe carts in stores (with or withour your product)?

Answer: Never place your child in a cart that feels uneven, leans or anything like that. Complain to the management. I have done this also. I also have a product that I am working on for covering the baby carrier type of shopping carts. Many infants carriers warn against placing them on the carts because babies have died from that also.