Mompreneur Carolyn Dia, owner of Solved LLC and inventor of the Kart Katcher, discusses what prompted her to create a shopping cart safety device and the importance of shopping cart safety.

Question: Can you tell me more about your product and why it’s safer than a standard cart?

Answer: The Kart Katcher is a nylon strap with hook & loop ends that is designed to attach your shopping cart to the back of your car while unloading your groceries. This allows for the shopper to unload their groceries without the threat of their cart rolling or blowing away! The Kart Katcher does not make the cart safer necessarily, it makes the situation safer as described below.

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

Answer: I have learned that shoppers with small children do one of two things. They either leave their children in the cart (or next to it) while unloading their groceries, or try to stabilize the cart somewhere so that they can put the kids in the car safely before they unload. Either way presents a problem. If the children are left in the cart there is always the risk of the parent being distracted in this stressful environment & the cart rolling away with them in it!

Also, there is always the battle of keeping them seated while trying to unload. I found the most parents leave their kids in the cart because of the uncertainty of where their cart might be after they put the kids in safely! The Kart Katcher is an easy to use, reliable way to ensure your cart will still be there while you place kids (or purses, cell phones, etc) in the front of the vehicle before unloading store bought goods. The Kart Katcher can and should still be used even if one chooses to leave children in the cart while unloading. It secures the cart & gives us all that extra hand we need regardless of the circumstances!

I have also learned in my research that it is a huge financial undertaking for the grocery store if there is an accident. They are required to ‘quaratine’ that cart until the child is of age to decide if further legal action should be taken. The Kart Katcher should be a standard on either 1) all carts, or 2) in all vehicles.

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

Answer: We live in pretty stressful & “over scheduled” times. The parking lot of a busy grocery store is no exception. Add crying, fussy little ones with anxious shoppers waiting to grab your spot and you get a tense environment. With that tension sometimes comes mistakes. I.e. Leaving items in your cart, not catching a toddler ready to leap out of a cart into oncoming cars, etc. I think it is a serious issue & anything that can alleviate some of the pressure should be a ‘staple’ in all vehicles. It is reliable, easy to use & inexpensive.

What prompted you to create this product? What was the inspiration? Did you have a personal experience with a shopping cart incident?
I haven’t come across a single person who has not had a ‘roll away’ cart incident, not one! I personally have had incidents all my shopping life, but it was not until I had children that it became a necessity versus an added convenience. The final incident was about 4 yrs ago when I was shopping at a local Vons. I had my 3yr old & 1.5yr old with me. We were in the parking lot going to unload our groceries and I decided to put in the kids in the car first. I had my 3yr old next to me on street level & my 1.5yr old in the cart. I had to shimmy/wedge the cart in between my car & the car next to us in order to prevent the cart (& all our groceries) from rolling away. As I am trying to get my 1.5 yr old out of the cart, the car parked next to us starts backing up! My 3yr old panicked & ran into oncoming cars in the lot, the car trying to back up is honking & the baby is hysterical. I was able to grab the 3yr old in time, sit the baby back down, move the cart from the car backing up before anyone got hurt..but, I ended up leaving my wallet & diet coke in the cart because I was so frazzled!! That is the day I sat down & designed the Kart Katcher! If I had had the Kart Katcher that day, I could have easily secured the cart to the back of my car, placed the kids safely into the car & unloaded the groceries effortlessly with 2 hands!
Do you have a theory why the number of fall injuries has increased in recent years?
We are all so rushed, trying to do too much. Accidents happen when to much multi tasking takes place & less attention is placed on the most important things.
What tips would you offer to parents when it comes to safely placing children in carts?

What tips would you offer to parents when they encounter unsafe carts in stores (with or withour your product)?
Always do your part & say something. I do!