The news about a two year old toddler from Bristol died in a tragic accident when he fell from his grandmother’s moving car after undoing his own car seat and opening the door, it kept me thinking is there a product to keep my children safe in a moving car. Flax Bourton Coroner’s Court, near Bristol, heard the “determined” two-year-old had previously slipped his arms out of the harness on his child seat and that he knew how to use the handles to get out of the car.
Then I came across Belt Up Kidz product through twitter and jumped at the chance to review this brilliant product. It is a retrofit buckle that helps prevent young children from removing their arms from the shoulder straps of their Buggies, Highchairs and Trikes etc.
Let’s read the story of how the product came about:
I am a mum of 2 and came up with the idea almost 7 years ago when my daughter would never keep her arms in her car seat, which made car journeys incredibly stressful. She also used to take her arms out of her high chair straps so I couldn’t turn my back on her for a minute!
So this is how the idea came about and after much thought, design and testing later we now have “Belt Up Kidz” by Una Driscoll.
My review: When I first applied the buckle on the pram, the weather was freezing and my hand was frozen. Then I decided to do retry in a warm indoor place instead. Once my hands warmed up, it was so easy to push and apply it on the pram’s strap. I made a silly mistake by putting the clip upside down. If you look carefully at the picture above, the belt clip should look like a v shape. Inside the box, there is very clear photo instructions and I obviously did not look carefully.
Ms C was drawn to the princess cover and she loved it. The cover is very pretty and easy to apply. With the belt on, it does not restrict the movement of the arms in any way. They are still able to write or play with their toys etc. The strap is to prevent them from taking their arms out and escape. Our pram is a five point harness but there are a still big gap for the children to escape out. It gives you peace of mind that your wiggly children are safe. I rate this innovative product 5 stars out of 5!
I used the strap buckle on her pram for the testing. The restraining strap is suitable for children who are able to sit up unaided to four years plus (9 – 36kg). I would suggest if you have any doubts or if your equipment is suitable, always contact the manufacturer.
Disclosure: We received the sample for the purposes of writing this review, however, all thoughts and opinions remain our own.