Close call with shopping cart inspires child safety strap
Tony Cooper
Friday, August 15, 2003
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URL: http://www.babycomfort.com/sfchronicle.html

 

Like many people, Karen Alvarez yearned to have her own business instead of working for others. And after averting tragedy during what seemed to be a mundane visit to the grocery store, Alvarez had all the inspiration she needed to make it happen.

During the trip, Alvarez's 18-month-old son Kyle tumbled out of the shopping cart seat in which Alvarez had been loading groceries, and the cart fell on top of the boy. Luckily, Kyle wasn't hurt, but Alvarez was severely shaken.

"I felt I was responsible, I felt I was at fault,'' said Alvarez. "It started me thinking about it and realizing this shouldn't happen.''

Less than a year later, Alvarez formed the Baby Comfort Co., which makes the Comfy Strap, a belt designed to keep small children secure in shopping cart seats or chairs.

Alvarez sees the device, designed for children 6 months to 2 years old, as an improvement over the belts already installed on some shopping carts in stores. Most of the time, she says, those carts are broken, don't fit well or are just plain dirty.

Then there's the problem of the belts buckling in the front, making it easier for a child to free him or herself. Another benefit in properly restraining children in shopping cart seats is preventing them from teething on cart handles, a definite health risk.

"The most important thing behind this story is (I'm just) trying to help other parents,'' Alvarez said. "That's my business -- it's me behind it.''

Since starting the company in 1997, Alvarez estimates she has sold about 50, 000 Comfy Straps, and is on pace to sell about 10,000 this year. Alvarez's enterprise has earned her some local and national notice, including an appearance on "Oprah Winfrey".

The comfort strap is simple, which is exactly the way Alvarez wanted it. It's padded with cloth in the front and attached to an adjustable nylon belt and snaps from behind.

"It took 15 minutes to come up with the concept,'' said Alvarez, who has two other children, noting there are several similar products on the market. "There wasn't a lot of time in the engineering process.''

Kyle's mishap isn't uncommon. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that there are about 12,800 hospital emergency room visits annually for shopping cart accidents to children 5 and under, nearly half being head injuries. Twenty-five percent of those are more serious injuries, such as concussions and fractures.

"When I saw that, I was shocked,'' Alvarez said. "I wanted to invent an inexpensive and simple solution.''

Using $10,000 of her own money, Alvarez started the company, doing the marketing, research and publicity while holding down a full-time job. Though DEX Products, of Benicia, manufactures and distributes the Comfy Strap, Baby Comfort is still basically a one-woman operation out of Alvarez's home in San Ramon. The Comfy Strap is available in stores in the Bay Area, and Alvarez says the feedback she has received has been universally positive.

"I (used a strap) with my older daughter, but Karen's product is much easier to use,'' said Danville resident Rachel Hunter, who uses the strap to keep her 16-month-old Matthew reined in. "Matt won't sit still for anything, he's a very wiggly kid. I can't put him anywhere if he's not locked down and safe.

"It can be stressful trying to run errands with kids. If you can keep them safe, you're more sane.''

Wendy Broschinsky of San Ramon is also a fan of the strap and uses it all the time with her 8-month-old Dylan. Broschinsky's only regret is the comfy strap wasn't around when her five other offspring were small.

"It's awesome,'' Broschinsky said.

Connie Taylor of Alameda says the strap "gives me confidence to shop and keep my kid safe. I take it everywhere with me. I love it -- it's a must for parents with kids."

Alvarez, who grew up in Hayward, received nationwide publicity when she appeared on "Oprah Winfrey" three years ago. The seeds were set for Alvarez's appearance when, after watching an "Oprah Winfrey" episode featuring show staff members who were pregnant, Alvarez sent them all straps.

She eventually became friendly with one of the staff members, which put her in line for getting on a show. Alvarez wasn't able to get on a segment on women entrepreneurs -- her goal -- but was instead slotted for an episode on children's injuries.

"Being on Oprah was pretty stressful, surreal,'' Alvarez said. "Come on, it's Oprah, for crying out loud.''

But it was hardly a cheery experience. Each of the guests -- save Alvarez

-- had lost a child to an accident. Since Kyle had avoided what could have been a fatal mishap, she said there was no way she was going to feel comfortable selling a product during their show.

"The content of the show was a bummer for parents,'' Alvarez said. "Everyone on that show had lost a child. The whole tone of the show was very sad. No one was smiling, no one was happy. Yeah, mine was sad, but it had a happy ending.

"I had a product I was pitching, but I couldn't do it to the best of my ability.'' That might be why being on "Oprah Winfrey" didn't turn into a windfall for Alvarez.

"The truth is, it was just one more piece of the puzzle that needed to be (placed). As far as arriving, I'm still waiting for that to happen.''

Having said that, Alvarez terms business "good," though she's quick to point out she's hardly made it. She has yet to recoup her initial investment and retains a day job as cooking school administrator for Andronico's Market in Danville.

E-mail Tony Cooper at tcooper@sfchronicle.com