CartStopper: A Safer Way To Unload The Groceries

There really is a gadget for everything, and the CartStopper ($10) proves it. If you’ve ever lived through the terror of seeing your baby roll away in a shopping cart as you turned your back to load your car with groceries, it’s a memory that is no doubt seared into your memory — and it’s a memory that need not be re-lived. This nifty little tool, small enough to fit in your purse or glove compartment, attaches via suction cup and keeps a cart tethered to your car simply and quickly. Just affix the suction cup to the car, maneuver the cart to within a few inches of the car, pull out the toggle and slide it in-between the slats of the cart. As easy as it is to set up, it’s just as easy to un-do. Break the seal on the suction cup and the CartStopper pops right off your car. For pictures of the CartStopper in action, click here.

Is it something you absolutely need? Probably not. But is it an added measure of safety? Absolutely. Of course, it should go without saying that the safest option is to strap baby into his or her carseat before unloading anything, but that’s not always feasible — especially if you’re trying to corral a toddler who has broken free in a parking lot. In any event, even if you do manage to get baby unloaded before your groceries, the CartStopper will prevent your groceries from rolling away and possibly causing an accident of their own. A recent finalist for the JPMA Innovation Award at the recent ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas, the CartStopper is ideal for the type of mom who prides herself on having all bases covered, all the time.

– Missy

Comments

I guess I see this as pointless because, as my grandmother always said, you load your most precious cargo into the car first. The likelihood of someone stealing your car with your baby inside is far less than the chances of someone backing into your cart or having it roll away with your baby still in it.

- Jillian on November 2nd, 2008

I agree. Its a very nice Idea though.But I,Myself Load My Child/Children(as well as my purse), THEN My groceries..I usually park right next to the buggy return. So I always stay close to my children without having to walk away from them.

- Steph on November 2nd, 2008

I don’t think it would work. Those suction cups never work and the weight of the cart would easily pull the cup off the car. I would not trust it.

- Jackie on November 2nd, 2008

Another vote for “pointless.” I pull the cart right up next to my trunk & either keep a hand on it or put my foot behind the closest wheel. I never leave my child in the car alone, and we ALWAYS return our shopping cart.

- Julia on November 2nd, 2008

I don’t load my kids first, but my foot is alway wrapped around the cart. I wouldn’t take my hand (foot) off the cart whether I had a kid in it or not.

- Elle on November 4th, 2008

I happen to own a Cartstopper and am surprised at the responses. It seems obvious that no one has yet to used one yet? I never shop without one, with or without my boys. The suction cup is exceptionally strong and I don’t have to worry about the cart taking off on me and striking another car. One of the best new tools this single dad has ever encountered.

- Sean Harrigan on November 16th, 2008