Mom’s Invention Keeps Car Seats From Becoming Overheated
The moment you open your car door on a hot summer day, it comes as no surprise that the interior can be extremely hot. 
Especially if you’ve had the misfortune of touching the metal part of the seatbelt while trying to buckle yourself in.
Deborah Lowe was putting her baby girl in the car when the metal piece of the seatbelt touched, and slightly burned, her daughters leg. From that moment Deb decided there had to be a way to keep it from happening again. In 2002 she sewed up her first car seat cooling pad. From there she started to make cooler pads for friends and family. Word spread and the orders started to roll in. In 2003 BabyBeeCool was born.
Tell us a little about your car seat cooler pad and what it does.
The main purpose of The BABYBEECOOL Car Seat Cooler is to COOL a car seat for a infant/child or adult while out of the car. The temp inside of a parked vehicle can soar up to 185 degrees F in as little as 15 mins parked in the sun. Look under FAQs on my web “HOT Faqs”.
What inspired it?
The inspiration came from my own child not being able to stay cool in her car seat and a buckle just barely touching her inner leg and turning it red. I’ve since heard from many parents that this has happened to them and their child.
What are the other products sold by your business, BabyBeeCool?
BABYBEECOOL sells window shades to help prevent the sun from coming in and it helps keep the car a little cooler too. We sell the LOGO Stuffed Gracie the Bee plus blankets and bibs.
What colors does the cooler pad come in?
The Original comes in All American Denim and The Universal comes in a beige color.
Do you have any plans to add more color options?
We may, but we found that Parents like the denim and neutral color since it matches most car seats. (QVC was the one that suggested the BEIGE, however we never went on QVC. We were in the AZ Republic, Phx., AZ with Marilyn Montrose from QVC in 2007).
How long will it keep the seat cool for?
Approx. 10 hours in 115 degree shut up. See The Toy Man report [on my website].
How far has your car seat cooler pad come since you made the first one in 2002?
From an idea to being in stores and sold internaional, also Made In China. I use to make them at my kitchen table!!! then here in The USA and finally China.
In what ways has it changed?
We came out with the Universal Cooler Pad in the Spring of 2008 which covers an infant or adults car seat. Prior to that we only had the “Original BABYBEECOOL Car Seat Cooler”.
What are your goals do you hope to reach over the next year?
To maintain through this economy and continue to grow.
What are your long term goals?
To sell BABYBEECOOL, any offers are welcome.
What are some of the lessons you have learned from your business?
I started from the ground up, not knowing how to do one thing in this industry. It is very competitive. People can steal your idea and even if you have a patent change it up 30% and redesign your product. I attend tradeshows where you will see people come out with a very great product only to come back the next year to see them ripped off and someone else with somehing similar. However, this has been a great journey for me and I have learned so much about small businesses, met so many great people, learned to be on TV without being nervous(Ha!), and to just enjoy what I have and take the next day as it comes.
Do you have any advice that you would like to offer other inventors that are hoping to launch a business out of their invention?
If I would have read “Moms Inventors Handbook”, prior to my business starting I could have saved myself the journey of having to dig and look for all the anwers. That book is worth every penny. I think the auther of that book came out with a product in 2005 and her book, my business started in 2002.
I think all inventors should believe in their products, do the research and just don’t give up but be real and accept advice from a mentor, if possible. I have a wonderful mentor that has helped me every step of the way. Elaine Collins Shaw, she lives in Scottsdale, AZ. She is a friend but will tell me just like it is. Listen to the truth and grow. Life is a journey.
Lauren on August 26th, 2009 12:58 pm
This is a wonderful invention! Unfortunately babies can’t tell us specifically if they’re too hot or not. This is a great way to keep them cool, and safe from too hot of heat. Excellent post!
Jaclyn Wells on August 28th, 2009 1:40 pm
I have got to get my hands on one of these! Babies tend to run a little warmer than adults to begin with, then you dress them up and pack them into an extremely padded seat including a blanket often times and yeah…they get hot. My son last summer almost always was sweating after a car ride even if it was only a 10 minute ride with the air conditioning on and everything.
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