I was distraught when my baby was left with horrific burns on her leg from her car seat

WHEN Katie listened to the pained screams of her six-month-old baby from the backseat of the car on the way home from the beach, the first-time-mum immediately assumed Matilda was hungry.

But when the family returned home after the hour-long journey from Dee Why on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, Katie discovered something she never imagined in her wildest dreams would happen to her little girl, who at the time was dressed lightly for the hot day in a singlet and nappy.

kidspot.com.auKatie was horrified when her baby was left with burns from her car seat[/caption]

kidspot.com.auShe got a 2cm burn on her right thigh from the seat buckle[/caption]

“I unbuckled her and there was a 2cm bright red burn mark in the shape of the car seat buckle on her right thigh,” Katie tells Kidspot of the day she’ll never forget in April, 2015.

“I was horrified and upset. 

“Of all the reasons she could have been crying – I never thought it could be a burn. I didn’t even realise the buckle was hot until it was too late, so I felt very guilty.”

Matilda’s severe burn needed immediate medical attention, with her dressings needing to be changed every day for the following three weeks.

“It was really uncomfortable for her,” the 45-year-old mum vividly remembers.

“The doctor said they’d seen it numerous times and all they could suggest was to put a towel or muslin cloth over the buckle in future, or park in the shade.”

Katie, who has owned and run numerous businesses throughout her career, wasn’t satisfied with this solution, and became determined to find something better to prevent other children from suffering the same injuries.

“I couldn’t find anything online, here or overseas that could be attached to the car seat to prevent these burns, so I decided to research how to create one myself.”

During her research, Katie was alarmed to discover that tests inside a car on a 30-degree day showed the temperature reach up to a terrifying 90 degrees Celsius.

“You can see how burns happen and why children die in those sorts of conditions.”

It took the determined mum five years, 12 prototypes and a whopping $50,000 [£26,317] to create a version of the Buckle Bandage, called The Toddle, that met all Australian safety regulations and got the tick of approval from parenting focus groups.

 “It was very scary to put that much money into it – but it was never a sacrifice as I had so much confidence in it.”

The result is a completely Australian-made product made out of recycled uncoated polyester (which is safe for little chewers) that can be used from age 0 to 4.

The Buckle Bandage, priced at $89.95 [£44.85], works by clipping onto each side of the car seat and has an in-built magnetic field that draws heat away from the metal buckle and directs it to the sides of the car seat. 

“Even five years after I first came up with the idea, it’s still the only product of its type in the world, which I’m really proud of,” she says.

“I love that it’s quick to use in the car, it can be thrown into the washing machine, and it weighs under 500 grams so it travels well in a suitcase, eliminating the need to buy multiple ones.”

While her launch earlier this month came a few years too late to protect her little one, now aged seven, Katie is just as happy to see it being used with her friends’ small children, and the buyers who’ve jumped onto the product within days of it going on sale.

“I was ecstatic,” she says of her first sale. “It validated that there was a need for it. 

“The plan is to help parents solve this problem around Australia, and the world – so kids don’t get burnt in the first place.”

Note: Please do not try to make your own at home, Katie spent years ensuring the product is safe and in line with all Australian safety regulations.

We previously shared how a four-month-old baby left in agony with massive face blisters after his mum didn’t re-apply suncream during trip to the seaside.

And a mum issued an urgent warning as baby boy dies after getting neck caught in blind cord during ‘hide and seek’.

kidspot.com.auKatie has made Buckle Bandage to help prevent it happening to other babies[/caption]

kidspot.com.auMatilda’s severe burn needed immediate medical attention after her burns[/caption]