Those who missed the boat for Mother’s Day this year, fret not, as your little one ought to pop out sometime in the near future, making you eligible for next year’s edition so to speak. As if trying to get pregnant isn’t hard enough (in fact, it can be pretty stressful especially for those who have been trying for months and even years on end without any success), keeping your growing baby safe and sound from all sorts of threats is even more challenging. There are tons of worries which are sure to abound, including whether you will be able to fit into that black little number that caught hubby’s eye way back at the high school prom, but the more important concern would be the baby’s safety especially during a car ride. Any mom-to-be can tell you how uncomfortable it is to wear a seatbelt across the abdomen, but aren’t seatbelts supposed to be for their safety? Enter the Tummy Shield, a new seat belt that was specially designed for pregnant women.

The Tummy Shield does not fit across the abdomen, but is instead worn around the thighs in order to protect the abdomen from trauma resulting from a car collision. The idea came about when an Australian engineer believed his first child suffered brain damage as a result of a car accident. It took quite a fair number of years working with mechanical engineers to come up with the Tummy Shield, and needless to say there was a quite an amount of prototypes which rolled out along the way as well.

If you’re concerned with the safety rating of the Tummy Shield, fret not. It has been safety-tested in a number of Australian testing facilities and consists of a flame retardant cushion and a buckle made of high tensile stainless steel. All you need to do is place the cushion on the car seat, secure with the buckle, sit down and then pull the seatbelt away from your abdomen and attach it to the hook. The seatbelt will then be pulled tight at the shoulder, allowing your hubby to drive you wherever you want to go. The Tummy Shield will retails for AUD$199.99.

Product Page via Gizmag