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Buckle Me Baby Coats on ‘Shark Tank’: What's the cost, who is founder Dahlia Rizk and how warm is it for babies?

Based out of Londonderry, New Hampshire, Buckle Me Baby Coats reinvented the winter coat when Dahlia Rizk needed an easier safer way to get her kids in the car seat

Are you a paranoid mom? Want more safety for your little one? This week, ‘Shark Tank’ has a brand new product for kids. Named a Gold Seal recipient of the Moms Choice Award, Buckle Me Baby Coats is dubbed as "winter coats that go on at home & stay on safely (and easily) in the car seat" on their website. 

They are known for their ingeniously redesigned, patented coats which makes winter car seat use safer, easy, and struggle free for parents. Based out of Londonderry, NH, Buckle Me Baby Coats reinvented the winter coat when Dahlia Rizk, inventor and mom of three, needed an easier safer way to get her kids in the car seat during the winter without struggling to take their dangerous puffy coats off.

Despite being new to the market, Buckle Me Baby Coats has also recently been chosen as a FedEx Small Business Grant Winner out of 7,880 other companies. The coats have been crash tested at an Independent Crash Test Facility where they tested almost identically to no coat, are CPSIA compliant, and Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) approved – the perfect solution for busy car seat safety-conscious parents.

What is Buckle Me Baby Coats?

Dahlia Rizk hated the “No Coat Thing” and realized the problem was the coat zipper. Rizk came up with a design for a coat with a center panel that could be opened up so the straps can be fastened correctly against the child’s body and then the panel refastened so the coat would still keep the child warm. Wondering how to use it? Follow these simple steps: 

1. Put the coat on at home.
2. Put your little one in the car seat.
3. Pull the front panel aside.
4. Buckle them up.
5. Roll the panel aside or lay it flat over the harness.

The back of the coat is thinner than the front. The thinner back and the side opening allows parents to use the coat at the same harness setting as if your little one has no coat on at all!

One of the most frequently asked questions is: How warm is the coat — are there temperature ratings? The website reads: "There is one simple rule that determines how warm a jacket is: thickness equals warmth. Which is why our coats are stuffed with 1.5 inches of thick warm coziness. Buckle Me Baby Coats are designed with a sheet of insulation that is hand-quilted in giving the coat even warm cozy coverage all over. We tested our coats against a sleeping bag rated for -15 degree weather. Using dry ice and a handheld heat loss device our coats retained heat BETTER than the sleeping bag at the 1 minute, 5-minute, 10-minute and 20-minute mark) Fun fact: At the 20-minute mark the sleeping bag had lost a whopping 17 degrees of heat!)."

Who is the founder, Dahlia Rizk?

Dahlia Rizk studied at Rutgers University for BA in Economics and earned a Masters in Counseling from the University of New Hampshire. She established a counseling practice in Londonderry, NH, specializing in treating PTSD, anxiety and depression.

As per All Shark Tank Products, "When she became a mother, however, she experienced her own anxiety over the proper use of child car seats, and came up with an extremely creative solution. As every parent knows, there are a few critically important things necessary for a car seat to be most effective. It needs to be placed in the back seat and attached properly with the automobile’s seat belt system; the car seat harness itself needs to be adjusted to the particular child using the seat. All of these requirements are not too difficult to follow."

In a 2019 interview with PopSugar, she said she felt instant excitement, and after coming up with a design, applied for a patent. She then spoke with numerous coat manufacturers, thinking they would be very interested. But none of them seemed to believe that coats and car seats “had anything to do with one another.”

What is the cost? 

Buckle Me Baby Coats are available in three different categories: Toasty [Original coats designed for fast + easy car seat safety], Toastier [Fast, easy car seat safety + longer sleeves for longer wear across seasons + chunky rib-knit collar] and Toastiest [Fast, easy car seat safety + longer sleeves for longer wear across seasons + chunky rib-knit collar + magnetic removable hood + thick cozy sherpa lining & US designer fleece back]. 

While the Toasty Coats cost $69.99, the Toastier ones are priced at $89.99 and the Toastiest come for $149.99. There are many funky 2021 pre-orders on the website as well — with names like I Lava You, A Coat Has No Name Yet, Baby Shark and Tough Cookie. 

What are you waiting for? Grab your deal! Buckle Me Baby Coats is currently available on Amazon and at www.bucklemecoats.com.

Who will steal the deal?

Even before she made an appearance, several people were cheering for her on Twitter. New Hampshire Senator Jeanna Shaheen wrote, "Excited for Windham local, Dahlia Rizk, as she heads to the tank tomorrow seeking an investor for her innovative car seat friendly coat - @BuckleMeBaby. I’m always happy to celebrate a fellow Granite Stater - and for that reason… I’m cheering you on." Another fan said, "I am beyond excited about this! This is a company one mama started. This product can’t educate parents and save the lives of children. Shark tank better give her a good offer because this product is amazing! This is the only coat I’d ever buy my child who’s still in a car seat!"

While we don't know which Shark will clinch the deal, we predict it could be Daymond John or Kevin O'Leary. What do you think?

‘Shark Tank’ Season 12 Episode 7 will premiere on December 3, 2020, from 8 pm to 9 pm ET on ABC.