Today, our society moves at such a fast pace. People are extremely busy, trying to multitask and under more stress than ever. These are contributing factors when is comes to putting children in danger. Too many children die each year from being left in cars. In many cases, the parents or caregivers were not abusive or negligent. Often times, they were out of their normal routine and simply forgot.
Whether it’s summer time or not, it is always a dangerous situation when babies and children are left in cars. Premier Baby Planning wants to remind everyone double check your backseat to make sure you are not forgetting your child.
The temperature inside a locked car rises very quickly even if the window is cracked. On average, the temperature in a locked car rises 19 deg F after 10 minutes and 43 deg F after 60 minutes. This means if it is 80 deg F, just after 10 minutes it will be 99 deg F and 123 deg F after 60 minutes! When a person’s body temperature reaches 104 it is considered a heatstroke. A temperature of 107 is considered lethal. Furthermore, children’s body temperatures do not regulate as efficiently as adults.
Here are some tips to try:
1. Make it routine to check all seating before you leave your car
2. Place something that you always need in the backseat such as a purse or cell phone
3. If your child is in childcare, develop a routine so that you and/or your spouse call the center to ensure that your child arrived safely. Have them phone you and/or your spouse if you child does not show up on time.
4. Use the Baby Bee Safe tool developed as a reminder to check for children in the car before you lock up and walk away. This tool is easy to use, inexpensive, transferable between caregivers.
These are just a few examples. Whatever you choose, get into the habit of doing it all the time! Hopefully, we will eliminate children dying from being forgotten in cars.
