When I lived in Arizona I would hear many stories during the hot summer months of kids being injured or killed when left alone in vehicles. I feel ill just thinking about the stories I would hear on the news of a parent who left a sleeping child in the car so they could do their grocery shopping. In most cases this type of thing was done deliberately by a negligent parent who was foolishly unaware of how dangerous it is to leave a child in the car like that. But I would be sobbing like a baby whenever I heard the tragic tale of a parent that inadvertently left their sleeping child in the car and headed to work for the day instead of daycare. In these cases it was completely accidental and I think these stories hit me so hard because deep down I am thinking there is no reason to think something like that could not happen to me or my husband. Parents get distracted, they get weighed down with the hectic details of life, and horrible things happen to good people. Here is one such story…but don’t read it unless prepared to cry.
I was thrilled to see a product on the same site that addresses this issue. It is not a natural product that will be winning any sustainability awards but nonetheless a great product that may give some parents a little peace of mind. Children die every year from heat and cold exposure when left unattended in cars. Hyperthermia is the 2nd leading cause of noncrash, nontraffic automobile related deaths among children. The Child Minder® system is an affordable, portable and practical monitoring device which can prevent these accidents. Installation takes less than three minutes, meaning the device can be quickly and easily moved from one car seat to another. The Child Minder® makes it nearly impossible for a child to be inadvertently left in his/her car seat unattended.
Here is how it works:
Simply replace your child’s safety seat harness clip with the Child ‘Minder® system’s smart clip and place the key ring alarm unit on your key ring. The smart clip is activated upon being fastened, which means that should you walk more than 10 feet from your automobile while your child remains inside in his or her child safety seat, an alarm will sound to alert you. Once the smart clip is unfastened, the unit is deactivated.
The device can also be used in a stroller or baby carriage to prevent unintentional separation of the child and its caregiver. I am happy see a product like this on the market.
That’ is a great product! I hadn’t heard of it before.
I honestly don’t know how anyone could forget their child in a car. I’ve been distracted before, and exhausted, but to leave a kid in a car? I am not sure I understand that. I’m not being judgmental or harsh, I just don’t understand that.
Cool device for forgetful parents. But as Carrie said, how on earth a mother could have left her child in the car! Seriosuly, we have to slow down our fast-paced lives.