5 Ways to Prevent Forgetting Your Baby in the Car

We as parents are always trying to keep our babies safe. That’s basically what parenting is all about. Unfortunately, we are humans, and we can forget that our baby is in the backseat of the car when we lock it and walk away. But there are ways you can prevent forgetting your baby in a hot car even if you’re a sleep-deprived parent of a newborn.

{ This post was sponsored by Auto Alliance as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own. }

Heatstroke can be deadly

I know first hand what heatstroke feels like because I’m heat sensitive. I’ve suffered from heat illness every year since I was a kid. When you overheat, your internal body temperature rises and your automatic body cooling system (sweat) isn’t able to cool you down.

What does this feel like? When I start to get hot, I turn red and stop sweating. My cheeks start tingling. Sometimes I start panicking and will hyperventilate. My brain switches to survival mode, and all I can think about is cooling down. My head starts pounding, I get dizzy, and it’s hard to breathe. I get nauseous and I will throw up multiple times. If I haven’t cooled down fast enough, I will pass out.

After passing out, the next step is death. I’m obviously still alive. That’s mainly because I’m an adult, and I have control over my surroundings and know when to ask for help. Babies and children can’t control their surroundings if they’re locked in a hot car.

A child’s body can heat up three to five times faster than an adult’s body. So even leaving a baby in a car for a minute can overheat them and cause heatstroke.  Even when the outside temperature is only 70 degrees, the inside of a parked car can still heat up to 120 degrees ­within just 15 minutes. And, that’s with the windows open.

Unfortunately, that means leaving a baby or child in a car can be deadly. According to data, an average of 37 children are lost each year from being left unattended in a car.

Don’t think it won’t happen to you

The first mistake you can make when it comes to forgetting your baby in the car is thinking it won’t happen to you. “But I’m a good parent!” is what you’re thinking. Yeah, you are. But you’re also human, and humans forget things. Many cases of heatstroke death involve kids being left in a hot car by mistake. 75% are children under two, and 50% are babies under a year old.

It’s okay that you aren’t perfect. The important part is that you’re trying your best. And that means accepting your human flaws and taking steps to prevent yourself from forgetting the baby in the backseat.

1. Leave your purse or phone in the backseat with your baby

You’re probably thinking “If I forgot my baby, the love of my life, how would I remember my phone or my purse?” Well, when you get out of your car you always have your phone or your purse with you. It would be weird to get out of your car without them. You don’t always have your baby with you so it would be perfectly normal to get out of your car without your baby when you arrive at work.

I leave my purse on the floorboard under Toot’s car seat when she’s in the car with me.

2. Be aware when you’re off of your routine

You can easily make mistakes when you’re thrown off your routine. There are lots of stories of parents who left their sleeping baby in the backseat after their daily routine was shifted. If something changed in your routine, be extra careful when you leave your car.

We get used to doing the same thing the same way. You can drive to work on auto-pilot. For example: today you need to drop the baby off at her grandparents house instead of daycare. You drive the same way to work so you miss your turn because you’re on auto-pilot. Now you’ve arrived at work without dropping off your baby. She could be asleep in the back and not making noise. This is how parents mistakenly leave their baby in a hot car.

3. Leave one or both of your shoes in the backseat

You can’t get out of your car barefoot and forget your shoes. Hot parking lots and driveways on bare feet are a good reminder to get your shoes. Leave one or both of them in the backseat so you have to get them.

4. Tape a reminder to your dashboard to check for the baby before getting out of the car

Tape a photo of your baby or write their name on a piece of tape right on the dashboard or steering wheel. You can also leave tape on the door handle so just feeling it will remind you.

5. Remind yourself to look before you lock every time

Every time you get out of the car, whether your baby is with you or not, remind yourself to check the backseat.

Auto Alliance and the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration want to remind you to ACT to prevent heatstroke.

• A-Avoid: Avoid heatstroke-related injury and death by never leaving your child alone in a car, not even for a minute. And make sure to keep your car locked when you’re not in it so kids don’t get in on their own.
• C-Create Reminders: Create reminders by putting something in the back of your car next to your child such as a purse or a cell phone that is needed at your final destination. This is especially important if you’re not following your normal routine.
• T-Take Action: If you see a child alone in a car, call 911. Emergency personnel want you to call. They are trained to respond to these situations. One call could save a life.

How do you prevent forgetting your baby in a hot car?

Let me know in the comments below! And read more about preventing heatstroke in hot cars from Auto Alliance here. Find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube.

You Also Might Like: