Another baby dies in hot car - Why not....

Crystalina wrote: Here in Ohio there has been a lady who drove to school (she's the assist. principal there) and forgot her child in the car. She came out to the parking lot when there was a commotion and realized that the concern was for a baby in a car. Her baby, her car.


Then today I'm talking to my sister. I'm at home and she's on her way to the mall. She is still talking to me while she gets out of her car to pump gas and then I hear OMG! She had forgotten that she had her 1yr old with her. While she was pumping her gas she saw him sleeping through the window. She said she had been running errands all morning and forgot he was there. She's a full time RN, has 7 kids, a busy schedule and she does not always have him at that time of the day. She was extrememly freaked out at the thought of going into the mall and leaving him because if she did not have to stop for gas she would have done just that. Her errands did not consist of her getting out of the car so he was never left but he was sleeping good and she would have left him. So I stayed on the phone with her for her 45 minute drive to the mall to make sure she did not forget. As we talked we said there really needs to be some sort of alarm. This happens too often. It should be standard for all vehicles to have a baby alarm. Something that will beep when the driver gets out of the seat and when you have to manually turn off the alarm you will remember that the alarm sounded because of the baby. Does anything like this exist? This is 2007, we have t.v.'s and playstations in our vehicles and we have an alarm if the lights are kept on or a door is not shut. I think it overdue to have something to remind us of our children in the back seat. My schedule never waivers so I'm not worried but for someone who's schedule is off at times this would be great. I know it's easy for people to say, "I'd never forget my kid" but I think it can happen to any of us.

BAC'sMom replied: Nope never had that problem even being a busy Mom of 3. But I guess for those who do get a little side tracked an alarm would not be a bad idea.

Here I found this
https://www.babyalert.info/home.php

luvbug00 replied: Thats really sad. I do think they need to put more tech into safty devieces instead of entertainment stuff that mushes kids minds.

grapfruit replied: Someone once said to keep a large stuffed animal in the car seat of the car when your child is NOT w/you and then when your child is w/you to put the stuffed animal in the passanger seat. That way the large stuffed animal will be right next to you and you SHOULD be able to remember. Kind of a low tech way I guess. But I see your point.

BTW: totally confused me. I started the reply walked away to do something came back and finshed it and hit post and apparently it was moved. Boggled my mind!

moped replied: I can understand being a bit forgetful, but YIKES

Calimama replied:
That is awesome!

How sad, I can't imagine forgetting Bella.

msoulz replied: Heartbreaking.

Edited to say I looked at that product and that seems pretty smart.

Crystalina replied: That is so great!!! I will email that link to her and I know she will get it. I don't think it's even a bad price! Thanks so much for that.

Crystalina replied:
Yeah, I did't think it was news. Granted I started off with a news story but it was more about the baby safety. Whatever though.

gr33n3y3z replied:
I have 4 and never forgot mine
Its BS you dont forget your child EVER
And if their life is that busy its time to slow down and take a look at what you have stinking excuses

Crystalina replied:
Your right. I don't see how it can happen but that is me. Sometimes it's hard for someone who works a full-time job, has many different sporting events to attend, girl scouts,shopping, making or buying dinner, and their schedule changes according to who's working and when. Sometimes there is no time to slow down because sports, schools and jobs won't wait. I'm just happy there is a device like the one linked above. We can never say it won't happen to us. We can say it but that's about it.

Cece00 replied: I also think cars should come with a baby alarm.

I really do think that this happens totally accidentally. I can absolutely see a father, who never brings the baby to daycare but is today and baby falls asleep in the back & he's thinking about a big project/meeting/whatever and forgets the baby is in the back because (s)he is being silent. I can see a lot of different scenarios that this could happen. I dont believe that all children who die in cars did so b/c their parent left them there on purpose, not by a long shot.

And I actually do feel badly for people this happened to in the situation where it was REALLY a true accident.

A lot of people say "I'd never forget/I never had that problem" but so did all the people who say "I never thought it could happen to me..."

gr33n3y3z replied:
When I read your post of that that is where I stopped and refered all my comments about bc when I saw MY SISTER or talked to My Sister I thought it was her opion on the

----> Here in Ohio there has been a lady who drove to school (she's the assist. principal there) and forgot her child in the car. She came out to the parking lot when there was a commotion and realized that the concern was for a baby in a car. Her baby, her car.


So anything I said it wasnt about your sister nor was I even thinking of your sister so if she did the same as these other ppl. the same goes for her also it doesnt change the facts or how I feel sorry.

jcc64 replied: Lisa-
I really happen to agree with you. If our lives get so chaotic that we can't keep track of where our kids are at any given moment, it's time to slow down. It really isn't anyone else's responsibility but our own- not car manufacturers, not the schools, no one. It's great there are products out there to make our lives easier, but it shouldn't be mandatory for every car.
I understand how your sister found herself in that situation, Crystal- my life frequently gets incredibly stressful and just on the verge of spinning out of control- but that is a problem of my own making. I think we all need to slow down- for own sake as well as our kids'.

Crystalina replied:
And I'm sure that is how this thread ended up in 'Parenting News' also. Someone read it and only read the first paragraph. This is not a news thread but I did reference a news story. I would just assume that if someone is going to respond to a thread they would read the entire OP. That's just me though.

I'm not going to fight about this. I just take it personally when someone makes statements like that after a story about what happend to my sister. She was very freaked out and almost in tears. And she would have forgotten him (hopefully not very long before she remembered him but who knows how it would have ended?) had she not stopped for gas. Yes she's busy. Yes she has 7 kids but she wanted them and she and her dh can handle them. They don't even use a babysitter for God's sake. They manage between his practice (he's a doctor) and her work schedule. They are all about keeping to schedules. They have to with 7 kids. They are so schedule anal that if her dh does not have his meals at certain times he gets sick (all in his head I'm sure but still). She organizes everything and she's a great mother. She is very adament about having (at least) 15minutes 1:1 time with every child every day. She is close to her kids and is not a bad mother. She's not even "flustered" as most of us would be with her job and that many kids around and it's because she keeps to a schedule. She never has the baby on that day at that time which is why she did not remember him. He fell asleep. THat is how it happens. People who have schedules are off of them. I'm sure she would have remembered him but it may have been too late because it was hot that day. In the 90's. I'm not defending the parents who do this all the time or have had CPS on their butts for it. I'm talking about regular, hard working parents who just try to make a better life for their kids. I don't think she should slow down because she can't. That's not her. She has a job, dh has a job and the kids are involved in sports. This was not neglect it was out of schedule and she has done something about it. I emailed her the link to the alarm and she started digging around and found a similar device that was made by a mother who lost her child in a heated car. I think it was the woman's dh who actually forgot the baby because he never dropped the baby off at the sitters and that day he was supposed to. He went to work and the rest is history. So my sister bought that one instead and should be receiving it any day. She says she doubts that she would ever forget him again after having her heart leap out at just the thought of what could have happend had she not stopped for gas, but she doesn't want to take that chance.

This is in response to jcc64 as well. I'm just tired of quoting people.


Just to put a face with my sister. These pictures were taken two days before this incident. Does she look like someone who wants to leave her child in a hot car? It an happen to anyone. Maybe I would also think "those people should not have kids" if this would not have happend to someone who I know deeply loves her kids and would never lay her finger on them or try to harm them in any way.

HuskerMom replied:
I totally agree.

:.Mrs_Mommy.: replied: I know this may paint a target on my back but here goes...

When my son (first born child) was just a cpl months old I took him to the grocery store. I was 17 yrs old, living with my mother at the time and thought it would be nice for me and Aaron to get away for an hr or so. I put him on the trunk of the car and tossed the diaper bag in the car. (it was muddy on the ground so I didn't want to put his carrier in the mud). His spot was normally by the passenger side door in the back seat so I could see him when I was driving. Well anyway I was cruising down the highway at about 60 or so when I looked back and there was no Aaron!! His carseat was not where it was supposed to be! I freaked...completely! Right before I started to stand on the brakes to figure out where he went I caught his seat out of the corner of my eye. I had put him on the driver's side.

I thought I had forgotten my son on the trunk of my car and drove off with out him. It was terrifying!

Crystalina replied:
OMG, I would have had a heart attack! Thank God he was not on the trunk but I can understand how you would have that moment of "WTH!!".

my2monkeyboys replied: I just think this all shows how overly busy and stressed we've allowed ourselves to get. This kind of thing rarely happened 15 years ago, but it's almost a normal thing now.
We all need to slow down and pay more attention to what's going on in the moment. I think that would curb a lot of this tragedy.
I've always had nightmares about leaving Will, be it at the store or at home or in the car. I hope I never have to actually go through it to wake me up.
I hope your sister takes this as a big warning sign that maybe she's over-extending herself... I'm sure she was scared half to death.

mckayleesmom replied: Im glad your sisters little man is safe....that would have been scary.


Mckaylee never shuts up long enough for me to ever forget her...


They really need to make alarms that sound when the car is turned off...doors are shut and there is still someone inside after so many minutes go by.