This post was sponsored Auto Alliance as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
I know NYC hasn’t seen any solid signs of spring yet, aside from the blooming flowers we haven’t seen more than a few hours of the sun in the past 3 weeks. Despite the weather, we know warmer days are ahead and there’s something we need to discuss and get out in the open before the sweltering heat arrives. It’s so easy to say “don’t leave kids in a hot car” or criticize someone else who has fallen victim to this awful circumstance, but the truth is, as a frazzled mother, I don’t know how I leave my house with shoes on most days. My routine has become just that- routine. Every school day I get all three of my kids ready. On days that it rains, it’s too cold, or I have PTA duties, I drop my son off with my mom for a bit. One morning I arranged to have her watch him and I went through all the motions, except I never dropped him off. I parked at the school and as I was about to get the girls out of the car I realized he was still in his car seat. I laughed it off at the time, but truly, it scared me that I simply forgot to take him where he was supposed to go.
I know there are ways that people remind themselves that there is a child in the car. My personal reminder is how I lock my car. The keyless entry of my car allows for a touch-lock on any of my car doors. I always lock the car from a back-seat door, and while I do that I skim the backseats for my kids. It’s something I’ve done for the past 4 years and it works for me, but any method you are comfortable with should be put in your daily routine to safeguard against leaving young kids in the car unattended. Did you know that even if you crack the window open a bit, cars left outside can reach temperatures much hotter than the outside, up to 120 degrees? Young children’s body temperatures heat up, up to 5 times faster than adults. Heatstroke in young kids is a real danger when leaving kids in a parked car. About 37 lives are lost each year, and more than half are of children under a year old.
Please remember, heatstroke in babies left in a hot car is avoidable. Automakers have come up with a mnemonic device to help prevent heatstroke and be vigilant of your surroundings in the event you see young children locked in an unattended car. Follow ACT- Avoid heatstroke by never leaving your child in the car, Create reminders by putting something you need to take out of the car next to your child, like a briefcase or cell phone, and Take Action if you see a child alone in a car, call 911. You can visit the Auto Alliance Heatstroke Website to find out more.
You can also check out Auto Alliance Heatstroke on their social channels:
- Auto Alliance on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/autoalliance
- Auto Alliance on Twitter: https://twitter.com/auto_alliance
- Auto Alliance on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Autoalliance2009