Question Children Forgotten in Cars

I wrote an article on Associated Content based on my wife's simple solution to this terrible tragedy. If a bungee cord was attached to the child's car seat and to the key in the ignition the driver could not take the key away without knowing it was attached to the child's seat. The cord would have to be long enough to avoid impeding the driving motion but it should be a simple thing to do. Wouldn't it be wise for car seat makers to add this little feature?

Interesting idea but I honestly think that could introduce additional safety problems, such as posing a strangulation hazard if a child were to grab or somehow get entangled in the bungie cord, and possibly interfere with the key remaining properly positioned in the ignition while the car is under way. Not wishing any ill effects on anyone but there are implications of such a setup in terms of safety and liability that need to be considered as part of the bigger picture. :twocents:

It is an interesting idea, actually. I think a slightly better idea though might be a bungee between the door handles on each door (if the kid is on the driver's side, at least. Putting the purse or whatnot in the backseat actually works as well. Sad that people are willing to forget their kids but not their purse.

Splash said:

Putting the purse or whatnot in the backseat actually works as well. Sad that people are willing to forget their kids but not their purse.

Click to expand...

That is a good idea...I've heard of some Mom's/Dad's putting the diaper bag in the front seat as well to remind them baby is there.

Lots of vehicles are moving to keyless ignitions (just a button to press and you just have to have the key on you in your purse or pocket) so it wouldn't work for those.

We keep our purses/laptops in the rear hatch, so when you open the liftgate to get your stuff, baby is starting at you from the RF seat.

Splash, I honestly don't believe its a matter of people "willing" to forget their baby!

I am terrified of this happening, and completely NOT willing to forget my child at all.

But if you get into a pattern, and one day that pattern changes -- its very easy to continue in the pattern and FORGET you've got the child in your car, etc. (have you ever mindlessly turned onto a street you normally use, then realize you are NOT going to X location this time? It's like that, but with much worse consequences!)

The reason a purse helps is that your (At least, a woman's) pattern is to pick up their purse on the way out of the car. If the purse is not in the "pattern" place, then you go to find it and go "Hey, I've got my baby" and get back in the car and take the baby to the daycare or something. Instead of locking the baby in the car and having a tragedy.

Another interesting solution, but it wouldn't work due to as Splash mentioned, strangulation hazards. Then there are differences between child restraints, vehicles, different seating locations in vehicles, the fact that many people have MULTIPLE children in car seats, and due the fact that a tether of that nature could actually have a malignant affect on the function of a child restraint in an accident.


The problem is much more magnified than a small 'simple' solution to forgetting a child in a car. As long as we have multiple income households with busy schedules, multiple caregivers for children, etc, there are going to be accidents of this nature. The best solution is simply to always remember to check

Maedze said:

The best solution is simply to always remember to check

Click to expand...

But really that isn't a solution. It's like saying always remember your cell phone or always remember where you put your keys. Sometimes, the human mind forgets. If anyone read the recent article that was on the CPSP list serve, it gave a great explanation of how the human brain can fail us, ANY of us, resulting in tragic consequences.

When I am leaving the house I don't check for my cellphone because I keep it in my purse. If I use it somewhere in the house the chances that it gets left behind are pretty high. I often have to turn around or due without for the day. I have never forgotten my kids in the car especially with my 4.5 year old. He would definitely let me know if I don't unbuckle him.

April, I do understand that. I think what i'm trying to say is that the little gimmicks/products that keep getting floated around are really NOT the answer, and are no better, or possibly worse than always checking.

A girl I work with pointed out something the other day. It seems that people never forget their kids in the car in cold, winter weather. Have you all heard of any cases in the winter? I know I have now. Just curious.

libranbutterfly said:

A girl I work with pointed out something the other day. It seems that people never forget their kids in the car in cold, winter weather. Have you all heard of any cases in the winter? I know I have now. Just curious.

Click to expand...

Sure it happens, it's just not as likely to be as fatal, as quickly, as leaving a baby in a car in warm weather.

Maedze said:

Another interesting solution, but it wouldn't work due to as Splash mentioned, strangulation hazards.

Click to expand...

Splash changing her username again?

The comments about a cord being a danger to the child are well founded; this is something I should have addressed up front. The cord would have to be attached to the bottom of the car seat; well away from the child. An added precaution could be to encase the end closest to the child in a non-flexible plastic tube.
Also the comments about where to attach the other end are very constructive. The key was one idea but some of the ones brought are also good. To read my entire article go to http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1564703/children_forgotten_in_cars_ideas_for.html?cat=27.

CPSDarren said:

Splash changing her username again?

Click to expand...

Oh dear, help, I'm confused. Is that wrong. Is her name not Splash? Does that sound wrong?


I had a dream last night that I was hiding a herd of sheep in my kitchen cupboards and I'm all disoriented :crying:

I think cars should have a sensor in the seats that if a baby is left behind when the door opens it would beep. Like when you leave your lights on the car beeps to tell you to turn them off.




My DH forgot our 22mth old dd in the van one morning for an hour. I was in the hospital with the 3week old who was having breathing issues and very very very sick. My DH NEVER has to take the kids ANYWHERE in the morning (ie...no daycare,school) He just goes to work. So of course he has to take the 22mth old in to work with him before heading to the hospital. My BIL came into my dh's office and ask were the DD is and my DH ran outside to find her sleeping in her car seat. Mind you it was a cool morning and THANK GOD she was ok. But after that I completely understand how it can happen to people who aren't used to having a baby/child with them. My DH doesn't like to talk about it because it of course upset him so much. He got very sick and vomitted that morning.

Most of the cases I have read about seem to fall into two categories: a parent who either did not normally drop the kid off at daycare failing to do so because they just followed their normal morning routine out of habit or a parent who did usually drop the kid off at daycare, but had something unusual about their day that made them forget. I hate to put the onus on daycare workers, but I think that daycares should have a policy where the daycare providers try diligently and repeatedly if necessary to contact a family who has failed to drop a child off at daycare. I don't think tricks like leaving a purse or diaper bag in a specific place in the car or some sort of alarm are necessarily bad ideas, and I agree that checking the backseat could become part of a parents' routine anytime they exit the car, but I'm afraid that people could still become complacent. I don't have a great solution, but that's the best I've been able to come up with.

The idea is a good one, but there are many flaws in it.

One, you would have to trust the person (human) to attach the bungee cord to the car seat & keys every time they drive the vehicle (assuming the cord is not a "permanent fixture" to either item), which in a busy schedule, will easily be one more thing forgotten to do in the rush to save time or found to be too much of a hassle, so simply ignored (who hasn't purchased a item to make life easier to simply find it's too much of a hassle and never used it?).

Two, a FF child can easily get their feet tangled in the bungee, get their feet under a nonflexable plastic tubing (kids are amazing and can seem to undo or get into anything....mine chewed a snap off the adjustment strap of her carseat that was tucked away between the seat and the carseat when she was RF, have no clue how she got it out, but she did, chewed on it and ate the snap....) that is attached at the base or bottom of the car seat, causing undue stress on the ignition lock cylinder/switch (this is why people with heavy key chains have more instances of failed lock cylinders/switches due to the stress on them, they were not designed to carry a lot of weight), which can and will increase the instances of a failed component, which may and can leave the family stranded.

Three, even with a long enough cord, it can easily become something even a parent could possibly get tangled up in when reaching back to grab that dropped sippy cup or hand the child something, causing more distraction to the driver to get untangled. If routed along or below the seats, that would add even more complications to hook it up to the seat and keys every single time the vehicle is used with the child in it.

Four, if the bungee becomes under stress (from like a kid playing with it with their feet, those kids that are limber getting it to their hands), the bungee snaps, that hurts.....BTDT, they fail and become weak overtime, and again would have to be check frequently to make sure they don't become weak....another thing to be forgotten.

I totally commend you and your wife on trying to find a solution to this that is happening more often.....unfortunately the solution is not going to be a easy one or even if one is found, will still not be fail proof.

Exactly. A 'gadget' is not going to solve this problem, or even minimize it. It's only going to create a false sense of security, unfortunately.

Marketing such a gadget, hypothetically assuming it's feasible enough to get financial backing and make it to the market when backers would likely be leery of the liability issues and what would happen if the product failed in some way, could also be a tough sell in general. Many parents tend to have the mindset that they wouldn't forget their child in the car, and thus have no need for such a product. Never say never, of course, as a number of the real life cases have sadly demonstrated, but it would be a tough sell IMHO.

Maedze, D's username comment stems from attributing Splash for the strangulation hazard concern in your post, when I was the previous poster who raised the strangulation concern.