You Wouldn't Put Your Kids In An Oven, Would You?

 

Why oh why, would someone ever leave their little kids in a car unattended in any weather, never mind hot weather?! I mean, you wouldn't put your kid in an oven, would you? I can understand teenagers who can open their own windows, and get out the car if need be. But babies? Small kids buckled into their car seats, unable to escape rising temperatures in the car?  

One woman in Arizona was charged last month with child abuse for leaving her 6 month old baby and her 2yr old in a car unattended for an hour while she attended a job interview.  

So many times each summer, (and it’s becoming more frequent in winter months too), we’re hearing stories of kids being left inside a sweltering car while a parent or other caregiver runs a quick errand, does groceries and some even going to a bar! I feel like I’m hearing these stories more and more each season. How can anyone think that this is a good idea?  

I get that it’s annoying & cumbersome to have to unbuckle your kids from their seats, take out strollers, diaper bags and anything else you might need, while traipsing through a store for only 1 item. I get it! I have 2 of my own…. And God forbid that they just fell asleep and you really don’t want to wake them. Or that they are sick, or have been particularly fussy that day, or that you’re just having a bad day yourself and they’ve just fallen asleep, maybe the only quiet you’re going to have all day… But leaving them unattended in a car? Why would you want to risk their safety like that?  

I get that most people would never think that doing this would put their child at risk. I get that the single mother written about in the article was trying to get a job, likely to improve the quality of life for both her and her kids. Most people have good intentions with their kids. I’m sure this lady didn’t go and do this for fun. She was stuck and didn’t have anyone to care for her kids while she went to her interview. But there has to be a better way. Everyone has to make a choice after considering the pros and the cons. Bad things happen to good people. Sometimes by chance and sometimes by simple choice.  Don’t think that this can’t happen to you! 

To provide you with some stats and helpful information, please consider these resources: 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the U.S. Government

http://www.nhtsa.gov/safety/hyperthermia

KidsAndCars.org

http://www.kidsandcars.org/heatstroke.html 

Here are some quick reference tips from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the U.S. Government:

• Vehicles heat up quickly - even with a window rolled down two inches, if the outside temperature is in the low 80s° Fahrenheit, the temperature inside a vehicle can reach deadly levels in only 10 minutes.
• Children's bodies overheat easily, and infants and children under four years of age are among those at greatest risk for heat-related illness.
• Children's bodies absorb more heat on a hot day than an adult. Also, children are less able to lower their body heat by sweating. When a body cannot sweat enough, the body temperature rises rapidly.
• In fact, when left in a hot vehicle, a young child's body temperature may increase three to five times as fast an adult. High body temperatures can cause permanent injury or even death.

I implore you! Do not do this... Ever! With the spring season, and rising temperatures now upon us, I feel compelled to remind people not to put their baby’s and children’s lives in danger. It is so unnecessary.

If the safety of your children is not enough for your to make the right choice, then consider getting yourself charged criminally as outlined in this article: http://globalnews.ca/news/677529/is-leaving-a-child-in-a-hot-parked-car-a-criminal-offence/. Or perhaps even have your children apprehended by your child welfare agency, temporarily or permanently. Is that all worth 5 minutes or an hour of leaving your kids unattended in a car? Is it? 

If you see someone doing this in a vehicle on a particularly warm or hot day, please safely keep an eye on the children. If any or all of the occupants seem like they might be in distress, or you are unable to standby, call the police or the emergency number in your area. It takes no time for the temperature to rise inside a vehicle in this type of weather. What might appear like a one time thing, might be something that that person is doing regularly. If it is an ongoing issue, then police can react accordingly with criminal charges to help ensure that these children are kept safe, or that these people become educated on the dangers that they might not otherwise be aware of. I mean, if you’ll do it once, you’ll do it a thousand times. (Not always, I know!). 

So please have a conversation with your loved ones and/or those who care for your kids, and remind them of the dangers of doing this. 

One child dead or injured from something so easily preventable is one too many.  

Photo courtesy of General Motors & Golden Gate Weather Services 

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