Leaving Children in the Car

[ILoveMyBoos]

So I have seen an abundance of Journals and polls on this topic lately, and the thing that amazes me the most, are the excuses that some people have for leaving their babies to die in a sweltering vehicle. 

"I only go in for 5 minutes!"

"I just ran in"

"I do it but I am nervous the WHOLE time"

"It is just too much of a hassle to unbuckle them all if I am just running in."

"If the AC is on then it's ok"

"My parents did it with me and my siblings"

"Well I did it the other day, but it was only like 73-74 out side."

And the list goes on...

Let me straighten this out for all of you. IT IS NOT OK, FINE, OR OTHERWISE KOSHER TO LEAVE YOUR CHILD IN THE CAR AT ANY TIME UNATTENDED.  PERIOD. 

Nope, don't care if you were in for only "a minute."  Don't care if you "felt bad about it."  Don't even care if you could "see them the whole time."  Don't freaking do it.

When have you ever only been 5 minutes in the grocery store?  It takes longer than that to just run in and go to the restroom and run back out.  No one is in the store only 5 minutes.  It may feel like 5 minutes, it may feel it was a short time, but never in my life have I ever experienced this miracle of the 5 minute grocery shopper.  It takes several minutes to check out, and even if you KNOW what you are getting, you are still looking at several minutes to go in, find said item(s), find an open register, check out, and find your way back to your car.  In that amount of time your child could easily be dead or missing.  And it is your fault.  I don't sympathize with you, I sympathize with the poor child that you just abused.  And if I see you leave your babies in the car, I am calling 911.  And if your babies are taken away, that is your fault for being so lazy and selfish as to leave them in the car.

I have never left my step son in the car.  Even when it was running, I was running late and I just realized I left something in the apartment.  NEVER.  I unbuckle is little butt or I leave without it.  Because there is NO other option.

Average elapsed time and temperature rise

• 10 minutes ~ 19 deg F
• 20 minutes ~ 29 deg F
• 30 minutes ~ 34 deg F
• 60 minutes ~ 43 deg F
• 1 to 2 hours ~ 45-50 deg F

http://ggweather.com/heat/

So using those numbers in 10 minutes your car can go from 73-74 to 92-93
in 20 minutes 102-103 <----Babies can DIE at these temperatures.

Taken directly from the Safe Kids website

About

How does a hot car put kids in danger?

Leaving a child in a vehicle for a "quick" errand - even for a minute - is a huge mistake. Unfortunately, a child alone in a car on a mild day can become overheated quickly. That can lead to tragedy in just a few minutes.

Heat is much more dangerous to children than it is to adults. When left in a hot vehicle, a young child’s core body temperature may increase three to five times faster than that of an adult. This could cause permanent injury or even death.

According to research conducted by San Francisco State University, even with relatively cool temperatures outside - 70 degrees - the inside of a car can reach a dangerous temperature in just minutes.

The research also revealed that more than a third of these children were accidentally left behind in a closed, parked car by parents or caregivers and another third of these children were trapped while playing in a vehicle unattended. Sadly, one in five children who died were intentionally left in the vehicle by an adult.

Tips

• If you see an unattended child in a vehicle, call 911 immediately.

• Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle, even with the window slightly open.

• Place something that you’ll need at your next stop - for example a purse, lunch, gym bag or briefcase - on the floor of the backseat where the child is sitting. This simple act could help prevent you from accidentally forgetting a child.

• Teach children not to play in, on or around vehicles.

• Always lock a vehicle’s doors and trunk - especially at home. Keep keys and remote entry devices out of children’s reach.

• Watch children closely around vehicles, particularly when loading and unloading. Check to ensure all children leave the vehicle when you reach your destination. Don’t overlook sleeping infants.
  

• Be especially careful if you change your routine for dropping off infants or children at day care. Have a play that if your child is late for daycare that you will be called within a few minutes.

Facts

• From 1998 to 2007, approximately 365 children - most of them aged three and younger - died from heat stroke while unattended in a car.

• On days when the temperature exceeded 86°F, the internal temperature of the vehicle quickly reached 134°F to 154°F.