3.31.2004
Precious Cargo: Babies Left Out in the Heat
I was watching the local news today and heard a shocking statistic. In the past 5 years, 160 young children have died because their parents left them in the car during the summer season. This may seem like a drop in the bucket, but to me it's 160 too many. I am not a parent, but it doesn't take a parent to feel absolutely devastated for the families this has happened to.
Experts say that this phenomenon generally occurs to with new parents whose driving routines have recently changed. They have so much on their minds that they forget they've strapped their baby into the child seat. It seems inconceivable, but I can think of many other things I've forgotten to do, or misplaced, due to changes in my routine. A child seems a bit more important, however. Trying to put myself in the shoes of a parent who left their child in a car is hard for me to do.
Imagine that this happened: that you were the one who left your sleeping child in the car. If it's 93 degrees Fahrenheit outside, the inside of a car will heat up to 120 degrees in just 20 minutes. Heat stroke is when the body loses its ability to regulate its own temperature. This only requires the body temperature to be rapidly increased from 98.6 to 106 degrees for as little as 15 minutes, and, if not remedied immediately, can cause irreparable brain damage, or death.
Maybe we need to put parents in a similar situation for just a few minutes. We strap them into a seat and increase the temperature in the room just enough to make things uncomfortable for a few minutes, as a reminder that they have to stop and think that they've got someone whose completely helpless and relies on them for survival. The Navy taught me what could happen if I put my gas mask on incorrectly by making me take it off in a room full of tear gas. I think I'd rather experience a few minutes of tear gas, than a very short lifetime of nerve gas. Another not so drastic measure is to place a stuffed animal in the car seat and leave it there. Why? Because when you have to strap your child into the seat, you'll have to move the stuffed animal. Put it in the front seat as a reminder that there is someone sitting back there. This might work.
Here in Las Vegas, a seven-month old baby was left in a hot car last summer. The father is a highly respected teacher and coach at a local high school. This year, they are commemorating the loss by holding a special month filled with reminders and helpful information for parents. The students are passing out blue and pink ribbons to be tied onto car antennas to remind parents that they've got "precious cargo" with them.
Some Sites concerning this Issue:
Babies Left in Cars
Gentle Parents
Brian Carnell- Baby Killing Season Starts Early
© 2004, J.S. Brown
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Experts say that this phenomenon generally occurs to with new parents whose driving routines have recently changed. They have so much on their minds that they forget they've strapped their baby into the child seat. It seems inconceivable, but I can think of many other things I've forgotten to do, or misplaced, due to changes in my routine. A child seems a bit more important, however. Trying to put myself in the shoes of a parent who left their child in a car is hard for me to do.
Imagine that this happened: that you were the one who left your sleeping child in the car. If it's 93 degrees Fahrenheit outside, the inside of a car will heat up to 120 degrees in just 20 minutes. Heat stroke is when the body loses its ability to regulate its own temperature. This only requires the body temperature to be rapidly increased from 98.6 to 106 degrees for as little as 15 minutes, and, if not remedied immediately, can cause irreparable brain damage, or death.
Maybe we need to put parents in a similar situation for just a few minutes. We strap them into a seat and increase the temperature in the room just enough to make things uncomfortable for a few minutes, as a reminder that they have to stop and think that they've got someone whose completely helpless and relies on them for survival. The Navy taught me what could happen if I put my gas mask on incorrectly by making me take it off in a room full of tear gas. I think I'd rather experience a few minutes of tear gas, than a very short lifetime of nerve gas. Another not so drastic measure is to place a stuffed animal in the car seat and leave it there. Why? Because when you have to strap your child into the seat, you'll have to move the stuffed animal. Put it in the front seat as a reminder that there is someone sitting back there. This might work.
Here in Las Vegas, a seven-month old baby was left in a hot car last summer. The father is a highly respected teacher and coach at a local high school. This year, they are commemorating the loss by holding a special month filled with reminders and helpful information for parents. The students are passing out blue and pink ribbons to be tied onto car antennas to remind parents that they've got "precious cargo" with them.
Some Sites concerning this Issue:
Babies Left in Cars
Gentle Parents
Brian Carnell- Baby Killing Season Starts Early
TANSTAAFL!
© 2004, J.S. Brown
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