Warning: What you are about to read may cause an influx of emotions. As most of us are mothers, women or just plain human. I will try to keep my opinions to myself and remain unbiased, remember, I said try.
My MIL and I were talking last week, she ran into a store and on her way out noticed that a parked car contained several young children without adult supervision. The mother was inside the store shopping. The car appeared locked. My MIL waited and watched those children for ten minutes until the mother returned. The temperatures during that last full week of April in the Tulsa area ranged from 70-89 degrees. The windows were not cracked.
As an Infant Teacher, I am constantly looking for information to include in my monthly newsletters to parents. Usually information on teething remedies, car seat safety, recall sites, a new parenting app, etc. Not that any of my students parents need it, or our readers for that matter, but I will be telling them about the information above and also of a free app that is out called Baby Reminder.
Baby Reminder reminds you not to forget your baby in the car.
Simply set the days and time intervals in which you usually drive your children. Baby Reminder will automatically monitor and determine when you are driving and when not. An alert reminding you not to forget your baby in the car will be sent shortly after you arrive at your destination.
The app is actually rather annoying. If you did leave your baby in the car you will either go get her, or purposely turn off the nagging sound. I ignored mine so long testing it out that I halfway expected to find the police sitting in the parking lot waiting for me for child neglect arrest- that would be a nice feature wouldn't it. (oops, I told you I would try) Also, this app does not work on my eleven and five year old, I couldn't leave them in a car if I tried.
Yes, this app may sound ridiculous to some. Common sense should rule you would think, but it doesn't and hasn't. Some might even say that if you aren't smart enough to get your baby out of the car, then how can you be smart enough to set a reminder on your phone. If this app, campaign, or any other means of reminder can help decrease the number of deaths from the 33 the United States saw last year, then I say spread the word.
