Hot vehicles affect infants and children in a deadly manner
Every year hyperthermia takes the lives of about 35 children. So far this year, 23 infants and children have died in hot cars. Since 1998, 364 have died. Cars transform into hot-air ovens when direct sunlight heats objects within them. People can lose consciousness and their natural cooling mechanisms, like sweating, can shut down once their core body temperature reaches 104 degrees; death occurs at 107 degrees. Children should never be left in vehicles for any period of time. Many people mistakenly believe cracking windows or leaving the car running with air conditioning creates makes it safe to leave the children. Cracking the window doesn't change the inside temperature by much, and leaving the child in a running car makes them a target to be taken.
Children react three to five times faster to heat than adults, because the hypothalamus regions of their brains, which control body temperature, are not as developed. Not only are they more sensitive to heat, but they depend on others to keep them cool. They can not speak and depend on their caregivers to keep them hydrated. Even with comfortable temperatures outdoors, the temperature in an enclosed car climbs rapidly.
Temperature increase inside a car with an outside temperature of 80 degrees (elapsed time in minutes):
After 10 minutes: 99 degrees inside car
20 minutes: 109 degrees
30 minutes 114 degrees
40 minutes: 118 degrees
50 minutes: 120 degrees
60 minutes: 123 degrees
If you think that forgetting children is the cause, this product should be of assistance. Baby Alert manufactures the "ChildMinder System," ($59.95, babyalert.info) which is a gadget that clips onto children's car seats and alerts parents via keychain alarm if they stray more than 15 meters from the car. The clip is only engaged when the car seat is fastened. The product also offers an alternative pad that is placed under the car seat's cushion and interacts with the keychain the same way as the clip. Another idea is to leave a stuffed animal or diaper bag in the front passenger seat to remind you that your child is in the back.
Some belive that most hyperthermia deaths are a result of parents intentionally leaving children in cars while running errands, not forgetting them. First aid classes are a great way to learn about the symptoms of hyperthermia and how to act in emergencies. Nanny Poppinz teached free CPR, First Aid classes every month all over the United States, wherever there is an agency.
Children react three to five times faster to heat than adults, because the hypothalamus regions of their brains, which control body temperature, are not as developed. Not only are they more sensitive to heat, but they depend on others to keep them cool. They can not speak and depend on their caregivers to keep them hydrated. Even with comfortable temperatures outdoors, the temperature in an enclosed car climbs rapidly.
Temperature increase inside a car with an outside temperature of 80 degrees (elapsed time in minutes):
After 10 minutes: 99 degrees inside car
20 minutes: 109 degrees
30 minutes 114 degrees
40 minutes: 118 degrees
50 minutes: 120 degrees
60 minutes: 123 degrees
If you think that forgetting children is the cause, this product should be of assistance. Baby Alert manufactures the "ChildMinder System," ($59.95, babyalert.info) which is a gadget that clips onto children's car seats and alerts parents via keychain alarm if they stray more than 15 meters from the car. The clip is only engaged when the car seat is fastened. The product also offers an alternative pad that is placed under the car seat's cushion and interacts with the keychain the same way as the clip. Another idea is to leave a stuffed animal or diaper bag in the front passenger seat to remind you that your child is in the back.
Some belive that most hyperthermia deaths are a result of parents intentionally leaving children in cars while running errands, not forgetting them. First aid classes are a great way to learn about the symptoms of hyperthermia and how to act in emergencies. Nanny Poppinz teached free CPR, First Aid classes every month all over the United States, wherever there is an agency.
posted by Susan's blog at
4:59 AM
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