In El Paso cars get hot enough to make the devil himself say, "Hey, can you crank up that AC?" While hot summers are mostly just an inconvenience, every summer in El Paso sees stories about kids getting left in a hot car. So often those stories are tragedies that end in the death of a small child and parents or grandparents grieving the loss and possibly facing criminal charges. Experts say as we head into the summer, now is the time to come up with a plan and a routine to make sure that your child never gets left behind in a hot car.

It may seem like a silly suggestion, but the most effective way to ensure a child is never left in the car is to take 2 seconds to open the back door and take a peek at their car seat when you get to your destination. That empty car seat will reassure you that your baby is where he is supposed to be, and not in a car that could heat up to over 140 degrees in just an hour’s time on a 90 degree day.

To help prevent a tragedy, here are a few more ideas you might try to remind yourself that the kiddoes are in the car:

1. Put your purse in the back seat - Sure, they might get into your purse, or you might need it when you go through the drive-thru for your latte, but having to look in the backseat for your purse will also have you looking at a car seat with your kid in it and that's the point. You could also put your kid's diaper bag on top of your purse in the front seat for another visual reminder of the beastie in the backseat.

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2. Set your alarm - You can set your cell phone has alarm for the time you usually drop the kiddoes off at daycare before you head out to work. It might drive you crazy when it goes off and you've already dropped off your kids, but it might also save their life one day when you've forgotten to that in the hustle and bustle of your morning.

Close up of hands woman using cell phone.
LDProd
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3. Take a pic - My ex-husband once left our son, Sam, at the gym daycare and got all the way home before he realized it. No, that's not why he's my ex. I completely freaked out and then we came up with the photo solution. We printed out a photo of Sam, put Velcro on the back of it, and attached it to the dashboard. That wallet-sized photo smiling from the dashboard was a constant reminder to check the car seat every time we got into and out of the car.

UygarGeographic
UygarGeographic
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