Children

ChildMinder reminds drivers not to leave their baby in the car

The ChildMinder Infant-Toddler Elite Pad System is designed to keep parents from forgetting their infant in their vehicle
The ChildMinder Infant-Toddler Elite Pad System is designed to keep parents from forgetting their infant in their vehicle

Hard though it may be for most of us to believe, it is possible for parents to forget that they’re driving with a baby in the car. If they subsequently leave the infant locked in a very hot or cold parked vehicle for several hours, the results can be deadly. That’s why Baby Alert International is offering the ChildMinder Infant-Toddler Elite Pad System – it’s a setup that notifies absent-minded parents if they try walking away from their car, sans baby.

First of all, you may be asking, “Does this really happen?”. The answer is yes ... occasionally.

According to the group Kids and Cars, approximately 36 infants and young children die every year in the U.S. alone, due to being locked in hot cars. While many of those are no doubt cases of negligence, sometimes parents do actually forget that they have a wee one quietly napping in the back seat – this is particularly likely when there’s a change in routine, and a parent who doesn’t ordinarily drive with the baby in the car ends up doing so. They get preoccupied, end up driving to work (or wherever) as usual, and the little passenger is forgotten.

The ChildMinder system is designed to keep that from happening. It consists of a pressure-sensitive pad, a base control unit for that pad, and a wireless key ring alarm unit.

The pad is placed beneath the cushion in the child safety seat, and is activated as soon as the weight of the infant is placed upon it – assuming they weigh at least four pounds (1.8 kg). From that point on, as long as the pressure is maintained, the key ring alarm will sound within six seconds if the driver moves more than 15 feet (4.6 meters) away from the pad. The system automatically deactivates itself when the child is removed from the seat.

Two AAA batteries are required for the pad, with an additional lithium button cell powering the alarm. The system sells for US$69.95.

Source: Baby Alert International via Coolest Gadgets

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11 comments
The Hoff
If you think you're too busy to remember your children you should not have them, there are a lot of people who shouldn't.
Timothy Kulig
I so agree with you "The Hoff". We had 4 daughters that we raised, and it wasn't EVER a problem. Anyone who forgets, is more self absorbed then they should be.
Bill Bennett
The Hoff, spot on, my child is 32 and NEVER did I "forget" him, and yes he is now 32 I still watch out for him and now I find he is watching out for me, some people should NOT have kids, you too Timothy, spot on, and I was a single parent from my son being 9 years old
Jeronimo
The three previous comments were obviously from perfect individuals that have never made a mistake in their life. This device in not for people who don't care or forget about their babies, but for people who might make a mistake in communication between husband and wife for example. Life is complicated and people aren't perfect, even in parenting, let's not be biggots.
Grei Walker
I'm sure many of you are thinking "This is great!", well you're wrong! This is the worst thing to happen to 'Natural Selection' since giving pedestrians the right of way!
Oh and Daniel, forgetting to water the house plants every day is a mistake, leaving your baby locked in a hot car isn't a mistake, it's a reason to be sterilized!
Alice Engstrom
So sad to make negative remarks about this long-overdue device. People DO forget at times, and I think sometimes it might be because some people are driving bigger vehicles these days. It is hard to NOT notice a child or pet in the back seat when you drive a small car, but with the SUVs and vans, it is very possible.
I wish automobile manufacturers would put some money into development of a warning system for this type of problem, but oh, no, they have to develop SOUND-PROOF cars so the driver and passengers can easily miss the sound of sirens wailing right behind them as they happily cruise down the road, oblivious to their stupidity. And OH, NO, the auto manufacturers have to install automatic locks so that people (even though they had enough brains to get in the car and drive) will be "protected" when the door locks on them in case they don't know well enough to lock the doors when they want. Nice to die in your new Cadillac when a fire breaks out and the electronics fail so that you can't get out to save yourself. This DID happen because of stupid engineering -- so now WHO is stupid?!?
Peter Lloyd
What if the parent forgets the key ring at home?
packoftwenty
"People DO forget at times" LOL. Nice attempt at making out that EVERYBODY does this, or would ever do it. CERTAIN people "forget", namely scum who are trying to kill their children and get away with it. You can't "forget" that you have a baby in your car, it's impossible. If you're so stupid and self-obsessed that you could "forget" that you have a baby in your car, you shouldn't be driving, you shouldn't have children, and you shouldn't be walking round in free society, you should be imprisoned for the safety of the rest of us... Stop making excuses for self-absorbed SCUM.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/heatwave-baby-dies-car-us-swelters-115927758.html
Need I say more? Alice Engstrom, you are a prize idiot...
Kota
Let's face it sometimes sh#t happens! People screw up, it has happened to professional people. Why should an innocent child pay with their life over a stupid oversight! Who cares how it happens, we need to protect our kids no matter what the cause! We need this!
Richard Zachar
Check out bee-alert.com it has a life saving solution.