5 Things: How Parents End Up Leaving Babies in Hot Cars

Every parent thinks it can't happen to them, but every year it happens to someone else. Today is National Heatstroke Prevention Day, and officials are warning all parents and caregivers to be alert to the pitfalls in daily routines that cause children each year to be left behind, and sometimes die.

The Washington Post's Gene Weingarten won a Pulitzer Prize for a 2009 article examining multiple cases where parents left their children in cars, such as when a busy dad making work calls forgot to drop his toddler off at daycare.

Here are five things parents can do to help keep their children out of danger, based on tips from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):

1.  Set a reminder or alarm on your cell phone that reminds you to drop off your child at school or day care, or have a loved one call to ensure that the drop-off occurred. (OTS)
2. Place your purse, briefcase or something else you need in the back seat so that you will have to check the back seat when you leave the vehicle. (NHTSA)
   
3. Ask day care providers to call if your child is ever late being dropped off. (OTS)
   
4. Keep an object in the car seat, such as a stuffed toy. When the child is buckled in, place the object where the driver will notice it when he or she is leaving the vehicle. (NHTSA)
5. Never leave your child unattended in a hot vehicle, not even for a minute. (OTS)