Beyond the Car Seat - Products for National Child Passenger
Safety Week
Mark your calendars! National Child Passenger Safety Week is
February 12-18th. Every year, the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration takes this opportunity to remind parents
of the importance of properly installed car seats and booster
seats. Car seats save lives. However, every year, thousands of
children are killed or injured in non-traffic related vehicular
incidents. They're hit while walking in a parking lot,
accidentally backed over, forgotten in a hot vehicle, etc. In
other words, their car seat can't help. Fortunately, other
safety products exist to protect your child when the car seat
cannot. Here are three under $10, a small price to pay to save
the life of your child.
Parking Lot Accidents - KidHands
Every parent knows to hold their child's hand in the parking
lot. But what do you do when you get to the car, and your hands
are full? You've got bags in one hand, your kid in the other,
and you've got to get your keys out! One concerned parent
developed a product called "KidHands." They're car magnets,
shaped like "kid hands," that give the child incentive to touch
your car and stay there. Essentially, if your hands aren't
available, you can have them "Touch the KidHands." ($5.99 at
kidhands.com)
Driveway Backovers - Wide Angle Mirrors
Accidental backovers are responsible for more than 400 deaths
annually. Many luxury class cars now come with cameras and
sensors in the rear of the vehicle to alert the backing-up
driver. For those without luxury vehicles, aftermarket cameras
and sensors can be installed. And for those with big hearts and
thin wallets, there's the wide angel mirror. Convex mirrors can
be strategically placed on your vehicle to reduce or eliminate
dangerous blind spots. (Starting at less than $10 at ebay.com)
Accidentally Left in the Vehicle - Baby Bee SafeTM
It's hard to imagine that it could happen to you, but children
have died as a result of being forgotten in a hot vehicle. Many
parents take turns dropping off Baby at day care on the way to
work each morning. Every once in a while, a parent forgets the
sleeping baby in the back seat and goes straight to work. Baby
Bee SafeTM is a low-tech way to make sure this never happens to
you. It's simply an oversized ring that jumps back and forth
between the baby's car seat and your key ring. When you get out
of the car, if the ring is on your keys and not on the car seat,
good luck trying to get your keys back in your purse or pocket!
It's simple, inexpensive, and it can save your child's life.
($4.99 at babybeesafe.net)