Sometimes, a sleeping baby is so peaceful and quiet in the backseat of a car that we can forget they are even there. It can also be tempting to leave a sleeping baby in the car so we don’t have to wake them up while we quickly run into the store. But leaving a baby alone in a car can lead to serious injury or death from heatstroke, even in cooler temperatures. Heatstroke deaths have been recorded every month of the year in nearly all 50 states.

Hard Facts about Heatstroke

• Since 1998, more than 700 children died from heatstroke while left unattended in vehicles. In more than half of these deaths, the caregiver forgot the child was in the car.
• A car can heat up 19 degrees in just 10 minutes. Cracking a window doesn’t help.
• Young children are particularly at risk as their bodies heat up three to five times faster than an adult.

Top Tips for Preventing Heatstroke

Reduce the number of deaths from heatstroke by remembering to ACT.

1. Avoid heatstroke-related injury and death by never leaving a child alone in a car, not even for a minute. And make sure to keep your car locked when you’re not inside so kids don’t get in on their own.  
2. Create reminders. Keep a stuffed animal or other memento in your child’s car seat when it’s empty, and move it to the front seat as a visual reminder when your child is in the back seat. Or place and secure your phone, briefcase or purse in the backseat when traveling with your child. 
3. Take action. If you see a child alone in a car, call 911. Emergency personnel want you to call. They are trained to respond to these situations

Learn More

It’s important for all parents to know how to protect babies from heatstroke. Here are some additional tips to help you out.  

Resources