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Sunshine74 08:25 PM 11-03-2013
I just came across this product that seems to be still in the testing phase, but is such a great idea! It is a car alarm to alert a parent that a child is still in the car. I hope the idea takes off, it could eliminate so many tragedies.

http://www.babyinbackalarm.com/Field-Test.html
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Michelle 08:58 PM 11-03-2013
this seems like a good start to something good but I would rather see an alarm that triggers your keys when there is a warm baby in a car seat still or maybe weight activated car seat alarm.
but I am glad that someone is thinking about this
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Unregistered 07:18 AM 11-04-2013
Again ..irresponsible parenting, who needs an alarm to remember their own child? Hello!!
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nanglgrl 07:38 AM 11-04-2013
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
Again ..irresponsible parenting, who needs an alarm to remember their own child? Hello!!
It's tragic but a lot if these cases aren't neccesarily caused by irresponsible parenting but instead caused by a series of unfortunate events.
While reading story after story about it there was a major theme. Mom (or dad) is in charge of taking baby to daycare usually but on this day plans have unexpectedly changed and now dad (mom) has to take the baby which is not routine for him (her), the parent in charge of dropping off the child that day is overtired or distracted (due to the baby being sick and up on night, their own illness, recieving a call on the way to work, etc.). Dad (or mom) doesn't put anything in the back seat with baby so when he (she) gets out of the car he (she) has no reason to look in the back seat and to top it off the baby was quiet for the drive. Often times the parent goes throughout their day thinking they dropped the child off (some even "remember" doing so). Some even talk to their spouse or coworkers about the baby during the day and are just as surprised as anybody to find out they left their baby in the car. Muscle has memory, as busy adults we are often on autopilot without realizing it. There have been dozens of times I freaked out because I thought I forgot my children because they are usually with me and then I quickly remember I left them at home with dad etc. I know I was on autopilot during those times and I see this as the same type of thing. I'm not saying every case is like this. There are certainly bad, irresponsible parents or people that do it purposefully but there are also some great, loving parents that just made one horrible, tragic mistake. This is why I call my clients if they don't show up in time to drop off.
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nanglgrl 07:42 AM 11-04-2013
Originally Posted by nanglgrl:
It's tragic but a lot if these cases aren't neccesarily caused by irresponsible parenting but instead caused by a series of unfortunate events.
While reading story after story about it there was a major theme. Mom (or dad) is in charge of taking baby to daycare usually but on this day plans have unexpectedly changed and now dad (mom) has to take the baby which is not routine for him (her), the parent in charge of dropping off the child that day is overtired or distracted (due to the baby being sick and up on night, their own illness, recieving a call on the way to work, etc.). Dad (or mom) doesn't put anything in the back seat with baby so when he (she) gets out of the car he (she) has no reason to look in the back seat and to top it off the baby was quiet for the drive. Often times the parent goes throughout their day thinking they dropped the child off (some even "remember" doing so). Some even talk to their spouse or coworkers about the baby during the day and are just as surprised as anybody to find out they left their baby in the car. Muscle has memory, as busy adults we are often on autopilot without realizing it. There have been dozens of times I freaked out because I thought I forgot my children because they are usually with me and then I quickly remember I left them at home with dad etc. I know I was on autopilot during those times and I see this as the same type of thing. I'm not saying every case is like this. There are certainly bad, irresponsible parents or people that do it purposefully but there are also some great, loving parents that just made one horrible, tragic mistake. This is why I call my clients if they don't show up in time to drop off.
I should add, I didn't forget my child was in the car but forgot they weren't. I've went to get them out of their seat and had a major freak out moment when they're not in it because 9 times out of 10 they are with me.
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joe dorsey 10:12 AM 11-04-2013
Originally Posted by Michelle:
this seems like a good start to something good but I would rather see an alarm that triggers your keys when there is a warm baby in a car seat still or maybe weight activated car seat alarm.
but I am glad that someone is thinking about this
Dear Michelle,

I am the amateur inventor with the Backseat Baby Alarm. I understand your description about what kind of alarm you would like to see but I pursued a whole different approach as 4 other companies have already tried this and more or less failed. Hope no one minds me taking part in the discussion.

The 4 are the Suddenly Safe alarm, the Child Minder Clip, the Child Minder Pad, and Tomy/First Years IAlert car seat. The 1st three were field tested in 2010 by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The report found all 3 to have reliability and performance issues and did not recommend parents use them. Problems included needing to “wiggle” the child around before the sensor sensed the child in the seat, the transmitter and key fob receiver desynching during the trip, and the key fob giving off false chirps while driving. The IAlert just came out this year. If you read the review(s) on CarseatBlog.com or on Amazon, it’s pretty clear it has problems as well. In addition, it should be noted that the first 3 devices run around $70 / unit. The IAlert system increases the price of the car seat by $175.

The Backseat Baby Alarm senses the opening and closing of the back doors and the driver door and is all hard wired – no radio transmitters, apps, cell phones, blue tooth, etc. Regular price is $29.99 but $19 at this time. Thus it is certainly more affordable than the other 4 devices and to make sure it is highly reliable, right now I am endeavoring to conduct a field test with 250 parents to make sure it works in the real world as designed before selling it to the general public. About 150 have signed up so far. So I hope anyone who is interested will take a look at the full info on my website and consider. Very open to any input, comments.
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joe dorsey 11:03 AM 11-04-2013
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
Again ..irresponsible parenting, who needs an alarm to remember their own child? Hello!!
I am the amateur inventor with the "Backseat Baby Alarm" mentioned above. I really wish I had an answer to your question. I know it's incomprehensible that even 1 parent or caregiver could forget their child in the back of a car and scoff and dismiss it as something that was bound to happen because the parent was an irresponsible parent in the first place. But I've spent 3 years now working on my invention because no matter how hard it is to believe that a parent could actually do something like that, it happens. You can curse, cry, condemn, or question, but it does.

This year the number is 16. Yes, 16. Last year it was 15. In 2011 it was 12. In 2010 it was 17. I guess the point I hope people get out of these devastating numbers is to realize that these incidents are not random, freak accidents. Freak accidents can't be anticipated or predicted. These can. The sad but certain truth is that right now there are probably 10-15 parents out there right now who don't know it yet but they are fated to lose the most precious thing in their lives starting next summer. I don't know if I will succeed, but I am hoping to change that even if it is just 1 less kid.

I "soft launched" the alarm only about 2 months ago, very very informally (mainly via word of mouth, FB) really just with the aim of getting about 250 parents to purchase and field test it. About 150 people have responded so far. Quite a few wrote me of their fear of doing this. Not one of them mentioned having a bad memory or being irresponsible. They mentioned things like "14 hour days", "take my daughter to a different place each day of the week", "tiredness can get the better of me". And there were ones too where, even though apparently it was just for a few minutes, they said basically, "... I have done this".

So hope this make some sense out of something that is pretty hard to fathom and is an emotional bullet through the heart for all of us but it does happen and can happen to anyone. It just takes a child asleep in the back not making a sound and a tired, sleep deprived parent committing a moment of mental distraction.
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Heidi 12:39 PM 11-04-2013
In WI, all regulated dcp's who have a 6+ passenger vehicle must have a safety alarm installed in order to prevent this tragedy.

Weird? In school buses, the driver only has to walk to the back of the bus and place a sign that says "this bus has been checked for sleeping children", but if I take 4 children on a field trip, I have to have an alarm installed.

The current ones offered require you to go to the back, open the hatch, and push a button within a certain amount of time after turning the car off. This means you are taking 4-5 children out of a minivan, and oops! forgot to hit the button, and now you've got 2 out, 3 in, and your alarms and horns are going off. Can you imagine the chaos?

I will look into this system. It may be a good alternative. Thanks, Joe. Maybe you can get your system added to our state's list?

http://dcf.wi.gov/memos/BRL/2009/2009_05.pdf
http://dcf.wi.gov/memos/BRL/2009/200...ent_update.pdf
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Heidi 12:48 PM 11-04-2013
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
Again ..irresponsible parenting, who needs an alarm to remember their own child? Hello!!
This statement contributes nothing to the conversation, and is just plain rude. Thanks for nothing.
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Michelle 01:56 PM 11-04-2013
Originally Posted by joe dorsey:
Dear Michelle,

I am the amateur inventor with the Backseat Baby Alarm. I understand your description about what kind of alarm you would like to see but I pursued a whole different approach as 4 other companies have already tried this and more or less failed. Hope no one minds me taking part in the discussion.

The 4 are the Suddenly Safe alarm, the Child Minder Clip, the Child Minder Pad, and Tomy/First Years IAlert car seat. The 1st three were field tested in 2010 by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The report found all 3 to have reliability and performance issues and did not recommend parents use them. Problems included needing to “wiggle” the child around before the sensor sensed the child in the seat, the transmitter and key fob receiver desynching during the trip, and the key fob giving off false chirps while driving. The IAlert just came out this year. If you read the review(s) on CarseatBlog.com or on Amazon, it’s pretty clear it has problems as well. In addition, it should be noted that the first 3 devices run around $70 / unit. The IAlert system increases the price of the car seat by $175.

The Backseat Baby Alarm senses the opening and closing of the back doors and the driver door and is all hard wired – no radio transmitters, apps, cell phones, blue tooth, etc. Regular price is $29.99 but $19 at this time. Thus it is certainly more affordable than the other 4 devices and to make sure it is highly reliable, right now I am endeavoring to conduct a field test with 250 parents to make sure it works in the real world as designed before selling it to the general public. About 150 have signed up so far. So I hope anyone who is interested will take a look at the full info on my website and consider. Very open to any input, comments.
as far as money goes... I would pay $1,000 or more for a good working baby alert system for all the babies in my life . Money is not even an issue and me personally, I have never even came close to forgetting a baby in the car. They are all I think about but I just think that the door alarm may not work for some people because people put their groceries, purse, gym bag in the back all the time and they will just grow to ignore the beeps of the car.

Our lives are full of beeps... microwaves, computers ,elevators, phones... it gets to be overwhelming on the ears after a while and we teach ourselves (not knowingly) to ignore it.
perhaps maybe instead of a "beep" you can record a loud baby giggle or cry? something that is very unique to the situation. I know that sounds crazy but just an idea.
I love it that you are trying to make a baby safety device so affordable by the way...
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joe dorsey 02:27 PM 11-04-2013
Hi Michelle,

Yes, I was aware and sensitive to the "alarm sound". Probably listened to upwards of 500~1000 sounds (there are sound effect sites on the internet with thousands). There is a balance that has to be struck between getting parents attention but not being obnoxious and also suggests "child" somehow while different than any car sound we are used to right now. What I finally settled on was a music box melody. It has 7 notes and lasts about 5 seconds. I have a demo video on the website and you can hear it there.
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Unregistered 04:48 PM 11-04-2013
I think it is a great idea! It is there as a precaution! Just last week mom was suppose to pick up dcg after work because the dad had to work late. Dad is always the one to pick up! Mom got home and realized that she forgot to pick up the little girl! It doesn't mean that they are bad parents just set in a routine. Parents don't forget their children on purpose, it has nothing to do with bad parenting.
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Michelle 06:47 PM 11-04-2013
Ok I watched the video and it sounds very nice and different than I thought it would. I really think you have something here.

Maybe in the future you can invent an app with the same door alarm but the alarm would text you or make your phone ring or vibrate or something?
Or maybe a little alarm on the key chain that vibrates and light up for the hearing impaired or older grandparents.

Just brainstorming on an already great invention!
Good job and very nice website.
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Tags:baby alarm, baby monitor, car safety, transportation, transporting daycare kids
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