Kids in Hot Cars, Part 2

Do tinted windows contribute to hyperthermia deaths for children left in closed vehicles?

According to David Bell, the inventor of the VizKid, they certainly don’t help. Tinted windows (now standard in the second and third rows of minivans and SUVs) are great for the comfort and privacy of backseat passengers, but they also make those passengers invisible. So if the driver or other adult leaves the car in a hurried or distracted state, he or she could not see the child from outside the car. Nor could anyone passing by -- people who could literally have been a life line for that child.

Bell’s invention, the VizKid, is a visual cue to drivers and passers-by that a child is in the back seat. After seating and buckling the child, the driver lifts the VizKid upright and buckles it into the front row passenger seat. Ideally, when the driver leaves the car and takes the child, the VizKid goes down again. If the driver is distracted when s/he exits the car, but sees the VizKid before walking away, tragedy avoided. If the driver does leave, someone else could see the VizKid in the front seat and rescue the child before it is too late.

Check out the VizKid and Visible Kids LLC here.

Kids in Hot Cars, Part 1

Each year, about 40 children die from heat stroke (technically called hyperthermia) after being left behind in a motor vehicle. 

An excellent study led by Jan Null, a meteorologist at SFSU, shows that hyperthermia does not just happen on blistering hot days. Even on a relatively mild day, the temperature inside an enclosed car increases 50 degrees within the first 30 minutes. In other words, a child left inside a car on a 70-degree day could soon be suffering in 120-degree heat.

Here is the link to the study data:  http://ggweather.com/heat/index.htm#home
The full article, as published in Pediatrics:  http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/116/1/e109.full

I find the maps most fascinating. They show children hyperthermia deaths in almost every state (even North Dakota or Wisconsin) and almost every month of the year. Heart breaks, each and every one.

Related posts:
Babies Forgotten In Cars
Babies Forgotten In Cars, Continued

Thinking About A New Phone? Here's Good Comparison

About a month ago, I made the switch from a Blackberry to an Android phone because I wanted a bigger screen, better web interface and a better camera.  Because of my carrier, I could choose between an Android and an iPhone, but I'm happy enough with my decision and I don't have to mind-shift that much to get used to this new phone.

This NYT article compares and contrasts iPhone, Android and Blackberry.  It starts off about games, but hits a lot of important considerations based on what you want to use the phone to do.

Thank you for voting in the Purple Combo Election

The result was unanimous - Purple and Lavender!  We're looking forward to offering this combination next fall, along with your favorite leopards, pinks, chocolates, camels and camouflages.

Until then, all who voted can use coupon code PURPLE to save $5 at the Car Seat Poncho store, now till June 30, 2011.

POLL: Which purple combo do you like better?

 Every year, moms ask me for purple ponchos, for their girls who are crazy about purple, or just not that into pink.  I've come up with two solid-color combinations, but I can't decide which to go with.

Post your preference!  First 10 to post get a $5 off coupon.

Btw, as much as I search and search, I can't find any good purple-based pirnts or patterns, so it's got to be a solid.

Thanks!

Smartphone Pictures Can Reveal Your Child's EXACT Location

If you post pictures of yourself or your family on Facebook, Flickr, etc., you may be revealing your or your child's EXACT location to strangers who have no business knowing.  Watch this NBC News video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2vARzvWxwY

Go get your cel phone right now and disable the geotagging capability on the camera.  This website has directions for iPhones, Droids, Blackberries, etc.:

http://www.icanstalku.com/how.php#disable

iPhone: Settings, Location Services, Camera, Off.

Blackberry: Camera, Options, Geotagging, Disable.

A few people have checked their phone settings and were relieved to find the geotagging on their cameras was disabled by default.  Make sure yours is, or get it done asap.

Canadians: Snuggle Bugz Has Car Seat Ponchos!

Over the years, I have received many emails from Canadian moms who bemoaned the high cost of shipping Car Seat Ponchos from the US to Canada.  Since we are a small company, we do not have bulk pricing from commercial freight companies like FedEx or DHL, so we could never offer more economical alternatives.  Well, now the Car Seat Poncho is available at Snuggle Bugz, through their web store at http:/www.snugglebugz.ca -- with FREE SHIPPING to any Canadian address!

We're Ending Our Emails.

To be sure you do not miss any news, sales or coupons, FRIEND us on Facebook or SUBSCRIBE to this blog, and receive a $10 coupon code via email. 

As of February 28, we will no longer use email to send news or information.  Everything is shifting to our Facebook profile and the Car Seat Poncho Blog.

If you're already a friend or a subscriber, feel free to send this news far and wide.  Share it on Facebook, post it on your own blog, your birth board, your online community or your moms group.  Heck, make copies of this post and hand it out at your child's preschool.  Everyone's welcome -- let's all be friends!

New subscribers should leave a comment to this post (below) with your email address in "NAME" at "MAILSERVICE" dot COM.  Your coupon code will be sent to that address.

FINE PRINT:  Coupon codes valid for new purchases of in-stock merchandise, and expire at 11:59 pm EST on 3/31/11.  US delivery addresses only.  One coupon per email address and delivery address.  Cannot be combined with any other promotion or coupon code.