#parent | #kids | COVID-19 Raises Concerns of Heat Stroke Deaths for Children Left in Hot Cars – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth | #covid19 | #kids | #childern

On average, 39 children in the U.S. die of heatstroke each year after being left in a hot car. And this year, because of coronavirus, the risk may be even higher!

The first child to die of heatstroke in a
car in 2020 was a 4-year-old boy on April 25, who apparently snuck outside and
into the family car unnoticed.

Even on days with mild temperatures, the
heat inside a vehicle can reach dangerous levels within an hour, posing
significant health risks to small children or pets left inside.

Because everyone is
home more often than usual, parents need to make sure that their keys are
always out of reach of little hands and that their vehicles are locked at all
times.

And restrictions at
some stores may tempt some parents to leave their child in the car to decrease
the child’s risk of exposure to COVID-19 while they shop.

But even with the
window cracked open or the vehicle parked in the shade, the interior temperatures
within the car can reach dangerous levels in a short period of time.

Children’s bodies heat up three to five times faster than adults. That’s why it’s never safe for them to be left unattended inside a closed vehicle, even if you think it’s not that hot out. It affects them differently, and it’s never safe.

Consumer Reports and the American Academy of Pediatrics reminds parents to always check their pool and car first if a child is missing!