Never Worry About Forgetting Your Child in Their Car Seat With These 13 Simple Tricks

The last thing that any parent wants to do is to forget their child in their car seat. Although we often think we would never leave a child in the car, anything is possible, especially if you’re distracted. Once you reach your destination, it’s essential that the family gets out of the car together to ensure everyone is safe and sound.

Recently, many parents gathered on a Reddit thread to discuss the topic and offered many great solutions to this potential problem. In this guide, we’ll provide context on this complex issue and share helpful tips to ensure it never happens to you.

First, Understand Why It Can Happen

Many parents will undoubtedly read this article and scoff, believing that they would never forget their child in their car seat, and luckily, it doesn’t happen too often. However, it has happened in the past. By knowing why it could happen, you can avoid the situation.

Often, the issue comes down to “habit memory.” As a parent, you likely go through the same routine every day. You get up every day, put your child in the car, get in yourself, drive to daycare, drop your child off, and then go to work. This routine can become so familiar that you go through the steps without thinking. When your routine changes, it can be easy to forget one of the basic steps, such as getting your child out of the car.

Many circumstances can make it hard to remember that you have your child in their car seat when you get out of the car. These circumstances can include being: 

• Extremely sleep deprived
• Under significant stress
• Distracted by phone calls
• Running late
• Dealing with a sick child
• Following an unusual schedule
• Recovering from illness
• Thinking about work problems

Many parents who have experienced near-misses say they were absolutely convinced they had already dropped their child off. There are other situations as well, such as when a parent who doesn’t typically take the kids is driving them. That’s why it’s a good idea to try some or several of the following steps so you never leave your child behind.

Always Open the Back Door

One of the easiest ways to prevent leaving your child in their car seat is to make it a habit to always open the back door whenever you exit the car. Do this often enough so it becomes a routine. Eventually, it will become automatic. Follow this same routine even if you are driving by yourself. That way, you’ll never forget. When your child is with you, you’ll see them sitting there, and you’ll be sure to take them out of the car.

There is a system you can follow:

1. Park.
2. Turn off the engine.
3. Open the rear passenger door.
4. Then lock the vehicle.

Eventually, this becomes muscle memory.

Put Something You Need Next to Your Child

If you think there’s ever a chance that you will leave your kid in the car when you get out, then make it a point to leave something else of importance in the backseat next to your child’s car seat. 

Possible options include:

• Your purse
• Wallet
• Briefcase
• Laptop bag
• Work shoes
• Lunch

The key is choosing something that you would never want to leave behind. Even if you did, you would realize you didn’t have it and go back to the car to fetch it. Some parents even keep only one shoe on while driving and place the other shoe behind the driver's seat near the child. While that approach isn't practical for everyone, it illustrates the same principle: force yourself to access the back seat before leaving the vehicle.

One of the most important objects that we all have is our cell phones, so leaving them in the backseat is an option. Since nearly everyone reaches for their phone after parking, placing it beside the car seat creates a built-in reminder. Of course, this only works if you don't need your phone for navigation or hands-free communication while driving. Just be sure to get your kid out of the car first, so you don’t forget them.

Put Your Child's Diaper Bag Up Front

Another way to never leave your child in their car seat is to leave something in the front seat that reminds you of them. The easiest option is your child’s diaper bag. You won’t want to be without diapers if your child has an accident. Other items can work as well. Seeing bottles, baby blankets, or tiny shoes throughout the drive can serve as a visual reminder that your child is riding with you.

Use a Stuffed Animal Reminder System

Although it’s not common for parents to forget their kids in the car, there is a growing trend that people are using to ensure that it never happens to them. It’s very clever but also simple. Keep a small stuffed animal in the child's car seat. When the child gets into the seat, move the stuffed animal to the front passenger seat. Its presence serves as an obvious reminder that your child is in the back. Once you remove your child from the vehicle, return the stuffed animal to the car seat. It's a simple visual cue that's especially helpful during hectic mornings.

Ask Daycare to Call If Your Child Doesn't Arrive

If you believe you might ever leave your kid in the car, get the daycare center involved. Many daycare centers already have attendance procedures. If your child is expected but hasn't arrived within a certain time, staff may call to check in. If your daycare doesn't automatically do this, ask whether they would be willing to.

A simple phone call saying, “We noticed Emma hasn't arrived today,” could prevent a tragedy if there has been a misunderstanding. Likewise, if your child will be absent, notify the daycare so staff know not to expect them.

Communicate With Your Partner

In many cases, children have been left in the car because someone who is not used to dropping the kids off at daycare has the kids in the car. If you don’t typically drive your kids to daycare, then it may be possible that you could drive to work or your home and leave your kid in the back. A good way to avoid this confusion is to communicate with the person who usually drops off the kids. Simple text messages like these can eliminate uncertainty:

• “Dropped him off!”
• “She's checked in.”
• “Daycare done.”

If you don’t want to text and drive or you’re afraid you might forget, consider setting up a shared calendar on your phones so you get automatic updates.

Enable Vehicle Reminder Features

Parents with newer vehicles may find they can use rear-seat reminder systems to their advantage. These systems monitor whether the rear door was opened before driving. When you park, they display a message reminding you to check the back seat. Some newer vehicles go even further by sounding alarms or sending notifications if they detect movement after the driver exits. If your vehicle has these features, turn them on. Review your owner's manual to ensure they're enabled.

Technology can be a literal lifesaver, even if you don’t have a newer vehicle. Several products are available that are designed specifically to remind caregivers about children in the back seat. Many of them connect to smartphones, sound alarms, detect occupied car seats, and notify additional caregivers if alerts are ignored. While no device should replace good habits, technology can provide another valuable layer of protection.

Talk To Your Baby

A great way to ensure that you don’t forget your child in their car seat is to stay engaged with them during your drive. Babies often fall asleep. If they do, the car can become very quiet, and you may forget that the baby is there when you reach your destination. To solve that issue, many parents intentionally sing or talk to their kids during the drive, especially during longer commutes. 

No, babies and younger children may not know exactly what you’re saying, but it doesn’t matter. Experts recommend that you speak to babies as often as possible because it will help with their language development. Anything you say will be worth your time, but you can also keep it simple by occasionally saying things like “We'll be at daycare soon” or “Did you have a good morning?” Talking will keep you and your baby mentally present. If your child is awake, they’re more likely to make noise, so you won’t forget them.

Get Enough Sleep At Night

One of the main reasons why a parent may leave their child in their car seat is because they’re tired. When you’re tired, your brain struggles to form new memories and retrieve existing ones, so you may get out of your car in a foggy state and forget your child. Lack of sleep also negatively impacts attention, decision-making, reaction time, and awareness. Some experts compare severe sleep deprivation to an impaired performance similar to when someone has been drinking alcohol. 

Try to get at least seven hours of sleep every night. If you have a newborn, it’s possible that you could wake up several times per night. If you wake up feeling that tired, then consider calling out of work so you don’t have to drive anywhere or have someone else bring your kid wherever they need to go.

Reduce Driving Distractions

When you’re driving your child to work, try to clear your mind of all things work-related and just focus on driving and being present with your kids. If you’re spending your entire commute being concerned about what you need to do first at work, then you may get out of the car and rush into work without thinking of your baby in the back. To avoid this scenario, try to finish any calls before leaving or put your phone on ‘do not disturb.’ You should also try to avoid any phone conversations in general and delay any complicated planning until you’ve parked.

Put a Bright Reminder on the Dashboard

If you’re used to visual reminders for important tasks, then do the same when you have your child in the car. Put something bright on the dashboard as a reminder. That can be a sticky note, a brightly colored clothespin, a laminated card, a silicone bracelet, or even a large ribbon. Make it something out of the ordinary that's not easy to forget.

Place Your Work Badge With the Car Seat

Some workplaces require workers to scan their badge before starting work or entering the building. If this is the case for you, then use it to your advantage. Pin your work badge to your child’s car seat. That way, even if you happen to forget your child when you leave the car, you’ll be forced to remember them when you try to go in to work. Just be sure that your child can’t reach or harm themselves with your badge.

Make A Vehicle Exit Routine

Many children are very quiet, and some aren’t old enough to talk yet, so they may not give many verbal cues to tell you that they’re still there. So, come up with a ritual you do every time you get out of the car that involves your child. It could be saying phrases like:

• “High five before we get out!”
• “Ready for daycare?”
• “Let's grab your backpack.”

Say these phrases every time you get out of the car, even if your kid isn’t with you. Just be sure to look back at the car seat when you say them. Repeating the same words every morning reinforces the transition from driving to getting out together.

Trust Your System

In the end, it’s often better to trust your reminder system more than your own memory. This is especially true if you have a stressful job or you get easily distracted in the car. If you have ever left the car and walked even two steps without your child, then create a reminder system that you know will work. If necessary, combine several systems so you never forget. The safety of your children is paramount, so put them at the forefront of your mind, and you’ll be okay.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©BaLL LunLa/Shutterstock.com