ChildMinder® SMART CLIP SYSTEM Review

ChildMinder® SMART CLIP SYSTEM Review

Thinking back to the days when I was a new first time mom, I recall how tired I was all the time due to lack of sleep and how forgetful I was because of my lingering pregnancy brain (if you ask my husband, I still have it almost 4 years later but that is another story!).  More than once, I left groceries in the back seat of the car, I have melted ice cream, Popsicles and frozen fruit on my back seat (thank goodness for easy to clean leather seats!).  I have almost driven away, on more occasions than I care to admit, forgetting to buckle the little on in the car seat.  I have left home with out wallet, purse, keys and cell phones countless times because I was busy carrying the diaper bag, baby seat and baby.

Thankfully, one things that I am happy to say I have never done (I might have come close a time or two but remembered at the last second) was forget my baby/child in the car or leave her in there sleeping while I ran into a store.

Only 19 states have laws that specifically address leaving a child unattended in a vehicle, in two of these states it only applies if the child dies.  Utah is the only state that has proposed legislation that would make it a crime to leave a child unattended in a vehicle.  What about the other 31 states? They have no legislation that specifically address leaving a child in an unattended vehicle.

According to a study done by the Department of Geosciences at San Francisco State University about 494 children died of vehicular hyperthermia over a thirteen year period (1998 through 2011). There have been an additional 15 deaths to add thus far for 2012.  The study went on to break down how these deaths occurred and concluded that: 

• • 52% - child "forgotten" by caregiver (253 Children)
  • 30% - child playing in unattended vehicle (150)
  • 17% - child intentionally left in vehicle by adult  (86)
  • 1% - circumstances unknown (5)

These numbers are staggering and they do not even include times where the child was found safe or near deaths.

The ChildMinder® SMART CLIP SYSTEM by Baby Alert International is designed to help parents remember the little ones in the back seat.

The system installs in less than 3 minutes, making it so simple that there is really little reason not to get and use the Smart Clip System.  To use, you replace the safety seat chest clip with the ChildMinder system's smart clip (no it does not compromise the integrity your existing child safety seat) and add the key ring alarm unit onto your key ring. The system will run a test each time it is activated so you know it is working properly and is deactivated upon unfastening the buckle.

The system will remind the parent/caregiver of the child's presence (even when the key ring unit is forgotten) until the smart clip is deactivated.  The key ring will also emit an alarm six seconds after the parent/caregiver has moved more than 15 feet from the child in the child safety seat.

My daughter is a little older now and not easily forgotten in the car, 14% of the above cases were children over the age of 4 (most likely because they had means and ability to get out of their seats and let themselves out of the vehicle), so I did not keep the unit for myself.  I thought the unit would be best used by one of my sisters, one is a little shale we say spacey and the other is  super mom in my book.  She has 4 children (I parley manage one, not sure how she can do four!) all boys, ranging from age 10 down to 5 months.  While she is supermom, even supermom can forget things.  Does pregnancy brain increase exponentially with each pregnancy? If so she is in trouble! LOL just kidding, you know I love you!.

The ChildMinder® SMART CLIP SYSTEM would be perfect for her, it might be easier to forget one sleeping baby in the back while trying to mange 3 other boys running amok and all the stuff that goes along with 4 kids (diaper bags, backpacks, sports gear, and mass quantities of food to feed the clan)

Personally, I feel that if the ChildMinder® SMART CLIP SYSTEM stops even one senseless child death it should be the #1 product ever created (right in front of the diaper genie, loved that thing!).  I would give it every award for great parenting product out there if they asked me for my vote.


**Disclaimer: I received free product in exchange for my honest review. I was not compensated in any other manner. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Other people may have different experiences with the products.**