Man creates product to help parents remember children in the back seat of car

Most parents say they would never forget a child in the car. But in the rush of a day's business, some do. And with the short amount of time it takes for a vehicle's interior to heat up — as much as 20 degrees in 10 minutes, says Janette Fennell, founder of the nonprofit Kids and Cars, based in the Leawood, Kan. — a memory slip can turn deadly. At least 20 children have died of hyperthermia, or heat stroke, nationwide since the beginning of the year, with 10 deaths in the past month alone, according to Jan Null, an adjunct professor of meteorology at San Francisco State University.

"It's not about good parents or bad parents," Fennell said. "There are a lot of things calling for our attention; our memories can't always keep up." Menlo Park resident David Bell remembers reading about one such tragic death a few years ago and wondering how such an accident could have been prevented. During his research, the father of two discovered that child safety advocates suggest parents put a reminder on the front seat when they strap a child into the back, such as a stuffed animal, briefcase, purse, cell phone or keys.



Using an everyday item as a reminder isn't ideal, Bell said, since those objects are already familiar and meant for other uses. "It takes 21 days to break in a new habit," he said. "Moving a purse or toy back and forth, I could come up with a reason why any of those things wouldn't last five days, let alone 21." Bell set out to create something dedicated to one purpose — to ensure parents always remember to remove their children from the back seat. The result was the VizKID.

The VizKID, at 2 pounds and 24 inches tall, looks like a blue Hawaiian-print construction cone with a bright yellow ball on top, complete with a painted-on happy face. The patent-pending device sits in the front passenger seat. Bell said he tested VizKID prototypes with about 40 Peninsula parents and received strong feedback that the product works. Approximately 2,400 of the soft foam VizKIDS arrived earlier this month. Several local retailers — including Cheeky Monkey Toys in Menlo Park, Talbots Toyland in San Mateo and Lullaby Lane Baby Superstore in San Bruno — are selling the VizKIDs for an introductory price of $19.95, Bell said. Part of the proceeds will go to child safety organizations, he said.