In 95° heat, how long is it safe to leave a baby in the car?

Question

My wife got a ticket once for leaving the baby in the car for only 15 MINUTES!!! WTF?

Answer 1

It depends upon the interior color of your car, actually. My old car was tan inside, and it took a while to get really hot inside. I left my sister's baby in the car for about 20-25 minutes one day a few Summers ago. I think that the temperature was in the 90's. Anyway, she was sweating bullets and her face was beat red when I got back. My car's thermometer said that it was 116 degrees inside, but that was only because I had neglected to park my car in the shade. I had thought of leaving the engine running so she would have air conditioning, but I was afraid to leave the keys in the car as she might be kidnapped.

This past Friday, it was 104 degrees where I live. I had to pay my cable bill, and I left my 4 week old daughter in the car while I went inside to pay it because it doesn't usually take more than 5 minutes or so. My new car is black inside, and it gets rather hot, but as she is her mother's daughter, I felt that little Tiffany would tough it out. I was inside for a little longer than I expected (about 15 minutes, actually), and when I came back out, Tiffany wasn't breathing.

I called my friend's husband (Tiffany's birth father) and he agreed to meet me at my apartment to try to help me out of this mess. He showed up, and I told him what happened. He wasn't very upset because he never wanted her anyway. I think he was really worried that my friend would leave him if she found or something. Anyway, he agreed to take her and bury her somewhere where the police could never find her.

Anyway, all I know is, 15 minutes isn't safe in 104 degree weather, and it's probably not very safe in 95 degree weather, either.

Answer 2

As soon as you turn the car off, it starts getting warmer. It can reach 20-30 degrees hotter in the car than outside. Have you ever sat in the car while someone put gas in it? In just that short amount of time the car gets really really hot! And babies are even more prone to the heat because they are so little and there are so many straps on the carseat that get warm too!

Your wife is lucky that she didn't get the child taken away, because that is a clear and blatant disregard for the child's well being. I can't even believe that she would be so thoughtless and uncaring. She doesn't deserve children.

Answer 3

OMG!!! How stupid is your wife?!?! You NEVER leave a baby in the vehicle!! You don't even leave a baby in the vehicle when it's NOT 95 degrees outside!! Not only could your baby could have died...it could have been stolen too!! Have you ever seen the CSI episode that had the dead baby in it because the father didn't know the baby was in there!! It was around 96/97 degrees outside and it wasaround 120 degrees in the car!! I really hope you/your wife are not that careless with your child ALL the time!!

Answer 4

you cannot leave babies in the car alone for ANY amount of time, it doesnt matter what the temperature outside is. the inside of a car can get hot very quick and its not like the baby can open the door or roll down the window if the heat gets to be too much. and plus, it is too easy for someone to just come and take the baby. it is a sick world, you cant trust anyone. your wife deserved the ticket and i hope it taught both of you a lesson.

Answer 5

The next time you or your wife do this, you should get more than a ticket. It is NOT safe to leave a baby in the car even for 5 minutes! WTF! I hope to god that your wife left the keys so that the aircondition was at least running! For goodness sakes. The temperature in the car can shoot up to over 120 degrees in a matter of minute.

Answer 6

THIS HAS TO BE A JOKE RIGHT! Never leave a child unattended. Your baby could have died from the heat, or even got sick. The baby could also have been stolen, any thing could have happened to the baby. I would seriously think about taking parenting classes, that is if this is not a joke. Your wife should know better than that. If I were to be that cop I would have took that child away from her. This type of attitude only comes to show that she is not a good mother, and does not care for her baby. Please take care of your baby, never leave him unattended especially not in the heat!

Answer 7

Leaving a baby in a car alone for 1 second in any temperature is really bad, but it's a whole lot worse in that kind of heat.

If it's 95 out, then it's probably 115 in the car. That kind of heat could kill a baby in minutes

Answer 8

15 minutes? Are you serious???
You're lucky she just got a ticket! How about you leave your wife in a the car at 95 degrees for 15 minutes.....

Answer 9

There are no dumb questions, only dumb people. And whether this is serious or not, it's a fact that people do it. If your wife seriously left your child in the vehicle, I would have to ask her what she was thinking or better yet, *feeling*. Any possible history of postpartum/babyblues? Babies, or anyone for that matter, can't withstand the heat of being in a vehicle. Have you tried it? And children have no way of helping themselves. If you and your wife are that careless with your child, then reconsider whether you wanted that child, or if you should even be parents at all! It's ridiculous and sad that this happens as often as it does and it's so not necessary!

Answer 10

You should never leave a baby or young children in a car. There are too many dangers involved in that risk. Death in a hot car being only one of the list. It is irresponsible,and to leave a baby in a 95 degree car is just plain cruel would you want to sit in it?

Answer 11

You deserve much worse for endangering your child like that.

This is an article from http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb3585/is_200507/ai_n15162420

The temperature outside: 80[degrees]F. The temperature inside a parked car: 114[degrees]F. The time it took to reach that temperature: 30 minutes.

In just half an hour the temperature inside a parked car reaches a potentially lethal range for a baby, small child, or pet. Since 1998, 230 children have died from hyperthermia in vehicles--nearly twice the number of hurricane fatalities in the United States.

And this is from a fire department website:

Heatstroke (hyperthermia) is a medical emergency and is often fatal despite medical care. Heatstroke is usually designated when the rectal or core temperature reaches 105F (40.6 C). The CDC paper indicated that cars parked in direct sunlight can reach internal temperatures up to 131F - 172 F(55C - 78C) when the outside temperatures are 80F - 100F (27C - 38C). Cars that are parked in direct sunlight and that are poorly ventilated also reach higher temperatures more rapidly than cars that are parked in the shade or that have windows completely opened. Most temperature increases inside cars occur during the first 15 minutes of being left in the sun.