Preventing forgotten baby syndrome among parents

A VISUAL reminder in the form of a sticker has been introduced by Selangor government to prompt parents to check if their children are in the backseats before exiting their vehicles.

The sticker, which is to be placed on the driver’s side window, close to the door handle, has the words – “Look behind” and “Where is your child now?” – in Bahasa Malaysia.

State women and family empowerment, welfare and care economy committee chairman Anfaal Saari, who launched the Children’s Safety in Car and Family Well-being campaign, said the visual reminder was to prevent “forgotten baby syndrome”.

“A child left in a car for just minutes, in the heat, can suffer heatstroke and die.

“Our aim is to remind parents about checking for their children in the backseat of their vehicles, which could help save lives,” she said during the campaign launch at Hospital Selayang.

Anfaal said the state also wanted to raise awareness through social media and community events.

“Selangor government wants to highlight the risks associated with leaving children unattended in cars,” she added.

She said according to police data, Selangor had two deaths involving children left in cars last year and one this year.

The most recent case on Jan 30 involved a Hospital Shah Alam employee who forgot her five-year-old daughter was in the backseat.

The victim was found unconscious and rushed to the hospital’s emergency department but could not be saved.

Anfaal said the idea was to get parents used to the habit of checking their backseats until it becomes second nature.

“Other than immediate short-term measures, we need to find the root cause that could prevent more deaths,” she said.

Anfaal added that the state would work with local councils, non-governmental organisations, community associations and the media to raise awareness.

Anfaal with a sticker that acts as a reminder at the launch in Hospital Selayang. — WILLIAM GARY/The Star