SeatWatch™: Car Child Seat Monitor

What is it?

There are too many instances where a parent has, entirely by accident, forgotten their little one is in their seat at the back of the car, and left them behind in the car which has resulted in tragedy.

Research has also found that forgetting children is a common memory failure that can lead to tragic consequences.

In order to prevent this type of tragedy, SeatWatch™ has been created as a device that sounds an alarm when the car engine is switched off and the child seat is occupied, to alert the driver that their child is in the car. It is, sadly, all too easy to forget the child is there especially if they have fallen asleep during the journey, and especially if the driver isn't the one who usually transports the child. Of course nobody would want to leave their child in a hot car, and in almost all cases of forgetfulness, the parents thought it couldn't happen to them.

And, as a dad myself, I am finding it very hard to maintain my composure while writing this, just the thought of this happening to my own child is more than I can handle.

A friendly reminder can help prevent child heatstroke. It is our hope that no-one will ever need this device, but research has shown that, in the USA, one child dies on average since 1998 every 9 days (and about 7 days in 2018-2019) from being left in a motor vehicle, over half of whom were forgotten by their caregiver and almost 20% of whom were knowingly left. Even with the windows opened a bit the interior of a car can reach 52°C in just a few minutes, and children have died in hot cars when the outside temperature is just 15°C.

With its smaller size, a child's body will overheat at 3 to 5 times as fast as an adult's body will in the same environment.

How it works

SeatWatch™ technology works through a pressure sensor that is inserted under the fabric of the child's car seat, and monitors the seat such that an alarm will be sounded if the seat is occupied when the vehicle is switched off.

The SeatWatch™ monitors are in the functional prototype stage, in that they work as intended but specifications are subject to change as the design is adjusted in response to user feedback, and they don't yet have the polished appearance of a mass-produced device. These monitors are made by hand by myself.

They are available for sale at £28.99 + £4.99 postage & packaging. Included will be a feedback form, and we will refund £5 for completed feedback forms returned to us.

As these are made by hand to order there is a lead time of a few days to build the device prior to delivery.

Currently we can only deliver to the UK: