11-Year Old Invents a Gadget to Prevent Parents from Leaving Their Babies in Hot Cars

Parenting is a long period of anxiety punctuated by moments of sheer terror. Parenting a baby is a particularly stressful time because a child is at a very physically vulnerable point and the parent may be inexperienced in caring for children.

Parents strap their babies and toddlers into car seats and drive. On rare occasions, a parent may forget that a young child is in the back and accidentally leave him/her in the car alone.

In hot summer weather, this can kill a child.

It's every parent's worse nightmare. When my children were younger, it was a constant source of anxiety for me. Although I never left my kids in the car, I was afraid that I would. Even when I knew that I was driving alone, I would check the car seats.

(Image: Headline News)

Though he is only 11 years old, Andrew Pelham of Nashville, Tennessee understands this worry. That's why he invented the EZ Baby Saver. It's a simple device designed to remind parents that there's a kid in the backseat.

(Video Link)

It's made of duct tape and rubber bands. The driver attaches it to the car door inside handle and the back of the seat. It forms an obstruction which prevents the driver from exiting the vehicle. This, Andrew hopes, will remind the driver to check the backseat.

(Photos: EZ Baby Saver)

Andrew won a young inventors' contest with the EZ Baby Saver. But all he wants to do is save lives: 

I just hope that people can use my design in the real world soon because I just want to save one life and then I can say that my idea was successful.

You can find instructions on how to make an EZ Baby Saver here.

-via Huffington Post