Mom’s Genius Car Seat Safety Hack Goes Viral

Providing this information on a child’s car seat could help emergency personnel tend to your child quicker

If you’ve ever been in a car accident with your kids, you know how scary it can be. Of course, if you aren’t injured, you immediately attend to your little ones and deliver crucial information to emergency personnel if needed. But what if you’re injured and can’t help them? One woman’s simple (but genius) idea could make all the difference.

Alexis Copas shares that she saw the idea on Facebook and was struck by just how important this information could be in the event of a car accident — and just how easy it is to do. She posted the idea on Twitter, urging parents to take a few minutes to write out emergency contacts, medication, and any other pertinent information on a note and tape it your child’s carseat. This will allow firefighters or emergency personnel to quickly access data should the adults in the car be unable to communicate.

“It takes 2 minutes of your time to write out child’s name, DOB, parents names, DOB, emergency contacts and any medical conditions, any meds your child is on,” the post read. “This helps EMS a ton and can also help save your child’s life.”

Copas told Scary Mommy the thought of something bad happening to herself or her ten-month-old son and no one being able to help him was terrifying. “If just a piece of paper with a little information on it could possibly save his life some day, it was worth the couple minutes to write out,” she said.

No one wants to believe this would happen to them, but it can happen.

According to the CDC, motor vehicle injuries are a leading cause of death among children in the United States. And while we all know about the importance of using a car seat and proper restraints in preventing death or serious injury, a note like Copas shared is another small way parents can ensure their child is being cared for immediately in the event they’re unable to speak their behalf.

“As soon as I read this, I made one to stick on my child’s car seat,” Copas wrote on Twitter.

The same way we write “in case of emergency” inside our child’s backpacks, on allergy medication, and leave critical information about our kids with schools, babysitters, and daycare centers, their carseat is one more place many of us have never considered that could be critical in an emergency.

Copas said she’s received many positive responses from other parents saying they’re going to make one now, and has even seen people without children sharing it for other’s reference. It’s one of those “why didn’t I think of this before” moments that could end up saving your child’s life.