Itís October ó how does this happen? Time just flies by when we reach a certain point in our life. My daughter and granddaughter were in town a few weeks ago, and we had photos taken of little Harper to celebrate her 6-month birthday. As I look at the photos, I see my daughter as a mom, and I think, ìWhat? How can my daughter be a mom?î And I look at my granddaughter, in awe of generations of people. I think about my mom and my grandmothers ó we now have five generations of females. I love that.Keeping babies safe is another subject. As I scan the Internet trying to decide what to write about this month, I am appalled to hear about another baby who has died because of being left in a hot car in a Walmart parking lot in Ohio. Apparently, the 8-month-old boy had been left in the car when a parent or some other adult dropped three of the babyís siblings off at a day care center ó allegedly forgetting about the baby. Hours later, about 11 a.m., the grandmother drove the same car to her job at Walmart, and she didnít see the baby inside the car. Her daughter called her late afternoon and said the baby didnít come home from day care. When grandma checked the car, she found the baby: the cause of death: heatstroke; the temperature 77 degrees. This is the most senseless and horrific death because more than one adult in this case was obviously so preoccupied or oblivious they didnít see a baby left in his car seat.Weíve seen these ìaccidentsî before ó the babies all dying from heatstroke because someone forgot they were in the car. So far this year, 23 babies have died from heatstroke (see stats below). I am sickened when I hear of a petís death from heatstroke because of being left in a car. I canít imagine the pain of the person or persons responsible for leaving the baby in the car. However, one baby dying in a car from heatstroke should have been enough in this country to ensure it never happened again. So, I was curious ó how many children die in cars from heatstroke each year?According to an up-to-date fact sheet titled ìHeatstroke Deaths ofChildren in Vehiclesî by Jan Null of the Department of Meteorology and Climate Science at San Jose State University, in 2014, 31 children died from heatstroke after being left in a vehicle. As I mentioned earlier, 23 children (including the 8-month-old) have died so far in 2015. From 1998 to present, 637 children have died from heatstroke after being left in a car.Fifty-three percent of those children were forgotten by a caregiver; 29 percent were playing in an unattended vehicle; 17 percent were intentionally left in the car; and the rest; 1 percent ó unknown circumstances. Per age, the majority of deaths were children under age 4, with the highest percentage age 1 or under.By state, from 1998 to 2014, Colorado reported seven children who died from vehicle-related heatstroke. Texas reported 95, with Florida following at 68. For the full report, visit http://noheatstroke.org/.The report recommends keeping a stuffed animal in a car seat and when the child is placed in the car seat, put the stuffed animal in the front seat. Or place a purse, briefcase or cell phone in the back seat.Even as our temperatures decrease, 60-degree weather can be detrimental to a child left in a car. And the Colorado sun is intense. Thankfully, there arenít as many children who freeze to death after being left in a car, but it has happened.Having a ìvoiceî as a newspaper publisher provides an opportunity to bring attention to some of the issues that shape our communities ó good and bad.That said, it is time for Halloween so be sure to keep those little ones safe. Weíve listed some recommendations for doing so on page Ö. .Enjoy the season ó itís upon us. Have a great October, and be sure to support our advertisers and your local businesses. See you in November!– Michelle
