Since 1990, more than 600 children have died from overheating inside a parked vehicle in the United States, according to Kids and Cars, a nonprofit safety group. A car’s temperature can increase by 19 degrees in just 10 minutes as it acts like an overn in the sun. According to Melissa Rader, an Iowa State University Extension and Outreach family life program specialist, most of those deaths happen accidentally, as parents unintentionally leave a child in the back seat in a rear-facing car seat.

Rader recommends a few ways to reduce the risk of forgetting a child in the car: put something you will need in the back seat, such as a cell phone or purse; place a stuffed animal in the car seat when it is not in use, then when placing the child in the car seat move the stuffed animal to a visible location, such as a cup holder; check the backseat every time you get out of the vehicle; and make an agreement with a child’s caregiver to call if a child doesn’t arrive when expected. Often these incidents happen when there is a change in routine.