It's Too Dang Hot To Leave Your Kid In The Car For Even Five Minutes
It was hot as hell over the weekend and much of last week, which means cars left in the sun also got ridiculously hot. Sadly, whenever that happens, there's a lot more to worry about than accidentally branding yourself with your seatbelt. Everyone knows not to leave kids in hot cars, and yet, every summer, parents forget, and the worst thing imaginable happens. This last weekend was no different, with at least one child dying and several more needing to be rescued. So consider this your regular, morbid reminder that it's far too hot to leave your child in the car for even five minutes.
On Thursday, a five-year-old boy in Mansfield, Ohio, died after being left in a hot car, CBS News reports. Authorities are reportedly waiting on the results of an autopsy before they decide whether or not to file charges. It also wasn't quite as hot as you might have assumed, as temperatures in Mansfield topped out at 91 degrees on Thursday. Cars do get a lot hotter than the ambient temperature, but one official told CBS News that children's body temperatures also increase at a rate three to five times quicker than adults'. There's also the problem of car seats, which are made of foam and fabrics that trap heat.
Then, on Sunday, Bakersfield Now reports emergency responders in Bakersfield, California, found a one-year-old and a two-year-old child inside a hot car on a day where temperatures topped out at 101 degrees. The two-year-old is reportedly in stable condition, but the one-year-old was found unresponsive and later died at a nearby hospital where they were taken for treatment. The children's mother was allegedly inside a nearby med spa at the time and has been arrested, while the two-year-old has been placed in protective custody.
We've also seen quite a few close calls in the last week, including in New Haven, Connecticut, where NBC Connecticut reports a woman allegedly left an eight-year-old and a one-month-old in the car while she went into Walmart. The eight-year-old set off the car alarm while trying to get out of the car, alerting bystanders to their situation and prompting a 911 call. Both children were rescued and sent to the hospital for treatment, while their mother was arrested when she returned to the car.
On Saturday, a North Carolina child was also hospitalized after being left in a hot car, ABC 11 reports. Authorities have yet to publish the child's age, but as of Sunday, they were reportedly still in critical condition. One woman, presumably the child's mother, meanwhile, has been charged after authorities determined the child was "strapped in a car seat unattended inside a vehicle that was not running during extremely high temperatures."
Thankfully, those children appear to have been rescued in time, but in 2025, we've already seen nine hot car deaths, Yahoo! News reports. This news also comes after a four-year-old Georgia boy was found dead in a hot car after he was reported missing. Hot car deaths have been on the rise recently, too. Last year, 39 children died in hot cars, CBS News reports, an increase of 35% compared to 2023.
Even if it doesn't seem that hot out, a car can still get dangerously hot in a matter of minutes, making it incredibly dangerous to leave a child in a car for even a few minutes. Often, parents don't intend to leave their child in the car and simply forget, making it even more important for parents to double-check their cars before walking away. It's why cars with child alert features are becoming more common. It might seem like a waste of time in the moment, especially if you're in a hurry, but the consequences of not checking can, unfortunately, be deadly.
