New car seat helps parents remember baby's on board


4 photos
Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

CLEARFIELD — On a sunny day, mom Makell Merrill straps 8-week-old son Ryker into a brand new car seat.

KSL TV Investigators bought the Evenflo Embrace Advanced system online at Walmart.com for $160 (including tax) and asked Merrill to help test it.

The mother of two little boys knows there can be a lot of distractions for parents, so every time she hears news of an infant that has been left in a hot car her heart aches.

"Oh, I feel so bad. I always put myself in their shoes," she said. "I just can't believe how much it would hurt."

The car seat has imbedded technology in the seat strap and a small receiver that plugs into a port under the dashboard. It's designed to remind parents there's precious cargo on board.

It took KSL Investigators about 30 minutes to properly install the car seat and find the spot to plug in the receiver.

With little Ryker safely strapped in the back of the mini van, Merrill drives around the family's neighborhood making several stops.

Each time she turned off the vehicle, the alert went off twice. She tested it several times and got the same results at each stop.

In the end, she liked the technology and said it was helpful, but she wasn't fond of the padding inside the seat. She felt it was a little to "squishy" for her infant.

Before buying one, there are at least three things parents should know:

  • The battery should last the life of the car seat, so save your receipt if it doesn't.
  • The reminder should sound within seconds of turning off the car.
  • If you drive an older model car, the system may not be right for you. The alert system won't work in vehicles built before 2008.

Photos

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

UtahFamily
Debbie Dujanovic

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast