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SUGAR LAND, Texas (CNN) — A Texas woman says she has the key to helping parents remember they have little ones in the car when they get out, and she's hoping it will save lives.
Pam D'Angio, of Baby Alert International, calls her invention the ChildMinder Infant-Toddler Elite Pad System . It works by placing a sensor under an infant or child safety seat, which is activated by the weight of the child. If a parent walks away from a car with a child still in the backseat, an alarm on his or her key ring will make a noise.
"Our sales have really increased, especially when there is a tragedy. That's when we really get a lot of phone calls and a lot of orders," D'Angio said.
The devices certainly aren't fool-proof: batteries can get low, and maybe the sound won't be heard in a noisy place.
A 2012 study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that while such products are well intentioned, they're unreliable. Nothing can substitute responsible care giving, the agency said.
