TUESDAY, Aug. 5, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Before you decide it's safe to make a quick dash into the pharmacy while your toddler is asleep in a car seat during the hot months of summer, consider this: More than 600 children in the United States have died of vehicle-related heat stroke since 1998.
Susan Katz, coordinator of the Infant Apnea Program at Stony Brook Children's Hospital in Stony Brook, N.Y., offered advice about avoiding heat stroke in children.
"Young children are particularly vulnerable, as their bodies' heat up three to five times faster than an adult's," Katz said in a Stony Brook news release. "Even on a mild 70-degree day, the temperature inside of a car can rise 19 degrees in 10 minutes, getting hotter with each passing minute. Contrary to popular belief, cracking the windows does not help."
Katz suggests remembering three letters -- A, C, T -- to protect children. The letters stand for:
Katz offered another tip: "Get in the habit of always opening the back door of your vehicle every time you reach your destination, to make sure no child has been left behind. This will soon become a habit and your small passengers will be safe."
More information
For more tips about avoiding heat problems among children, try The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.