Forgotten Baby in a Car Syndrome: “It Can Happen to Anyone!”

– Why doctor: On June 20, a Nazairian omitted to drop off his son at the crèche and forgot him in the back of his car. After spending several hours alone in the heat inside the vehicle, the 14-month-old child died. In this situation, it is an involuntary oversight. Can we talk about the forgotten baby syndrome?

Fanny Jacq: In the case of this drama which took place in Saint-Nazaire, it is indeed the syndrome of the forgotten baby. There is talk of this phenomenon, first described in the United States as “Forgotten Baby Syndrome (FPS)”, when parents do not remember that their child is in their car.

Over the past 20 years, more than 800 children have literally burned to death in cars. Even if the cases are rare, they are frequent enough to speak of a syndrome. For some time now, we have started to take more and more interest in it, but it still remains under-diagnosed.

This is not the first time this type of tragedy has occurred. To date, in France, there are no official figures on this type of incident occurring during periods of heat. In the United States, on average, 37 children die of hyperthermia in a vehicle each year, according to a Canadian study. But how can you forget your child in your car?

Researchers have explained that this involuntary forgetting was caused by a competition between the brain’s “habit memory” system, i.e. the recorded routines, and the “prospective memory” system, which takes care of organize and plan tasks to be done later.

In the case of forgotten baby syndrome, the brain goes into “autopilot” mode. Clearly, the “habit memory” system takes over and crushes the “prospective memory” system. Result: we forget a crucial event or an important task that needs to be done. It can happen to anyone. Thus, no one is immune to the forgotten baby syndrome.

Once “prospective memory” is set aside, it does not return. This is why this type of incident lasts a long time and the parents realize that they have forgotten at the end of the day. Some even have a “false memory” and are persuaded throughout the day to have dropped off their child at school.

What causes forgotten baby syndrome?

There aren’t really any risk factors. When parents are stressed, exhausted, or sleep-deprived, “prospective memory” may be suppressed. The fact of having other worries to manage, for example an important file, an accident or a big meeting, can also make us forget certain tasks, like dropping off our child at school or at the nursery, in particular if this is not our habit to do so.

Forgotten baby syndrome is often confused with shaken baby syndrome. But in the case of the forgotten baby syndrome, the parents have intact cognitive and psychic functions. They also have no psychiatric history and do not suffer from burnout or depression. This is not the case with shaken baby syndrome. In this situation, the person is already fragile, at the end of his rope and no longer in control of his actions.

According to the results of the Canadian study, 13% of deaths occur after parents intentionally leave the child in the car unattended. How do they not realize the danger?

In this case, it is about immature and unconscious parents who consider their baby as a small adult, while the child does not have the same capacity to express himself and to act as an adult.

The forgotten baby syndrome can bring to mind certain tragedies that have occurred in the mountains. During hikes, parents placed their child in a baby carrier. Problem: the baby did not move, was cold and eventually died of hypothermia. We were talking about “frozen babies”. In this situation, the parents were unaware of the danger.

They wanted to do well, just like those who cover the strollers with a sheet or a cloth to protect their child from the sun. But in reality, this well-intentioned gesture is dangerous, because it produces a “furnace” effect which increases the temperature inside the stroller and can lead to dehydration of the infant.

After how long can a child alone in a vehicle be dehydrated and victim of hyperthermia?

During periods of high heat, the temperature inside a car increases by 90% in 15 minutes. When it is very hot in a car, an adult regulates their body temperature through perspiration. The greater the surface area of ​​the body, the more you sweat, the more the internal temperature is regulated. This is not possible for babies, as their body surface area is small. Result: their internal temperature quickly rises to 40°C and dehydration occurs quickly.

What can be the psychological consequences for parents in the face of this type of drama?

After this kind of incident, the criminal procedure for manslaughter, which is opened, and the mourning, can be very difficult for the parents. In general, the loss of a child can lead to depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and even hospitalization, as parents are flabbergasted and can’t believe their child is dead. Then a feeling of guilt arises. From that moment, reproaches can fuse and the couple can come to separate.

How to avoid forgetting your baby in your car?

To prevent these accidents, some car manufacturers are developing warning systems. Clearly, an alarm rings to remind parents that their child is in the car. From now on, it is also possible to program an alert on the Waze application so as not to forget your baby in the vehicle. You can also put an alarm on your phone indicating that you have to drop your child off at school. Another tip: place a post-it on the steering wheel. It is also recommended to put all your belongings next to your child, as this forces us to open the rear door.