Our children’s welfare

“Infant dies after trapped in car in Modi’in Illit” (July 23) reports yet another needless tragedy – a child left in the car while mother does the family shopping.

We lead very busy, pressured lives and so must, therefore, employ safeguards to ensure that we conduct them to the benefit of all concerned. The obvious need is an alarm system that notifies that a living being – a child, a dog – has been left unattended in the closed car. There are many such devices, from the very cheap and simple to the very expensive and elaborate, ones that operate an alarm; ones that notify a cell phone; ones that break the car windows.

Such a device should be mandatory in any car carrying a child, as is an appropriate seat, and the fine for not installing and operating one should be more than the price of the most expensive model – not a mere NIS 100 or NIS 200.

May we know no more sorrow. FANNY MYERS

Beit Zayit

Regarding “It was really a nightmare” (July 22), the demand for licensing and governmental supervision of daycare centers for babies and toddlers is undeniably valid and necessary to prevent the abuse of children in these facilities.

However, here as in all situations, governmental presence does not obviate the ultimate responsibility of the parents to investigate and continue to monitor the care that their children are receiving whether it be in a facility or by a babysitter in the home. Long before now, the baby cam became the ultimate monitor, parents were cautious in supervising care for children who could not yet describe for themselves what they were experiencing. Parents and neighbors should be alert to signs of anything amiss such as incessant crying and screaming in such centers.

We advocate governmental supervision but also must bear in mind that the ultimate responsibility for childrens’ welfare lies with each and every one of us. MARION REISS

Beit Shemesh