Digital footprint technology allows for higher level of safety needed for newborns

TORRANCE, Calif. (KABC) -- One of the first things a hospital does after a baby is born is to make an impression of the newborn's footprints, but one hospital in the South Bay has come up with an innovative new way to capture that image.

The little cries of newborns fills a mother's heart with love, but it also brings a profound sense of protection.

At Torrance Memorial Medical Center, gone are the days of messy, smudged baby footprints.

Digital footprint technology now captures the tiniest of toes, allowing for a higher level of safety and security needed for newborns.

"It is the gold standard, which is the recommendation from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children," said labor and delivery manager Natalie Thorpe.

Torrance Memorial is the first hospital in Los Angeles County to use CertaScan Technologies.

The innovative identification system captures high-resolution footprints, which can be used for precise identification in situations like abductions, lost or abandoned babies, or natural disasters.

The system also takes security photos - a valuable key if a baby does go missing.

The system is safe for babies and when baby goes home, the newborn footprint certificate goes with them too. Some parents even find creative ways to cherish the memento.

"They can make keepsakes for themselves, they can make mugs, or get a tattoo of their baby's footprint... T-shirts, they can re-print them because if they got lost, for any reason, they will always have that access with the computer," Thorpe added.

It's high-tech giving piece of mind so parents can focus on their little bundles of joy.