Child left in car in 35 degree heat

It makes me wonder how often babies and toddlers are forgotten about and left in vehicles when there isn’t a heatwave that kills them. There must be quite a number

Theres lots of research done around this in the States and this situation generally happen in the same set of circumstances, there's been some change to the routine or someone not used to the routine and there's a 'glitch' (and I know thats a glib word, I'm not trying to make light of this awful situation) in the brain and it goes on auto pilot, most commonly happens when combined with an extra added stressor like work deadlines or a v illl grandparent etc. It's the same way we find ourselves at home without any memory of the drive or find ourselves parked up outside the house we moved from a year ago or driving to the workplace we finished up at months ago. Often it's the other parent doing the drop-off, or they have to make an extra stop enroute to childminders, the brain ticks 'stop made' in the to-do list of the morning and we continue on to work without having gone to the childminders. Literally the difference between tragedy and not is the child being asleep or awake

In cars, we do seem to go on autopilot. We live next to a roundabout: sons school one way, daughters childcare another. I drop dd off first and then take ds the country way round to school..about every 6 weeks I'd drive straight to school with both children. I've recently started a new job, and my sons school is a turn from the main road i commute on: he's nearly 6 and I still almost took him to work the other day!

It happens. People make mistakes all the time, especially when their routine is changed, and sometimes they have tragic consequences.

My husband came to collect my older child and I from a school event once. He had parked 5-10 minutes away because it was a big event and the roads were jammed. I remember seeing him sauntering towards us, no pushchair, and saying to him "Where's DC2?" I have never seen anyone sprint so fast in my life. He'd left our younger one, then 18 months, asleep in her car seat as he'd completely forgotten she was with him. It wasn't usual for him to be coming to an event like that with the younger child - normally, we'd be coming together as a family or I'd have both kids and he'd be meeting us there after work or the younger one would stay at home. He was busy at work at the time, his mind was on that and he was definitely on autopilot in the sense that he was following his usual routine in those circumstances.

i normally do the school run on the days I go to work - it’s literally on the route anyway.

There have been occasions I haven’t needed to but when it’s not school holidays (when DH has taken them for some reason). Every single time I’ve found myself turning into the school road on autopilot. So, although I’ve never done it, I can completely understand how these tragedies can happen if the child has fallen asleep on the journey.

i wish car manufacturers put something in to help reduce the risk.

I’ve read that article before and it is harrowing and was really eye opening about how something like this happens. I was guilty of thinking how but I can understand.

I’ve wondered as well as we only read about the children who die how many families this actually happens to but in cooler temperatures/climates and other seasons where the child thankfully has survived. They wouldn’t make the headlines and chances are if the child was ok albeit upset when they come back to the car I bet most wouldn’t say a word. Maybe not even to their partner if their child is young enough not to say what happened.

You started the thread, why bother if you weren't going to read the replies? Just fancy a bit of attention?

Heat builds in cars so quickly. I remember an incident when mine were young. Just leaving a friends house with DS 1 (3) and DS2 months old (in a Scottish summer) I had managed to get out of the house and got the baby in the car seat when DS2 announced he needed a wee. He headed back inside with another friend while I stood on the pavement next to the car chatting. I could see my baby - but had closed the door. When DS1 returned 5 mins later - I opened the car and was hit by the heat. Baby was okay - but sweaty, and I was shaken.

There will be no more to it than he was distracted, possibly doesn’t usually do drop offs, child was quiet in the car.

This has happened so many times, especially in hot US states which are always very car centric. It is always the same reason. It’s very sad, it is parental negligence but without any intent.

well I walked home from work as normal last week, forgetting that I had driven to work that morning (only happens once in a blue moon). Only realised I’d left my car in town when I went to get something out of the boot next morning so I absolutely hear you.

The one that sticks with me is the Dad who was supposed to do a nursery drop on his way to work, his wife normally did it, kid fell asleep in his seat behind the Dads seat & the Dsd totally forgot about the nursery drop. Went to work as usual, forgot the toddler was in the car, on a very hot day...

I just cannot imagine his you'd live with yourself.

No, today in Italy I believe. Parents have been arrested. Bloody right. Child was 2

Must have been 50 in the car.

Just based on that detail it sounds precisely like the most common scenario for these tragedies which is, as others have said, around arrangements for dropping a child at nursery and simply forgetting to do so, often because there has been a change to the normal routine.

I read this today and remember the time I left my dog in the boot of the car, it was normal temperature (uk) I’d driven him to the vet, came back home leaned over grabbed some shopping I’d picked up from the passenger seat, my son had come to the door to ask if I’d got him his smoothie, started chatting and went in the house.

About 5 minutes later the car alarm started going so I blipped it thinking stupid car, another 5 minutes and it went again.. it’s on a driveway as if this makes me feel better.

walked out and was like shit, shit shit.. there is my poor lovely dog happy to see me!!

Had the alarm not gone as I have other dogs it could have been longer for my brain to register there was a missing dig.

For me it was totally out of routine, the shopping threw me, I completely forgot he was there as he was quiet and laid down.

so in some small tiny way I can see how you can temporarily make a mistake, but 6 hours? I just dread to think how that family will cope with that.

Poor little boy.

Sleep deprived, change of normal routine.

There was an argument that if it ever failed that car manufacturers could be held liable. Not sure what happened with that thought process.

I wonder if child seats can come with some sort of alarm, so if the weight is still in the seat but the car isnt moving, the alarm can go off?

Not fool proof given traffic jams etc but something simple perhaps?

OMG that's so sad. I hadn't heard about it. Poor wee thing 😪

You forget because the child being there is a change to routine and you've gone on autopilot and they are asleep when you get out of car.

What does the 'not buying it' PP think happened?

I read that original article years ago - I think it said that manufacturers wouldn't put the alarm in the car that would warn when this happens as no-one believes they would do it.

Yes my Volvo had that technology over a decade ago. It has motion detectors inside the car and alarms if it senses interior movement when the car is closed.

I would wager most people who drove to work this morning, cant remember one second of that journey, they're on auto pilot. I often arrive at a destination and cant remember the journey. One minute I was at work and the next minute Im home. Auto pilot.

And with menopause brain fog theres tons of things that are going wrong, putting things in cupboards or the fridge that dont belong there, no clue Ive done it.

I think there’s something quite specific about driving as well which is puts people into that auto pilot state.

Have you ever been planning to take a different route to normal - maybe you’ve got something to pick up on the way home from work - and you find that you’ve forgotten to make the turn off?

For me the reason these cases have stayed with me is precisely because it is so easy to imagine being in that situation. It’s the combination of such routine, mundane small mistake and such catastrophic consequences.

DH did leave our dog in the boot of a car once. He used to take her to work with him. Change of routine, he was with a friend who dropped him home instead of walking home because they had been off site. Dog was settled down. Friend only realised when he got home and had to get something from the boot. If he hadn't, she could have been there all night. It is the change of routine and frighteningly easy to do.

I have come across many stories of people leaving prams outside places, from the days when people felt safe leaving babies unattended. And then not remembering until they got home and realise they only have their older child/ren with them. It is the same concept but with less tragic consequences.

Its extremely common, people shouldnt judge. Remember Cameron left one of his children in a restaurant once as he forgot.

Devastating for the children who suffered and the parents who lose a child this way. Horrific.