Child left in car in 35 degree heat

The reallity is that this happens a lot but children dont always die, because its not hot enough. But leaving children and babies somewhere where you think they are somewhere else, is common

You just dont hear about it because of the examples on this thread, the parent goes running out or running back to where the child actually is and all is well.

Poor parents and poor child.

😪 I just can't imagine how you'd live the rest of your life after that.

Just because you “don’t buy it” doesnt mean it isn’t a recognised phenomenon. It’s to do with automatic memory when you do something out of your routine on an otherwise normal day. So if you don’t usually do the nursery run and just go to work- your brain “forgets” you have a child in the car as it’s done the automatic “run to work” thing.

it’s why modern cars have a “check the back” noise reminder alert. It’s a sadly too common and devastating thing that has happened time and time again.

Well-known story. Father's day to take small child to daycare (US). He was busy and distracted and forgot about daycare and child. Left child in car. Mother rang to say where is the child, not in daycare, and he suddenly remembered, several hours later. Very hot day. Child died.

OMG people are not doing it on purpose.
Yes there has been a few cases like Cooper Harris, where father claimed it was accidental, but it was later discovered he had been searching online about child-free life and leaving children in the car. 99,9% of people leaving children in the car do that not because they want to kill their children, but because they think child is safe somewhere else

That's awful 😢

Yes, and also driving to work sleep deprived after being up in the night with a small baby.

I also read that WaPo article years ago and I often think of it. Just really tragic for all involved. The brain is such a complex thing. I really recommend reading it if you’re struggling to understand. I went from ‘how could someone forget their child?!’ to realising that it really could happen to anyone, even the best parent in the world. It’s not about decision-making or poor parenting, it’s about habit and routine pathways in the brain.

When I was about 20, I took the family dog from my parents house to visit an elderly relative. He went to sleep in the passenger footwell. I’d never had a dog in my car before. I went into my parents’ house and no one asked about him.

It wasn’t until the other dog asked for dinner some time later that we all panicked and wondered where he was. Even at that point, we all forgot for a bit that he’d been in my car. We eventually found him, still snoozing in the footwell, oblivious.

We were all really surprised, I’m very organised and quite uptight - I very rarely forget anything. Luckily, it wasn’t at all warm outside.

I also read the article years ago and still think about it. Heartbreaking

I once took my dog for a walk to collect dd from dancing. Tied him outside to go and get her. Then went to get something from the shop next door with dd. Walked half way home before remembering the dog was still waiting outside dancing.
obviously no tragic outcome there but so easy to see how you can forget something when there is a change of routine. I expect I could easily have got all the way home if I was more distracted or stressed.

I do believe these are Tragic accidents and horrible to imply anything other

You are breathtakingly arrogant.

One of the men described in the WaPo article tried to grab a police officer’s gun to shoot himself because he was so distraught at what he had done.

I have a 2024 car and got this warning when it was really hot. Didn't realise it was this, but it figures as it has all the other mandatory safety features.

I left my baby in the car once. Not in any heat, and not for long, but it is easily done!

I'm baffled by the (minority) of people who find this so impossible to understand. Do most kids not fall asleep in the car, so if you're on a long journey it's probably been silent for at least the last 15 or so minutes, and also as PP said rear facing seats. But also who actually checks the back-seat anyway? You only do this when your young child is in the car otherwise you turn your engine off and walk away. No one will be punishing themselves more than the parent involved.

This Wikipedia page gives a good overview for anyone who's uncomfortable reading the WaPo piece: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forgotten_baby_syndrome

We were talking about this at work yesterday (we’re teachers so all fairly responsible adults). A couple of the mums had managed to drive most of the way to work with kids in the car at least once - like others have said a change in routine was behind it in most cases, one was stressed because OFSTED was in and forgot to drop her son off (he was 6 and kept totally quiet thinking it was hilarious) - she remembered about five minutes later. Another managed to drive past nursery and forgot about drop off because her son was usually dropped off by her husband, but something had changed in their routine that morning and she needed to do it - but she just went on autopilot.

In my old school I remember one mum (who is super responsible - key role in safeguarding etc) being very flustered because she got to work, looked around and realised her baby was in the back seat, she’d somehow totally forgotten about drop off.

Anyone who thinks it can’t happen to them is super naive.

Same ... never even left my dog in the car in hot weather alone.

That'll be because the US has a) a very large population, and b) an overwhelming culture of driving everywhere.

It’s not a choice, much less an active choice. Brain goes in autopilot and you do what you do every single day , except on a truly awful day you also have a baby /toddler asleep in the car with you.

Except they aren't visible through tinted windows. Or if you shut the door and walk past the front of the car. Or a colleague greets you and distracts you. Etc.
There are dozens of these cases annually in the US alone. Do you really believe it is more likely that dozens of people are actively choosing to leave their children in cars to save a few $/€/£ rather than these are tragic incidents where are a tired out of routine parent's brain misses a crucial step because they don't normally do it? Or have you had a total empathy bypass?
Every one of these cases gets investigated. If there is ever evidence that the parents are leaving children in a car as routine (see the story referenced about the man who was gaming), they do get charged for it.

It must just be your preferred writing style which makes it seem as though you learned your emotional reactions from soaps, then.

People need to put phone/wallet by the baby.

I can’t find it now but there was an article in the Guardian about how easily this can happen with examples from Australia. Absolutely terrifying! Made me glad I don’t drive.Seemed to be a combination of sleep deprivation and a deviation from the normal routine.

Totally get the momentary forgetting you have a baby thing. Even for up to an hour I guess in extreme cases but 7 or 8 hours like happens in US? No.
I would really like to see statistical breakdown of how often this happens in other countries because it’s nearly always the US.