Mum leaving infant in hot car for over an hour yesterday

[Gummybear11]

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7171809/Firefighters-forced-smash-window-rescue-18-month-old-left-hot-car-hour.html

Seriously? Who does this??

The Camerons famously left one of their children in a pub.

I worry everyday that I’ve left one of my kids on the pavement and driven off. Ever since I read about a baby being left in a toilet at a train station because it was an extremely tired new mum and she’d forgotten about him. You can see how it can happen.

Although in this case I’m thinking maybe she put the baby in the car asleep, then went off to round up the older one maybe? Why would you leave them for an hour, you just wouldn’t.

www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/fatal-distraction-forgetting-a-child-in-thebackseat-of-a-car-is-a-horrifying-mistake-is-it-a-crime/2014/06/16/8ae0fe3a-f580-11e3-a3a5-42be35962a52_story.html?utm_term=.d61386805e3a

This article has been shared before, but it seems there are still lots of people unaware of the phenomenon. Warning - it makes for extremely harrowing reading.

We don't know whether this situation was deliberate or not, but the woman was questioned by police for over half an hour, according to reports, and then allowed to leave with her children.

This was the wales one

news.sky.com/story/kiara-moore-death-girl-2-left-in-car-which-rolled-into-river-after-handbrake-was-off-11565105

It happens quite a lot (ie at least one death every summer) in Italy too.

If she genuinely did left the child intentionally in the car to go off for an hour, then I hope she is penalised in some way and I hope, under the circumstances her car insurance doesn’t pay out.

However, the sticker on the car doesn’t prove how long the child was alone. Maybe she put the child in the car as he was sleeping, took the oldest to the toilet and didn’t realise how long she’d be, as there was a fair on. I’m not saying she was right and I wouldn’t have don’t that myself, but she shouldn’t be demonised before the fact are known.

Everyone should read the WaPo article posted above before claiming “they’d never forget”

She might have forgotten, or perhaps the baby was sleeping and she thought she'd just nip in and out and got held up. She might have put the tantrumming baby in the car while she returned the trolley and got held up. There's a dozen different reasons why it might have happened.

She’s a fucking idiot. And so are all those other people who leave their toddlers / babies in cars and « forget» them.
No sympathy for the patents

I came on to post the same link as appropriate.

I don’t think this was a case of forgetting. Bystanders say the woman was calm and not worried about the child.

It’s possible when she parked it was overcast and the car cool and being ignorant didn’t realise the car would heat up if the sun came out etc.

Cases where a child has been left have been of adults in their own.

The mother in this incident has an older child with her who would have commentates in his sibling behind left in the car.

That Washington Post article has put me off ever putting a baby in the car again .

I read a good article about a professional in this area who had researched muscle and automatic memory - it focused on how if there’s a slight deviation from your routine (ie: you need to drop child off on way to work) it can completely throw you off and people have forgotten the most important things just by unquestioningly following their muscle memory routine.

She's a fool. And for those on here trying to justify it saying "she might of forgot" why then when she did get back to the car and saw people freeing him from the car did she not seem bothered? Because she was guilty and got caught out.
She should be arrested.

Sorry cross post, I think it was the one above.

I said she might have forgotten. Not she might “of forgot.”

She didn't appear to be acting like someone who forgot.

Forgot him, my arse

It happens quite a lot in hot countries, sadly. Usually there is a distraction or a break in the usual routine e.g. mum dropping the baby at daycare when it's usually dad and she just forgets so drives straight to work, leaving the child in the back. I don't find it that hard to believe, especially with sleep-deprived parents of young children. In the days when people left prams outside shops, most parents forgot to collect their pram (on leaving the shop) at some point, even if only for a minute or two.

It doesn't have to be a typically hot country for the worst to happen.
A dad here in Ireland forgot he had his dd for drop off and left her in the car when he went to work.
Unfortunately it was an usually hot day and the baby died.
Absolutely tragic accident. The mum hadn't been back from maternity leave for long and it was a new routine.

why then when she did get back to the car and saw people freeing him from the car did she not seem bothered? Because she was guilty and got caught out.

It's a bit of a leap to make that assumption, based on a Daily Fail report of what bystanders thought.
You don't personally know the woman, or how she looks when upset. A person in a state of shock can look unconcerned, everyone reacts differently.

I have read about the 'forgotten baby' syndrome before and it has made me paranoid about forgetting DS. I now put my work bag in the footwell by his car seat so that I always check he's not still there when I get to work!

I expect the police will alert social services. They will visit her and depending on the whole home environment/factors what action they will take.
I agree with not judging without knowing circumstances but from the article it sounds like a neglet category for Safeguarding. Maybe the mum has mental health problems, recently bereaved. There could be a reason why she acted this way.

Whilst forgetting might have been a possibility, surely the older child would have commented about his sibling at some point?

Once I dropped my son off at nursery and there was a baby crying hysterically in a locked car in the car park. Mum had left the baby in the car sleeping while she dropped the older kid off and then got held up talking to some other mums and the baby woke up. I just mentioned the baby in a loud voice and a mum went running off.

I notice the article asked if anyone knew the mum, so I guess they are digging for more dirt on the family.

Thing is, while this might actually happen accidentally, it's not really an excuse. There are lots of things that are dangerous that could happen accidentally but we make sure to avoid them at all costs, and take steps to do so.
In America for example you can get a key ring that reminds you of your child free from police I think, parents should be taking precautions to minimise the risk. When you hear scary stories, you take note and alter your behaviour. I check everyday on my way to work to ensure my son isn't in his car seat and is safely at nursery. It's habit now.
There is definitely parental responsibility when these incidents end in tragedy.