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Original poster

My son found a toddler

410 replies

HerRoyalRisesAgain · 08/08/2021 19:24

My 12 year old son went out with his friends around 4.30.

He came home at 6.10, carrying a toddler in just his nappy, already on the phone to the police!
He'd found him wandering around our estate by himself in just a nappy (it's windy and rainy here) He tried to ask him where his mummy or daddy were but the toddler has just grabbed him and clung to his leg, so he's pulled out his phone, dialled 999 then picked up said toddler and brought him home so that he had somewhere warm to wait for the police.

I got a blanket for the little one, and got him warmed up. He was very scared bless him, but receptive to having a cuddle and letting us help him have some water. (My youngest is 6, so no sippy cups)

Police turned up just now with social services and took him with them. Theyre going to try and find his parents and take care of him, have him checked over etc.

The police and the social worker massively praised my son and said he was immensely brave and sensible to do what he did.
He took the officer out and showed him exactly where he had found the toddler and gave as much info as he could about what happened when he found him.

I hope the little one is OK, and glad he's safe with social services now.

I am also immensely proud of my son. He's so amazing. I would have panicked at that age and knocked on the nearest door for help.
Hes just jumped into action straight away and decided to get him warm and safe.

OP posts:
StatisticallyChallenged · 08/08/2021 23:18

Our youngest escaped just after we moved in - new house and we did not think she was able to unlock the door, she'd never even tried in our old house. Looked up from kitchen and saw front door open, flew out the house. Found her pottering in neighbour's garden. Stupid bloody fire safe/internally keyless locks.

It has since become apparent that she is an absolute fearless houdini of a child who thinks nothing of trying to run out while you're taking in a delivery or bolting on the way to the car. We've had extra locks fitted so there are now two locked doors to get out, extra gate with high level bolt at the back/side too, but she terrifies me as she has no fear at all. And she's incredibly fast.

Bluejeanjen · 08/08/2021 23:27

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Panickingpavlova · 08/08/2021 23:30

Great of your son op but it's so scary isn't it... Why was he out?
I feel nervous after all these recently cases about child abuse.

Having said that I escaped age 3 I made a very conscious run for it, my mum was asleep next to me and I was bored so I decided to wash my hair, put my hat and coat on (nothing under neath) and set off out on my tycicle. A neighbour saw me and I remember being frustrated in my attempt to have a day out.

Really hoping that toddler is loved and safe somewhere now.

Dodie66 · 08/08/2021 23:31

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Bluejeanjen · 08/08/2021 23:48

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dryasaboner · 08/08/2021 23:56

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ZingDramaQueenOfSheeba · 08/08/2021 23:57

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Bluejeanjen · 09/08/2021 00:01

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olidora63 · 09/08/2021 00:14

Welll done to your son …go to bed and feel proud of him 💕💕

ThisMustBeMyDream · 09/08/2021 00:26

The above link to the other case didn't happen in Liverpool. It happened in St Helens. Different place.
OP well done DS. My own DS escaped when he was 3. He had a broken leg at the time (done by another child climbing on the trampoline at soft play whilst DS was on it, before I could get DS away from him said child bounced straight on to his leg before anyone accuses me of anything!). He was sat on the sofa watching TV. I was upstairs putting his brother down for a nap when he decided to climb up for the keys and unlock the door. Yes, complete with fully cast leg. I am honestly still traumatised and feel my body go in to some weird out of body experience whenever I read these stories now. It is like it is happening to me all over again. I live on a main road. DS was apparently off to the soft play down the road according to him. I can't even think about that what if's. Luckily he was found, and returned safely to me. I have such a hazy memory of it all now. All I know is that I had a phone call from hospital to say he was there. The nurses recognised him due to the leg cast (it had only been on a couple of days) so where able to get hold of me before even the police. The hospital is only 8 mins away from me. I was there in 9 minutes with him back in my arms. Just so traumatic.
By the time social services arrived to see us 3 hours later, there were stair gates fitted to the back door, door sounders ordered for all 3 doors, and chains fitted to all 3 doors. They had absolutely zero concerns. No further word was heard. It happens to the best of us. If you think it could never happen to you, trust me. It can. I didn't think it could happen to me. I'm a very safety conscious, some would say over protective mum.

Carolxxxxkent · 09/08/2021 00:49

ugh, toddlers these days x

NotMyCat · 09/08/2021 01:13

Children can be very competent and also a lot calmer than adults!
999 calls - I once had a child in the middle of nowhere out cycling who produced map coordinates, directions, landmarks, a high viz vest "for the helicopter to see me" out of his rucksack, described the entire situation, did first aid and directed everyone to the patient

Furries · 09/08/2021 01:47

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plominoagain · 09/08/2021 01:49

People finding toddlers is frighteningly common as it happens . Our team took turns to look after a two year old that was found wandering the street at 1am in pyjama bottoms and a nappy . He ended up asleep in a corner of the station office tucked in a nest of clean custody blankets . No one reported him missing until 7am . He too had let himself out.

My own boy did the same when we moved house - stood on a chair and let himself out aged 4 ‘to go and find some new friends ‘ - wearing nothing but his shorts and a crocodile backpack . He was found by a new neighbour who thought she’d recognised him , brought him back to the house and said “is that mummy and daddy’s cars “ - and the pedantic little sod said no, because one car is mummy’s and the other was daddy’s . Good thing she made sure !

Princessdebthe1st · 09/08/2021 02:05

I had taken my nephew, who was about 3 or 4 at the time on holiday to Disneyland Paris along with my DH and DM. We stayed in a hotel with me and DH in one room and nephew and DM in another. The doors had one of those internal catches where a hook goes over a bar on the frame allowing you to partially open the door to check who is knocking but not fully open them. It never occurred to us that DN would be able to reach it but on the first night DN woke up in the middle of the night, pushed a chair to the door, climbed up, undid the latch and went out the door. He went downstairs and thankfully there were some guests still having a drink in the lobby who stopped him, without them he would have gone straight out the automatic doors and onto the busy main road the hotel was on. Even now it terrifies me to think of what could have happened. My mum woke up, it must have been just a few minutes later, to find the door to the room wide open and DN missing, flew downstairs in her nightclothes and found DN being royally entertained by the guests whilst reception were checking their records to work out where he had come from.

TwoMountains · 09/08/2021 02:37

Well done your son OP.

I caught a toddler wandering out of a shop in a local retail park once. I was walking towards a shop when I saw a ball roll out of the door and into the car park, followed soon afterwards by a toddler. I grabbed him just before he followed the ball into the road - he wasn’t happy at all about being stopped! A frantic adult came rushing out looking for him very soon afterwards.

I escaped from my house a couple of times before I started school. One time I even climbed out through a downstairs window when I figured out how to work the catch.

Fortunately I never came to any harm. It never occurred to me at the time that this sort of thing might worry my parents Blush

Congressdingo · 09/08/2021 07:20

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DancesWithTortoises · 09/08/2021 07:33

Why dont you grow a pair and report then?

Well said. But snide remarks are the way some posters are. Feel sorry for their families. Imagine living with that.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 09/08/2021 07:51

My DD escaped when she wasn't quite two. I thought she was upstairs with MIL. MIL thought she was downstairs with me. In actual fact she had decided to follow DH and FIL and was found running around the golf course on her way to the Officers Mess wearing t-shirt, nappy and wellies. Whole adventure was about 10minutes.

My younger DD never made it out of the garden but had worked out how to use furniture to climb onto a windowsill and open a window, plus climb out. Got extra window locks.

OP... well done to your son for keeping calm

leondra · 09/08/2021 07:55

This has made me well up! What a lovely and caring young man you're raising. Well done OPDaffodil

shallIswim · 09/08/2021 07:55

My friend's pre schooler escaped from his first floor bedroom and 'went for a walk'. And was actually found by police patrol car and taken home. This was overseas. Said child was a physical marvel. Six pack at the age of 3, and ended up a professional rugby player. It does happen.

HelloDoris · 09/08/2021 08:07

My husband and I found a toddler in just a nappy and a t-shirt on a walk once. We saw in a family in the distance but he wasn't with them. I tried to talk to him to find out where he came from whilst my husband called the police. About 5 minutes into the call a woman screeched to a stop in her car, it was his mum, he had been with a relative (whilst she was at work) and had escaped but no one had noticed. The police took our details and spoke to the mother but we never heard what happened next. The mother was distraught and very thankful to us, he was just merrily walking along picking up sticks and stones.