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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:
Barmychick · 09/08/2021 21:43

Warms my heart to know how well some young people are being raised. You have every right to be immensely proud of him x

CityCommuter · 09/08/2021 22:09

"if your going to make judgements at least spell correctly"

@Dontphunkwithmyheart sorry but if you're going to criticise someone on their spelling then you should at least learn to spell yourself! How ironic... It's 'you're' not 'your' on your above comment FYI!

BTW It's not desperate to want to check up on the little toddler at all. Lots of other posters have asked the same. I wouldn't ask for any names or private info just that they were ok. Any caring person / mother would wonder. You sound cold...

wellstopdoingitthen · 09/08/2021 22:34

You should indeed be very proud of your son. Be proud of yourself too for raising such an amazing young man.

FrozenWillow · 09/08/2021 23:58

Your an amazing parent OP who raised a sensible son.

This sort of thing happened to my friend. She was at work and now ex bf, was in house fixing something. Tot was in garden. Thought tot was fine.

I got a knock at my door from Tots older sibling absolutely distraught looking for tot. We looked around our area and eventually found him. Like the tot your son picked up, in a nappy. Only my friends tot also had a T shirt on. Tot had figured out how to open the garden gate and got out.

After incident, police and social services ensuring that tot is looked after properly and this was a one off, parents put a few extra bolts into garden gates. It only takes a second as I am sure you are aware.

I hope little one has been re-united with his family - as long as it's a generally safe home.

Well done to your son again. His quick thinking saved a child from something more sinister. You just don't know what is out there half the time and I would be having a major panic attack if I did not know where my child was.

lionsandwhales · 10/08/2021 01:51

I found a 4 Yr old wandering away from school first week of term. Not noticed by teacher with the flurry of younger siblings etc at drop off and the usual peeling some kids off of the fence while the others went in. I asked him where he was going and he replied " to find my dad, I don't like school"
Returned him to class, teacher mortified. Don't know if his parents ever found out.
After this, I always made sure my reception aged ds was inside and doors closed before I made my way home.

BlackeyedSusan · 10/08/2021 02:53

Well I know a toddler who got out of the house and played in the rain....and one who ran off with a friend on the way into playgroup, and one who went with the big girls round the out of bounds side of the school....

I have grown up and stopped running off now. Grin

I have found two toddlers who ran out of the library
One who escaped from school
And was there when one was brought back from up the road by another mum at school.

MakeMathsFun · 10/08/2021 03:39

Wow. Well done!

Does anyone know why so many posts have been deleted on this one due to breaking MN guidelines? I just find it strange that there are so many, particularly on such an empathetic case.

Plumtree391 · 10/08/2021 04:14

@MakeMathsFun

Wow. Well done!

Does anyone know why so many posts have been deleted on this one due to breaking MN guidelines? I just find it strange that there are so many, particularly on such an empathetic case.

Earlier on in the thread there were people sneering at the op for reasons all their own. It was not pleasant. The op is naturally very pleased at the presence of mind shown by her son but some wanted to put her down.
Loubilou09 · 10/08/2021 06:41

[quote Dontphunkwithmyheart]@CityCommuter bit desperate for a bit of attention aren’t you, it’s none of her business what happened and only a truly entitled person would start phoning for an update. And it’s blasé, if your going to make judgements at least spell correctly.

Well done to your son OP, you’ve clearly done a brilliant job Smile[/quote]
Whispers, it's if "you're" going to made judgements......Grin

sashh · 10/08/2021 07:12

Do we still have the Norman awards? I nominate @HerRoyalRisesAgain's son for a Norman Award.

I also think this should go into classics because at sometime in the future someone is going to come on here and say their toddler wandered off and it would be nice to be able to point them to this thread.

Bangolads · 10/08/2021 07:54

Wow massive well done to your son- bless him. The poor wee toddler, heartbreaking. I hope they’re ok.

dhfoody47 · 10/08/2021 08:35

Aww your son, well done that lad Star

Billben · 10/08/2021 08:50

"if your going to make judgements at least spell correctly"

😂😂😂 Talk about making yourself look a fool 😂

SeaSunandSand · 10/08/2021 09:09

When I was about 10/11 I walked to the shop to pick up some bits for my mum. Standing in the middle of a road, that gets busy at rush hour, was a toddler. He was about 2 1/2. I got him out of the road and asked him where he lived. He wasn’t old enough to answer me but through a variety of asking for mummy / daddy / house he finally led me to a house about 75m away. I knocked on the door and a woman answered. I explained I had found him in the road and she turned to him said “don’t play in the road” then shut the door! He was clearly supposed to be playing in the street all by himself! I was horrified!

EducatingArti · 10/08/2021 09:30

My secondary school was adjacent to a railway line. Two 6th form girls who were working in the library looked out of the window and saw a baby crawling on the line. They went and rescued him and went round nearby houses until they found his home

Xenia · 10/08/2021 09:34

It is amazing how many of us have rescued toddlers. It makes you realise how inventive toddlers are. We need to keep a close eye on them. When we had 2 (twins) they would try to run off in different directions if they were out with one person so they were harder to catch. Baby reins had to come into play.

sashh · 10/08/2021 10:42

This is not a serious question

Maybe this should be an Olympic sport?

Random toddlers in an Olympic park get a 5 min start and a British team made up of MNers and the OP's son have to locate them and take them to a place of safety.

We would get Gold every time.

Ijsbear · 10/08/2021 10:49

Followed up by Whose Toddler can Tantrum the Loudest?

Your son is amazing HerRoyal, calm and clear thinking. Good work!

I had a bolter, it was terrifying. He bolted once in Schipol Airport. That is almost the only time he's ever had a sharp tap on the hand (the one other occasion was as dangerous, he ran into the busy road). He still remembers them as me being an awful Mam but the thought of what could happen still brings gooseflesh out.

It's not only that they are fast, it's the acceleration and manoeverability is so high!

Thisistherhythmofthenight · 10/08/2021 10:52

Well done to your son 👏 you must be very proud of him. Makes me feel better about the world that there's people like your son in it xxx

Plump82 · 10/08/2021 10:56

When I was around your sons age i came across a wee boy about 3 as well. Luckily he was my neighbour so i knew him and got him home. He'd managed to sneak out when he should have been in bed!

Dontpeeonthecat · 10/08/2021 11:10

Bit late to the party here but first off your boy is amazing and probably doesn't realise how amazing he is.
This reminds me of my asd escapologist son.
One very early morning myself and then fiance (now dh) were woken to a breeze and our then 2yo murmering, he had climbed onto our bed which was under the window and was sat on the window sill, legs dangling out, 2nd floor flat! Sin was scooped back in and bedroom was swiftly moved around so no way to climb up. Scared the shit out of me.
A year later we had moved to a house and the council were doing work to the windows and had scaffolding outside.
I was seeing to our 1 year old when there was a knock at the door.
One of the workmen was there to tell me my 3yo was outside on the scaffolding with his hard hat on!
He had managed to open the bedroom door, climb up my eldest sons midsleeper which had been moved away from the window, bypass the window catches and climb out. Quick call to the council and extra safety locks were installed.
He's our 2nd child and definitely kept us on our toes

sashh · 10/08/2021 12:00

One of the workmen was there to tell me my 3yo was outside on the scaffolding with his hard hat on!

OMG I'm imaging him acting like a stroppy child, "Er misis, your boy's nicked my hat and I can't get it back"

Duchess379 · 10/08/2021 12:03

Big hug to your 12yr old, he's a credit to you! Hope toddler has got home safely now & is being monitored by Social Services x

Dontpeeonthecat · 10/08/2021 12:17

It was his own hard hat from his Bob the builder set Grin

AfternoonToffee · 10/08/2021 12:34

@Dontpeeonthecat

It was his own hard hat from his Bob the builder set Grin
At least he was being safety conscious.