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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:
Plumtree391 · 08/08/2021 20:34

@HerRoyalRisesAgain

Toddlers are clearly little houdinis! I'm still in shock. DS is playing minecraft and acting all cool about it.
Bless his heart (your son but the baby too).

Many years ago a neighbour's two year old disappeared. She was upstairs doing something, came down and he was gone.

Within a few minutes of her telling me, someone from her daughter's school rang her, saying he was in the playground (wearing only a vest). The school was just around the corner and he was used to going there to pick up his sister. He went out the back way. You can imagine what a fright it gave his mum!

Another friend of mine's little grandson was found walking down a busy main road, he'd got out without his mother noticing. She thought he was asleep in bed!

I hope this case is just as easily sorted. You may find out, especially if there are no safeguarding issues and the parents want to thank your son. He did absolutely the right thing - be proud!

ByWayOf · 08/08/2021 20:35

Oh well done your DS. I would be bursting with pride!

CityCommuter · 08/08/2021 20:35

@HerRoyalRisesAgain are you going to ring the police station to check on the toddler then? Did they take your number?

LifesNotEnidBlyton · 08/08/2021 20:36

Just another one wanting to say what a good one you've got there OP. We need more caring people, because honestly there are adults who wouldn't have been as caring as your son was.

Ninkanink · 08/08/2021 20:37

What a great kid. Well done to him, and to you!

itsgettingwierd · 08/08/2021 20:37

And this sort of thing does happen.

I found a child of around 2-3 walking down the main road off my street about 10 years ago. I recognised her from my street but didn't know where she lived.

I then noticed she had her dog with her. She was taking it for a walk apparently 🤦‍♀️🤣
She was in wellies, nappy and vest.

I I walked her back to out street hoping she could direct me to her house. Or the parents would see us out of the window.

She couldn't so I got a large hoody of mine to dress her in and called the police. As they turned up (they were quick and just 5 minutes as station is local) the mum got woken up by the sirens, realised the dd was missing and came running out the house.

She felt terrible and so did I for involving police because it simply was a young child who woke at 5am on a summers day. It was 6 am at this point.

I was only up because my autistic ds didn't sleep well and was walking him in his buggy to try and get him to sleep some more.

Luckily she was just grateful I'd taken care of her rather than just ignore and her end up under a car or something.

Couchpotato3 · 08/08/2021 20:37

To be honest, I think he did exactly the right thing. Any parent who is failing to supervise their kid to that extent needs some kind of intervention to make sure it doesn't happen again. If he had just ended up handing the kid back to a distraught parent, who knows what else might have happened.
What a fine young man you have raised! I am often pleasantly surprised by the decent behaviour of the youngsters in my area, who get a bad press and negative attitudes from many older residents (due to the actions of a tiny minority of idiots).

GlutenFreeGingerCake · 08/08/2021 20:38

Well done to your DS he did really well. I met my next door neighbour early one morning when I was out walking the dog and he had found a toddler who had escaped from his house. There is quite a busy road there so it could have been a dangerous situation, but luckily my neighbour was there and he and his wife found the house the boy came from.

CovidCorvid · 08/08/2021 20:38

Hopefully he’s just managed to escape, a friends son did this at a similar age and luckily a neighbour spotted him and knew which house he was from. Returned him just as my friend realised he’d got out!

30degreesandmeltinghere · 08/08/2021 20:38

I stopped my car a few years ago as a toddler was trying to get into the road in his little tykes car.. I could see the gated garden I assumed he had come from. Parked up and walked him to the side door of the house
. The df didn't even thank me!Just dragged him in and shut the door!
Shock
Your ds is a credit to you op.

Ahhhhhbisto · 08/08/2021 20:39

What a wonderful son you have there. You should be massively proud of yourself as well as him.

I hope the boy is safe and well.

Letsallscreamatthesistene · 08/08/2021 20:40

God my 16mo is in bed....I think....im checking the moniter A LOT now!

Im so glad your son found this little one and I really, really hope its as simple as him slipping out the front door whilst the parent/s were distracted.

Notebooksarefabulous · 08/08/2021 20:41

My friends 2yo wandered out of the house, along the pavement, crossed a main road and wandered into a pub. It happens.

Lockheart · 08/08/2021 20:42

[quote CityCommuter]@HerRoyalRisesAgain are you going to ring the police station to check on the toddler then? Did they take your number?[/quote]
She has already said the police won't be updating her.

Respectfully, it's none of her (and definitely not our!) business.

PaperMonster · 08/08/2021 20:43

Well done to your son! And I hope the toddler is ok x

RLOU30 · 08/08/2021 20:44

Deffo happens
Look at that little toddler in the papers last month. Walked out of his main nursery gate straight into the road and someone pulled over and grabbed him luckily in time.
Well done OP’s son!

Original poster
HerRoyalRisesAgain · 08/08/2021 20:45

No, I won't be ringing and pestering for an update. I'll just be happy with the knowledge that regardless of if his parents made a genuine mistake or they're just a bit shit, he's safe either at home or with SS.

OP posts:
butterfly990 · 08/08/2021 20:45

My little boy (2 at the time) was staying at his Aunties house with DP and siblings. DP told them that he was just having a quick shower anc they would be going to my parent's house shortly.

Whilst DP was in the shower our son fetched his Lightning McQueen suitcase and then went out the front door merrily on his way presumably to grandma's house. Fortunately DP realized he was home and found him 100 meters from the house on the same side of the road. It is quite a busy road.

PurpleFadesToGreen · 08/08/2021 20:48

My neighbour had twin devils girls.

Little terrors when they were toddlers.

Escaped the house together one day, I glanced up to see them on the road outside, so went and round them up and took them home. Mum had gone to the loo.

Another time they managed to flick an old type of latch thing on the back door when mum was putting the washing out.
That was fun...finding a window big enough to get through and a ladder.

Another time they carefully made a hole in the garden fence and I found them eating my just ripe strawberries, grinning at me!

Toddlers are amazingly imaginative when it comes to escaping!

PurpleSproutingSomething · 08/08/2021 20:48

If this has taught me anything, it's that we should tie morris dancing bells on every limb of our children and maybe a balloon like the grandma on a thread yesterday did with her tortoise.

A huge well done to your DS. Sounds like a wonderful young man.

RantyAunty · 08/08/2021 20:48

Well done to your son.
So lovely and sensible.
Hopefully you'll get a call from the police to let you know all went well so you don't worry.

santabetterwashhishands · 08/08/2021 20:50

I heard a commotion outside my house once and a neighbour had almost run over a tot who was wearing just a nappy in the winter and strolled out from between too parked cars into the middle of the road.after searching for 40 minutes we found a house with the door open so tried there. After knocking and shouting for awhile a mum finally woke up never said thanks just shouted at the tot for going out on his own 😳.
Not ashamed to say I did phone the police to report as her attitude was disgusting and she showed no concern for his welfare at all 😡

SpiderinaWingMirror · 08/08/2021 20:50

Absolutely happens. Many years ago there was a toddler who escaped their house and was run over. At the inquest at least 4 people gave testimony that they had seen her. Quite why you would not stop everything you were doing and go and grab the small child escapes me.
My dh also found a little one of 2 on our estate on one of the back paths. He had crossed a road, having wondered off from his brother on a green.
Well done your boy for having the sense to do the right thing.

CityCommuter · 08/08/2021 20:51

"She has already said the police won't be updating her"

@Lockheart yes I know that but anyone whose son had found a toddler would at least want to check that he was reunited with his family / had a good outcome! The police wouldn't have to give out any personal information at all btw...

I find it odd that as a mother the OP wouldn't want to follow up on this... it's like a blaze approach as if finding a lost toddler was a usual Sunday thing...

sherrystrull · 08/08/2021 20:53

Well done to your ds and hope the little one is ok.

I found a toddler once at a popular farm park. He'd slipped away from his mum. She was frantically searching in one direction while he managed to slip out of the front door in another direction, down a road and to the carpark. I spotted him and was walking him back to the reception to get help when his mum appeared in floods of tears.