Can't sleep - child let themself out yesterday evening

[Cheapcookies]

Can't sleep from the sheer stress of the what ifs.

Last night I took my dog for a walk. DH was with DD (nearly 4). He rang me at 8pm in bits saying she'd let herself out.

She had got out of bed, come downstairs, opened the front door and gone out in to the street and was stood on the corner. A neighbour was going to the shops and waited in his car before realising we weren't with her and her shoes weren't on, so brought her home. 2 houses distance away.

I can't stop thinking about the what ifs.
DH said he didn't hear the door going, he was on the phone. She said she wanted me and knew I was outside on a walk.

I went to speak to the neighbour and have thanked him profusely. He said his eldest did the same thing once.

For some reason I've convinced myself that ss will be called.

I've ordered a security chain that we can put high up on the door. I feel like the world's worst parent. She is safe, nothing happened other than mum and dad having the fright of their absolute lives. But I'm really struggling to process this.

Yeah my 17 month old is fine tottering around the living room playing with his toys for 5-10 minutes on his own.

Every parent has ‘what if’ moments- mine wandered off from a grandparent and nearly drowned, my cousin (at 2) disappeared off across a campsite (turned out he was off to the sweet shop!), my friends brother sleep walked out of the house in the middle of the night. It feels horrendous for a few days but you make changes so it won’t happen again, and in a week or so you’ll feel better.

My 20 month old I can duck in the kitchen and turn the kettle on, back to check, kettles boils, pp out and pour water come back and check and usually by the time I get back she's balancing on her Wheely dinosaur laughing her head off.

It’s more common than you think. When my DD was about 2 we were visiting my sister, sister went out the front door to a neighbours a couple of doors down, my DD toddling along behind her. I assumed sister knew DD was following. Sister came back after about 10 mins, I asked where DD was, she laughed thinking I was joking. I flew out the front door there stood DD knocking on the porch door big smile on her face….she must’ve been stood there on the driveway the whole time. I couldn’t sleep for weeks for the ‘what ifs’…what if she’d gone into the road, what if someone had snatched her….surprising how this jolted it back into my memory and that feeling of fear comes straight back! Anyway…it happens….she’s safe, and you’re on your guard now so it won’t happen again. Try not to beat yourself up about it.

She's fine. SS won't be interested in this one off event. Kids do this. Now you know and can do something about it. Although you have had a horrible fright im sure

I was staying in a hotel in Austria on a skiing holiday… very busy, buzzy hotel… We were all having dinner, when one of the waiters walked around with a toddler wearing her jaamies and sleeping bag… she had somehow climbed out of her cot, opened the door to the hotel room… crawled along the corridor and was found on the stairs… Waiter had picked her up and was looking for her parents…. There was a baby listening service at the hotel, but of course, she hadn’t made a sound and so had made her way out without anyone noticing… have never forgotten it!!! Thankfully shocked parents were found very quickly… and all was well. ALL parents have moments along the way when they feel their children have had a close shave of some sort… chalk it up to experience… breathe a sigh of relief that all is well and and carry on….