Child left in car in 35 degree heat

[Empress13]

Please tell me as I’m struggling to understand How the hell you could forget you have left a child in a car in such extreme heat. Unbelievable ! that poor child

Well let's hope nothing tragic ever happens to you or a loved one due to a tragic accident. Read the article linked to multiple times and try and engage your brain just a little.

Negligence isn’t a tragic accident. Up your game.

Read the Washington post article. It’s not excuses it’s reality. Very very rarely. And clearly it doesn’t happen to 99.9% of us no matter what our busyness.

Im not sure what you don’t understand? People making comments about dogs are missing the point. Everyone KNOWS you don’t leave babies OR dogs in hot cars.

But once every couple of years, less thankfully it happens to some poor individual with a baby in summer, in very hot temperatures with catastrophic results. I’m sure it happens with dogs too but we don’t hear about it.

It’s 25-30 times a year in the USA alone - not once or twice every couple of years. The numbers increased sharply after countries adopted car seats in the rear policies and rear facing policies.

It appears so - people believing they are God and infallible

mental stuff indeed - must be on the blue meth.

There has been an upsurge of cases since toddlers started sitting in the reverse position because a parent can't actually see them.

I feel nothing but absolute sympathy for the parents who are going through this. I know an amazing Mum who left her newborn at the dentist (it was her 4th) and didn't even realize until she'd driven 5 minutes away and her 4 yo said, "Mummy, are we leaving XX at the dentist forever?!"

Shit happens and MOST of the time, nothing bad happens but sadly, occasionally it does.

If it had woken the child - he might have been away before the cry alerted him.

I am not sure you can say you would never forget your dog in the back of your car though? Just that, to date, you have not. Neither have I. Thank god.

Forgetting is an absence of mind - not an active choice to forget or not give a shit. Neither you nor @MrsSkylerWhite havs provided an alternative suggestion to what the dad was doing then? Just “ not buying” that is possible to accidentally lock a child in a car? The recorded reactions of the parents who have done this are utterly harrowing

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14361701/amp/baby-dies-hot-car-sydney.html

Which Washington Post article? link?

Though, I don’t need to read articles (excuses to make educated people feel better). So frankly your “link” is meaningless. Smart people assuaging their consciences.

You don’t, ever, leave your young children strapped into their seat in the car on an hot day. End of. There is no “reason”.

Most reasonably educated people (and quite a lot of stupid people) realise that you don’t do that to a dog.

If you don’t you’re negligent, plain and simple. There is no counter argument.

The number of posts suggesting that this is an easy to make mistake is disturbing. It isn’t if you give the most basic iota of care for your children,

Agree with you, OP. That this happened is horrific.

I think this thread is being warped by a couple of posters who think they are infallible, and are repeatedly expressing their incredulity, which is outnumbering the vast majority thinking thank fuck I never did this- because it could happen to anyone.

It’s linked more than once on the first page of the thread.

Thoughts may have changed (or regulations). We bought an ionic 6 in California a few months ago that alerts us if there is weight on the back seat and we switch the engine off.

I live abroad in a hot country and hot car deaths happen annually. The people saying ‘it would never happen to me’ aren’t helpful. It’s more helpful to think how can I stop this ever happening to me. What is helpful is this:

-Nearly always happens when the non default parent/change of routine parent or caregiver has them eg Dad has them as Mum has a drs appt or is too unwell. Have a convo if there is any change of routine. It’s happened where Grandparents or family have forgotten they are babysitting that day and parked up and gone inside too.

-Children often fall asleep in the back of the car, hence the lack of a reminder. Check in with people that are driving or have your kids.

-Many times the parents drive on autopilot and as the child isn’t typically with them as it’s not routine and they are sleeping, they drive to the office or shop and get out as they typically would vs going to nursery or remembering to bring child in the shop as they forget they have them

I do the daily school runs and so if my husband ever does it I always call him and make sure my kids arrived ok. If someone had called this Dad (and no nobody should have had to but it reads like Dad drove to work on autopilot) then they’d have realised much sooner. I find myself constantly checking my backseats as I drive even when on my own as I’m in the habit of checking as I drive, my husband says he does the same thing now, make checking your backseat part of a routine. Add a bag to the backseat you need so you have to open the back doors.

Infallible?

leaving your toddler in an hot car now counts as fallible and ok?
OK.

Christ almighty.

What a heartbreaking story

So, using your scenario - imagine your husband left for his week at work as usual. But on this day, it's different. You have a Dr's appointment. Your husband puts your child in the car becaue he needs to be the one to drop them at nursery. It's always you that does that, except for today.

He suddenly remembers he needs to get cash out on his way to work. He heads to the cashpoint, intending to go to nursery afterwards. By now your child is asleep in the car.

He gets the cash, but has a phone call - there's a panic at work, can he get there ASAP? He jumps on the car, and heads to work. His briefcase is on the front seat. He parks, grabs his bag, goes inside.

Can you not think for one moment how that could happen?!

Devastating, but don't judge. It happens and it happened locally to me. I was exhausted that first year and was terrified I'd accidentally do the same, I used to lave my bag in the back seat for that very reason. There are prams left around all the time here, not the same but just shows how these things can happen

It's tragic, obviously

But I do think that having kids that age absolutely takes it out of you, and if there some small change in routine, it's possible to forget.

And if the child sleeps in the car, then yes, it can happen.

I was less anxious once my kids could open the car door from inside - I cannot tell you the amount of time I double checked my kids were not in the back seat! (OCD)

I disagree completely with Skylar White

No. Obviously.

What kind of fucking idiot forgets that they have their child in the back of their car.

Particularly if it’s not their norm.

Jesus. It’s really not that hard.

Oh do fuck off. Someone locally did this a few years ago, and it was devastating. We've all done stupid things when we have been tired and I can totally understand how this could happen to someone

Christ almighty, this thread is so bloody depressing.

That some people think that leaving a toddler in an overheated car is just a mistake. Good grief.

it’s negligence. Plain and simple.

Not cars but in the 40's, 50's, etc,, it was not uncommon for parents to leave their child in a pram outside a shop {big prams in those days}. It was all to easy to be distracted on leaving especially if there were several shops to be visited, and forget about the baby - only to go rushing back in a panic after getting home. it happens especially when people have several things on their mind and the baby is sleeping quietly

That poster isn't intelligent enough to understand, even if they bothered to read the article. They like yelling "fucking idiot" at the parents rather than engaging their brain.

I’m extremely intelligent by most recognised measures.

Yeah except empathy