Fucking hell I just lost my son, he'd let himself out the house

[sebsmummy1]

My heart is hammering in my chest and can't get hold of anyone to just talk it through to calm me down.

DS is a very immature 2.5 year old with speech delay. Came back from shopping, refused to nap so brought him back downstairs and he was messing about with the TV and his toys whilst I was cleaning and gutting 6 fish!!! I thought it had gone a bit quiet but we have a huge storm here at the moment and lots of things were clattering about outside so I didn't hear the front door go.

I finished with the fish came into the living room and there was no one there. I ran in and out every room of the house in total silence and each one was empty. I was trying to decide whether to ring the police when I opened the front door and he was out there playing with stones with the wind galing all about him

He did this once before ages ago and got a big telling off and hasn't done it since. We have UPVC doors and I need to lock it from the inside to secure it and I didn't. I honestly honestly hate myself. I don't even know how long he was out there for as I was so caught up in my kitchen task. Fucking hell he is my only child, I can't have anymore and I nearly lost him. I don't know how I'm not sobbing right now, I think I'm
In total shock. I will never leave that bloody door unlocked again. Terrifying.

Glad he's been found. You must, must lock the door, of course (yes, I've forgotten many times, too!) but it might be worth investing in a door alarm, as a back up, so you'll hear something other than clattering if he does let himself out again.

My then 7 year old with SN picked my keys out of pocket, while I was busy, cleaning and let himself out a couple of summers ago. Thankfully, all he did was walk up to next door's gate to peer in through the back door, which is always open. I always pat myself down, when he's had a rummage, now!

Oh - and if you have an habitual escape artist, never leave the keys in window locks!

I have all the windows secured with safety locks. Keys in a safe place.

DP came home and we talked and I had a cry . Then we both hugged DS as though we hadn't seen him for months. DP has ordered a safety catch for the front door that I can flip down when I'm in so I don't have to lock it with a key. It will stop him being able to get in when we're home but he'll just have to ring the bell or go round the back.

Thanks for allowing me to talk and for commiserating with me. I'm feeling slightly calmer now!

When DS was 6 he wrote a note saying something like 'I am going away because you won't let me watch TV'. I was hoovering and never heard him going out the front door - he left the note on the floor. I looked for him everywhere in the house and found him with his teddy, in his socks, at his best friend's house (sitting outside, they were out), he had ran there and crossed a street on his own, without shoes. God knows what people thought when they saw him.

The panic in the house was so intense, you wouldn't believe it. It happens, you are not the only one!

We have the safety catch, OP. It's great, but yesterday DH went to work and I forgot to put the catch down behind him.... the result, I went upstairs to pack a bag to come back down to find DS(3yrs) and the dog in the front garden with no fence or gate.

I've had strangers bring toddler DSs to the door (just the once each, they found different escape routes ).

When I was 2-3yo I ran away LOADS of times. Police kept bringing me home. Took months for parents to work out how I did it.

ps: I actually had a name tag with name & address printed on it to wear at all times.

We put a chain on our upvc door for that reason. Then you're not locked in.

Poor you, op, how scary.

My DS locked me out of the house once - he shut the door (yale lock) whilst i was getting the shopping in. I had to find a neighbour to help me break in through the back door, which all took about 20 mins. DS was happily watching Thomas the Tank Engine. I lost the same DS in Debenhams when he was about 4 - the security guards took me into the CCTV room to look for him, and he had wandered out of the store and was heading up the escalators. We have also lost DD in a dutch Centerparcs (whole park closed down whilst security looked for her),and in Central Park (a horrific half an hour searching for her).

So - in conclusion we are obviously pretty shite parents, yet DS and DD are 21 and 18 respectively, and seem to have grown up OK.

I'm not trying to be flippant OP, I can still remember the truly awful feeling of dread and 'what if's' - but please don't beat yourself up too much!

This happens to me at least once a week my doors dont need a key to open it think of a bathroom lock. As hard as I try to keep him in ds lies in wait of when you might be distracted. The other day someone brought him back from the shop scary stuff just today he snuck in from the back garden and out the front door I had to shout to dp because I saw him from the upstairs window.

I've just had a massive fence put in my back garden to stop him climbing through the hedges and out next doors garden.

"A bloke in a van said a little girl had just walked up the street... "
You have to wonder why somebody would see a 2 year old walking down the road by themselves and not try to find out where they belonged?

My late mother-in-law, when she had 2 kids under 18 months, left the younger one at the supermarket. Somehow it seems worse that she only left one of them. She did get him back though.

I guess a man in a van would probably be best to stay out of it as awful as that sounds. I too would hope someone would intervene if a small child looked to be wandering alone but I'm sure many people would just hope the next person would do something just incase they were accused if trying to kidnap them or something.

Well this morning I was eating breakfast and realised I hadn't locked the door after DP left and hadn't seen DS for about 5 mins (the kitchen is the furthest room from the front door and DS was in the living room). I shot to the living room to check he was there and then locked the door. I need some training I think and that safety catch can't get here quick enough.

This happened to me, I have the same door as you. My son had just started walking and I had no idea he could reach the door handle. I'm outside in the garden and next thing I know, my neighbour is outside holding my little boy in just his nappy looking terrified. Someone came knocking on my door half open! I shit myself as the bit out the front of my house is the parking area for residents. Luckily she knows me.

I know how you're feeling. I felt shit about it for a while, but he's not done it since as I now know to lock the door! But I also thought: my mum lost me when I went shopping at 2 so I'm not a bad mum. (my mum was very vigilant!) Most parents will have something like this happen at some point, but of course it still leaves you unsettled.

we moved house recently!y and have a upvc door, I was talking to my DFil in the living room when my DS (then 22 months) who was playing in the front room went quiet, I went to check on him and saw the front door open, I ran out to the street in a panic and saw him on the road behind a parked car!!! door is now locked with key removed as he had now figured out how to turn the key needless to say my heart was pounding in my chest! but we all learn from our mistakes

Aged 5 DD decided to play hide and seek with me. In a large store. Without telling me.

Longest 5 mins of my life