But in my sleep deprived state, I am more sympathetic than usual. And having forgotten where I was going more than once, I get it.
This morning, MAM is still sound asleep, so I’m indulging in the Today Show. They just finished a segment on hot cars and how dangerous it is to leave your kids in the car…and how to prevent it. The obvious thing would be to, you know, take your kids out of the car. But sometimes that doesn’t happen, and tragedy strikes. How can a mom forget her child? As someone who’s done the crazy out the door-to the daycare-to work on time- do I have everything dance for awhile now, I can almost see it. Especially with a sleeping child or one who doesn’t talk.
So how do you fool-proof yourself to keep your child safe? There were two excellent ideas–one was to put something in the car seat whenever your child isn’t in the car, and then when you put your child in, keep the object in the front seat as a visual reminder. The other idea is to put your purse in the backseat, so that before you get out of the car, you’re going to get into the backseat for your purse, and see your child. I also have to say that MAM’s daycare almost always calls me if I don’t call them if she’s absent, which I think is a fabulous double-safety check.
Just something to think about……
These stories scare me to death! I’m the type who loses things in plain sight, gets in such a rush that I suddenly arrive somewhere without half or what I was supposed to bring, or without remembering how I got there….
I cannot imagine letting this happen, but I can see how it might….
These are GREAT tips! Thanks for them…
(Plus, how long does it take until you really and truly consciously think of yourself as a parent of TWO children, when for almost 3 years, you’ve been only having to keep track of one???)
I am a new reader, but I have to share my thoughts here. Last month, my 2 year old was trapped in the car. We live in a safe area; my husband and I never locked our car doors in the driveway or garage. I was doing somethings around the house and the boys were playing. I came through and didn’t see my son. I couldn’t hear him. I checked outside and found that he had gotten in the car and locked himself inside. He was fine, but he was extremely hot and soaking wet with sweat. I took his temperature and it was 102degrees. I put him in the tub to bring his temperature down. We have since begun locking our cars whenever we leave them unattended. We were lucky. I want to spread the word so others won’t have to learn the hard way.