I heard a good piece of advice: always leave your purse or bag in the back seat of the car, next to the baby, so that you'll check the back seat before leaving the car and notice if the baby's still there.

I agree, it's a very silly thing 

i liked the way you handeled the matter,its the basic thing which everyone have to follow,no parent wants to hurt his kid,but sometime they happen accidentally

simple common sense, but how many of us tend to think before doing a silly think like that?

Its such a scary thought. When ever i go out by myself and my daughter is with her father, i park my car where-ever i am going and no more then 5 steps away when im running back thinking i have had a lapse in memory and my baby is in the car. i have heard it happen before and though i always say "it will never happen to me".... what if it does by pure accident like the others

So scary and I can see how that father could have done that as I have been on the other side where I have always had my kids with me then one day when they are being babysat you go to the shops and as a habit you turn to get the baby out only to see the car seat empty. So I imagine it is like that. You forget and I bet he can never forgive himself. So sad!

I cant imagine EVER doing this I cant even imagine what the parents went through thats how horrible it sounds, with some of the points you made in the article this should really make some parents realize as important as a job can be nothing will ever measure up to the importance of a child. some parents really just need to learn how to relax have a great time with their kids and not be so caught up in their job

Great advice and such a eye opener i dont know how you can just forget about your child i would never leave my kids in the car not even for a minute .

Thanks for sharing

Luv Emz xxx

These stories break my heart.  I so completely agree with this advice.  Well written.

Excellent advice and I really like how you point out that it is not just the drug addled parents but normal parents and I think it is a good reminder to all people to be careful.   To take some things into consideration like one person pointed out get into the habit of always checking your backseat.  I could imagine with both parents working these days it would be so easy to think but he but she took them to childcare.

I'm a real stickler and will even take her out of the car if I'm going to pay for petrol with the exact change. Just don't want to ever get into the habit of thinking anytime is ok.  I think that habit can be deadly and I just don't think I would ever be able to climb from the pit of depression if I ever caused my child to die from my actions.

I

Naturally, you would think that after being in cars for long periods of time. Most mothers and fathers here and in the real world would know cars get hot. That they would realise that when they are driving along on a sunny day and turn on there airconditioning, or wind down there windows to cool down that they would not dare to even think about locking there children into the car with the windows up. That the bodys natural defence to lack of cyculation or cool air and lack of fluids and heat is DEHYDRATION. There is no rational explaination to someone locking there child in a car. If you need to turn on your air conditioning or open your window on the day that you decide to lock you child in the car, then your child is going to be in serious dange. Especially young children under six, who have never been told how to open the window or unlock the door and get out. Babies dehydrate more quickly than adults. They are NOT old enough to unlock there car restraint and get them selves a drink so why would you even think about leaving them in the car in the first place. Not only this what if the car gets stolen and the child is inside and the thief is a murderer? Just don't do it full stop. Hot day, Cold Day. Any Child up to 16 years that cant be responsible for them selves. 

I believe that accidents do not happen but are caused, something like this should never happen.

Something is seriouly wrong with society when we get so wraped up in the moment and forget the real reason for life.

Thank you for sharing this with us and let us take a moment to think of all those little ones that are no longer with us.

May we also have a thought for the parents who this has happened to as I can imagine the pain one would feel in this situation...I know I would NEVER forgive myself.

Excellent article and it breaks my heart to think of these little lives lost for no reason. 

I have always been aware of my children in the car and always check the backseat when I leave the car (even when I go to work) for this reason, I don't want to become one of these unfortunate parents.

I have heard of people breaking the windows of cars to get the children out and when the parents come back they aren't grateful but angry that the window was broken. 

It is something that needs to be brought to the attention of every parent and thanks for writing it in an obejective way.

Michelle

excellent approach

excellent article

thanks for sharing rue

Great article and advice ans has me crying for those poor babies that had no chance of survival.. I always used to get mick to undo the car seats when my 3 were babies and carry them in like that, as if they were to be unstrapped 9 times out of 10 they wake..

Now they are older, they say we want to stay in the car while u go inside, No way not allowed at all...

xxx cazza

i really liked how you took a non-judgmental approach in your article...
your aim was just to encourage people not to put their babies in the car, not to criticise them for it...

thank you for sharing, it was a well-written article !

xox

You beat me to it!  I was going to write an advice about this!  Good on you.  Glad you did, saves me time and work. 

I once witnessed a burning car parked outside a pub.  The firebrigade was just arriving to put the blaze out, so there was nothing for me to do about it.  But it horrified me when the mother came running out from the bar screaming, "Where's my baby?"  Her baby was in the car.  The temperature had gotten so high that day the bitumen on the road was melting.  The conclusion was that the sun shining through the car window and through a pair of glasses on the dash created an intense heat spot that started the fire.  But the baby perished from the heat long before the fire started.

It only takes a few minutes for the heat in a car to build up, and it only takes a few minutes for a young child to die.

I've also seen dogs that have had to be put down from being left in hot cars, as they go insane from the heat and get vicious, and won't even let their owners near the car.  A common method of termination is to call for a police officer to shoot the dog through the window, as it's usually the only safe way to do it without getting bitten.  Sad, but true.

And I can't remember how many times I've called the police to report children being left unattended in a car.  It sickens me.