If you see a baby left in a car

[Uuaww]

When I was working as a lifeguard someone left a kid in the car on a hot summer day, I saw it and immeadiately broke the glass, someone called 911. Kid was fine, it had only been a few minutes I guess. I needed 20 something stiches though on my hand.

Incidently the next day I saw a program of a guy carjacking a car where he emptied a chip bag and put his hand in it and then punched the glass to save his hand.

 

[castleview]

http://abcnews.go.com/US/caught-tap...p-attempted-carjacking-save/story?id=12241038

http://www.middletownpress.com/articles/2010/09/28/news/doc4ca16826ae2f9989306339.txt

http://www.newschannel10.com/story/12152639/auto-theft-with-child?redirected=true

http://www.wrdw.com/home/headlines/113487034.html

http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-stolen-car-kids,0,7213729.story

http://hamptonroads.com/2008/03/hampton-police-arrest-man-theft-car-child-inside



You wouldn't leave your purse or cell phone sitting alone in a shopping cart or in a car, why would you leave your child?

Did you read my post?!?! All the examples you gave cited people who left the car running and unlocked so a thief could get in there and take off. I said if the car is NOT running and locked, I don't see a problem with it.

 

[bgirldeb]

Parenting is full of inconveniences, I feel that schleping my kid in and out of the car is one of the smaller ones.

There was a local news story about a lady that was cited by police for leaving her children in a car with the A/C on while she was at the DHS office to handle some business.

(Disclaimer: this story has some of the worst grammar I've seen in a while. That's the local news for you!)


http://www.wreg.com/news/wreg-mom-cited-for-leaving-kids-unattended-in-car-story,0,154464.story

 

[luvsJack]

This could go back and forth forever! (obviously)

I am wondering if perhaps one of the differences of opinion stems from a difference in a person's area, the places they did leave their child in the car at, and other differences in their own experiences.

I left dd in the car to run in and pay for gas, or buy cigerettes (I know, horrible but I have since quit). With me in the store and her in the car, she was closer to me than she would be if she was asleep in her bed and I ran out to get something out of the car. I could see her the whole time and if for some reason something did detain me, it would be very easy to run back to her. The car was running with air on and it was locked. There was 0 chance of the car being carjacked as there was rarely anyone around except maybe one or two people in the store. This was when she was an infant up to about 2. Once she was able to get out of her carseat, I never left her. --in the same situation as mine or a similar one, its not as huge an issue as some are making it seem to be.

I would never leave small children that could possibly knock a car of gear (I don't see how that happens with newer cars, mine can NOT be put into drive unless my foot is on the brake) or might get out of the car or anything like that.

I don't think anyone should leave a baby/child if they are going into a building that they cannot see out of or if they will be doing any kind of business that could take longer than expected. There are different situations that call for different choices. If it is truly only for less than 5 minutes, the child is in no danger of getting too hot or too cold, the car is locked and the parent can see the car; I don't think calling the police is really warranted. A quick notice from a concerned citizen to make sure mom is coming right back is all that, imo, is necessary.

We can all come up with horror stories that stem from leaving a child in the car and I am sure if we hunt hard enough we can come up with some that "prove" a child should be left in the car. But if we do enough internet searches we can come up with stories that prove just about anything.

 

[Wadecool]

Did you read my post?!?! All the examples you gave cited people who left the car running and unlocked so a thief could get in there and take off. I said if the car is NOT running and locked, I don't see a problem with it.

You may not have a problem with that scenario, but I'll be willing to bet that local law enforcement will have a big problem it!

 

[Jedana]

Did you read my post?!?! All the examples you gave cited people who left the car running and unlocked so a thief could get in there and take off. I said if the car is NOT running and locked, I don't see a problem with it.

If it's not running, there is no a/c or heat going, putting the child in danger.
If the car is locked and the windows are down and not running, that still leaves the child open to kidnapping.
If the car is not running, doors are locked and windows are up, you are putting the child's life in danger, due to rising temperatures.

So, which scenario are saying is best for the child? Just curious.

 

[kt_mom]

I'm sorry, but I think that leaving a child unattended in a car is putting them in immediate danger. How do you know it's going to be a quick trip? What if there's a long line? What if the clerk is busy doing something? There are too many things that are beyond your control.
There is nothing that I have wanted or needed so badly that I would risk leaving my child unattended in the car. Is it a pain to pull her out of her seat, lug her to the store and then put her back in? Absolutely, but I’d rather be inconvenienced than risk her wellbeing.

I realize I'm pulling up a week old thread, but I was on vacation last week and didn't have a chance to respond.

I can see inside the car and judge by the number of cars in the lot as to whether the store is busy or not. In fact I can see if the clerk is at the counter or off doing something else that would make the trip inside take longer. This is a 7-11 I'm talking about, not walmart. If there is a line or several people inside that might get in line in front of me then I take the kids in. I also won't leave them in the car if I can't park directly in front of the doors making them visible to me at all times. This is usually possible since its a small neighborhood 7-11.

There are things beyond our control in every situation we encounter. Parents have to make decisions for their kids that they find acceptable. With enough searching I'm sure we could find evidence of danger in every single thing we do every day.

 

[kt_mom]

Your car windows are that heavily tinted? VA must have changed...my mom and stepdad bought a car in Miami with incredibly dark windows, then they moved to VA. And VA told them to take off the tinting, that the legal level of tinting was WAY less than what their windows were.

And the tinting on their windows was NOT so dark that someone standing right there could not see in, especially if the things to be seen are living, breathing, moving (maybe waving) humans.

Their level of tint was ALSO very *difficult* to see through *from the inside*. Are your windows legal?



Aw dagnabit, now I have to have my husband arrested. He left ME and our son in the car the other day. OK well the windows were open enough for me to stick my fingers through (so that someone could see my bright pink grownup size fingernails just in case they didn't notice ME in the car, if they saw DS and thought he was alone), and it was a typically cool semi-rainy lovely June PacNW day.

My point is...don't say "nobody should be left in a car without the AC running period any age", because...our car was perfectly cool and lovely and DS got a nice little nap while I was feeling very sick and hubby did the shopping. The key is to have a legal driver with keys there keeping an eye on things from inside the car (so they know how hot/cold is it).

Our window tint is pretty dark, definitely way darker then the legal limit. We like the dark tint though for lots of reasons and choose to keep it that way. We have had the dark tint on all of our cars over the years.

You can't see into the back windows of the car if you are standing several feet away and glance at the car. I guess if you walked up close to the car and look hard you can see inside. The front windows aren't as dark, but the kids are in the back.

 

[LaurenLC]

I realize I'm pulling up a week old thread, but I was on vacation last week and didn't have a chance to respond.

I can see inside the car and judge by the number of cars in the lot as to whether the store is busy or not. In fact I can see if the clerk is at the counter or off doing something else that would make the trip inside take longer. This is a 7-11 I'm talking about, not walmart. If there is a line or several people inside that might get in line in front of me then I take the kids in. I also won't leave them in the car if I can't park directly in front of the doors making them visible to me at all times. This is usually possible since its a small neighborhood 7-11.

There are things beyond our control in every situation we encounter. Parents have to make decisions for their kids that they find acceptable. With enough searching I'm sure we could find evidence of danger in every single thing we do every day.

You're right; there is danger in almost everything we do in life. The difference here is that this is something you don't HAVE to do.... You can easily pull your child out of the car and bring them into the store/7-11 with you. I think what irritates me the most about this is that people are rationalizing why they do it, which is pointless because there is (in my opinion) no rational reason to leave your child unattended in a car. Just be honest about it and say you just don't want to be inconvenienced. That still doesn't make it right, but at least we're being honest with one another.

 

[LaurenLC]

Our window tint is pretty dark, definitely way darker then the legal limit. We like the dark tint though for lots of reasons and choose to keep it that way. We have had the dark tint on all of our cars over the years.

You can't see into the back windows of the car if you are standing several feet away and glance at the car. I guess if you walked up close to the car and look hard you can see inside. The front windows aren't as dark, but the kids are in the back.

So you're leaving your kids in a car while you run in a store and you can see them the entire time, but the windows of your car are so heavily tinted that you can't see in when you are standing several feet away? Do you have x-ray vision?

 

[Wadecool]

You're right; there is danger in almost everything we do in life. The difference here is that this is something you don't HAVE to do.... You can easily pull your child out of the car and bring them into the store/7-11 with you. I think what irritates me the most about this is that people are rationalizing why they do it, which is pointless because there is (in my opinion) no rational reason to leave your child unattended in a car. Just be honest about it and say you just don't want to be inconvenienced. That still doesn't make it right, but at least we're being honest with one another.

Very well put!

 

[kt_mom]

So you're leaving your kids in a car while you run in a store and you can see them the entire time, but the windows of your car are so heavily tinted that you can't see in when you are standing several feet away? Do you have x-ray vision?

I can see my vehicle and the surrounding parking lot to make sure that as I pay for my purchase that no one is breaking into my car, blowing it up with a rocket launcher or vaporizing it. Outiside interference aside, my children would have no risk of danger at all. So I am able to monitor the outside interference from where I am in the store.

 

[kt_mom]

You're right; there is danger in almost everything we do in life. The difference here is that this is something you don't HAVE to do.... You can easily pull your child out of the car and bring them into the store/7-11 with you. I think what irritates me the most about this is that people are rationalizing why they do it, which is pointless because there is (in my opinion) no rational reason to leave your child unattended in a car. Just be honest about it and say you just don't want to be inconvenienced. That still doesn't make it right, but at least we're being honest with one another.

There are all sorts of things we don't have to do. I'm sure with enough searching I could find reasons that we would never let our children out of our arms, or even hold them in our arms. We could all live in complete fear all the time, heck a plane could land on your house tomorrow. In my neighborhood with a small airstrip up the road its probably just as likely as my car being carjacked or my kids kidnapped while I'm standing 20 feet away.

I think parenting decisions should be left up to the parents. Just because you would never do something doesn't mean that I won't. And something that you might do I would never dream of doing. My parenting is my choice and I don't have to rationalize anything, I'm free to make my choice for my children. I wouldn't leave someone else's child in the car without knowing the parents feelings on it or having their permission, but for my kids, its MY choice.

 

[luvsJack]

You're right; there is danger in almost everything we do in life. The difference here is that this is something you don't HAVE to do.... You can easily pull your child out of the car and bring them into the store/7-11 with you. I think what irritates me the most about this is that people are rationalizing why they do it, which is pointless because there is (in my opinion) no rational reason to leave your child unattended in a car. Just be honest about it and say you just don't want to be inconvenienced. That still doesn't make it right, but at least we're being honest with one another.

I don't know that so many are trying to rationalize a reason for you, they are saying that the child is not in mortal danger as you seem to feel.

 

[nana2tots]

Wrong, wrong, wrong, if you can't carry the children w/ you in the store, then don't stop................

 

[kt_mom]

I don't know that so many are trying to rationalize a reason for you, they are saying that the child is not in mortal danger as you seem to feel.

 

[cinabug]

You're right; there is danger in almost everything we do in life. The difference here is that this is something you don't HAVE to do.... You can easily pull your child out of the car and bring them into the store/7-11 with you. I think what irritates me the most about this is that people are rationalizing why they do it, which is pointless because there is (in my opinion) no rational reason to leave your child unattended in a car. Just be honest about it and say you just don't want to be inconvenienced. That still doesn't make it right, but at least we're being honest with one another.

I don't HAVE to own a car and transport my children at high speeds. I don't HAVE to let my child ride a bike. I don't HAVE to put them on a plane and take them to Disney World. They would doubtless be safer if I did none of these things, but I don't see anyone on calling me a bad parent for allowing them to do any of these dangerous activities.

I do all kinds of things as a parent because I don't want to be inconvenienced. I buy prepared food rather than cooking everything from scratch, because it's just easier. I leave my kids with grandma rather than taking them to the mall with me, just because they're not that much fun to have at the mall. I let my kids play video games and watch movies on long car trips instead of keeping their brains occupied with learning games, just because I like to listen to my audiobook in the car.

Let's actually be honest hear and admit that this about a few people insisting that their way is the only right way. It's about those same people throwing out wildly exaggerated hypotheticals to justify their interference in the lives of other parents. Yes, the car windows could be broken out and the baby stolen. By that same logic, every time you see someone driving down the road with children in the car, you should be flagging them down and disabling the vehicle, because they could be in an accident during the remainder of the trip. It's far more likely than the baby snatching scenario. Heck, for all you know, the whole car trip is just of the convenience of the parent. GASP! The thing is, I don't think anyone is going to start pulling over cars with children. It's much more convenient to call the police and feel smug about your interference without taking any real risk or responsibility for your own actions.

There is currently a thread on here with people criticizing mothers for bringing their sons into ladies restrooms. Those mothers are just trying to keep their children safe, but other women are complaining that they are inconvenienced by the presence of the boys. Who's right in that instance? I imagine that it is completely a matter of opinion. I don't take my boys into the restroom with me, but I have two, so I can send them together. I'm hardly going to judge parents in a different situation. Unless the parent is doing something to actually endanger the child, like leaving a baby in a HOT car or abandoning a child in a roadside restroom, I'll be minding my own business and letting them parent as they see fit.

 

[Joss&Brendan'sMommy]

ITA with this entire post. I learn something new every day on the DIS, and what I've learned today is that it's filled with perfect parents who have never made a single mistake. And those same perfect parents are all too willing to ruin life not only for the mother who may or may NOT have made a mistake (depending on how long she was actually in whatever store, the weather and the laws of the particular state), but also for the child, without knowing all the facts.

I know the system. I've worked with kids in the system. I think the system is certainly needed for kids whose parents burn them with cigarettes for fun, prostitute them, beat them to a bloody pulp, rape them, pour alcohol down their throats--all things that have happened to clients I had). I do not, however, think that a child from a loving family deserves the mess and heartbreak that is the CPS system simply because his mother went into a convenience store.

I'm assuming some of you are misguided, and have absolutely no idea what further damage you may be inflicting on the child by calling the police. I'm not talking about kids left at bars, parents who don't come back for a long time, etc. I'm talking about those of you who see a child in a car with no parent, and immediately call the cops. Those children you claim to put first don't deserve that fate.

I also agree with this completely. Well stated

 

[Wadecool]

There are all sorts of things we don't have to do. I'm sure with enough searching I could find reasons that we would never let our children out of our arms, or even hold them in our arms. We could all live in complete fear all the time, heck a plane could land on your house tomorrow. In my neighborhood with a small airstrip up the road its probably just as likely as my car being carjacked or my kids kidnapped while I'm standing 20 feet away.

I think parenting decisions should be left up to the parents. Just because you would never do something doesn't mean that I won't. And something that you might do I would never dream of doing. My parenting is my choice and I don't have to rationalize anything, I'm free to make my choice for my children. I wouldn't leave someone else's child in the car without knowing the parents feelings on it or having their permission, but for my kids, its MY choice.

You make some valid points here. I agree with your thought that we could let ourselves get carried away worrying about what harm could come to our kids and danger is relative to each of us. Personally, I wouldn't leave my kids in a car alone for any reason, so we can just agree to disagree on that. But, you should be advised that if myself or someone else miraculously sees through the limo tint on your windows and sees your child alone in that car, we have the right to choose to call 911 and bring law enforcement into the situation.

 

[akcire]

Last year I called the police when I saw a child sleeping in a car.

The car was running, and the child was sleeping in their car seat (I would say under 3 but more than 18 months). The police showed up and they watched the car for 5 minutes, at that point the cop got pissed off and called for the fire department.

They broke out the back window--it was a (brand new luxury) station wagon and unlocked the car and put the kid in an ambulance.

The mother did not come out of the store for another 10 minutes after the police took her child. At that point she was placed in handcuffs--needless to say she was quite hysterical.

I gave the police officer my information, and went into the store to do my business. The police officer stopped me on the way out of the store. They pulled the video camera and the kid had been left in the car for about 30 minutes before I called the police. So all in this woman left the kid for about an hour. The store we are talking about is about two times the size of the candy store on Main Street in the magic kingdom; I have never spent more than 10 minutes in the store.

I know the woman was prosecuted criminally, because the states attorney asked me to be a witness if needed (some sort of plea deal was reached). The child was released into the custody of her father.

I now have an 11 week old, and it is a pain to take her into somewhere for a one minute transaction. Last week I went to the bank and had to go inside. I was literally inside for 2 minutes (I had called ahead to have everything ready). However, there is no way in the world I would leave her in the car alone, there is NOTHING on this earth worth leaving her alone in the car. Anything I could do or buy with her in the car, I can wait and do later.