I locked my baby in the car!

[unsinkable]

I've heard that if you have to break a window to get in the windshield is the cheapest and easiest to replace.

I hadn't heard that but I'm pretty sure a car with a broken windshield (broken enough to get doors unlocked) would not be safe or legal to drive.

[eternalsummer]

Yup....I normally shove the key in my pocket, but did' have pockets in those pants. Sigh. 

 

I'm usually SO paranoid about this. I mean, whenI put in the big kids on one side of the car, or the groceries, I won't close that door until I get my door open, even if I'm sure it's unlocked. It was just that I was so flustered trying to let that other guy by...I won't do that again. 

 

Honestly, I was there first. And had a crying baby. He should have waited for me! But that ingrained female "be polite, let the other person go first" thing is so strong I guess I just habitually moved for him. 

 

Today I'm getting a magnetic thing to put with my key in it under the car. 

 

Oh, and in marriage tips, my excellent husband didn't lecture me, and instead hugged me as soon as I got home and asked if I was okay. (although I could tell he WANTEd to lecture.). And I didn't say "this is why I hate locking cars!" even though I wanted to. Before I married my husband I almost never locked my car doors. My father STILL doesn't. Never locked my house door either, lol. I do it now because my husband is super into security, but if you don't lock doors you don't lock kids in the car!

 

 

That is 100% not just a female ingrained thing.  I would say more people defer to me (with a baby, especially) than I do to them.  Men hold open the doors for women, around here, a fair amount of the time.

[Mergath]

I once locked dd in the car when it was running and it was thirty below zero out. We'd driven to a friend's house to jump her SUV that wouldn't start and I somehow locked dd in. She was older, maybe four, but she was scared because I was freaking out and wouldn't open the door. It wasn't my finest hour- I was terrified she was going to die of carbon monoxide poisoning or something (my car hadn't been running great and I hadn't gotten it into the shop yet) and I was shouting at her trying to get her to open the door. And of course that only made it worse. And did I mention that it was thirty below zero outside? By the time the cops arrived, tried to get the door open and failed, and then called a locksmith to come and open it, I was borderline hypothermic. Dd was fine, thankfully, but it was still terrifying.

 

So yeah, you're definitely not alone in having something like that happen. :grouphug:

 

 

[mommyoffive]

Oh my.  I am so glad it was worked out and fast.  

 

So scary.

 

I have no clue how that guy could have made it through that little of window.  He is pretty amazing.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

This is why my current car has a digital keypad. I need the reassurance that I can get into the car no matter what I do with my keys.

 

[Garga]

When the kids were little, I never wore anything that didn't have a belt loop. I kept the keys on a carabiner. If the keys weren't in my hands, then they were attached to my belt loop. I kept them attached to the belt loop from the moment I woke up until I went to sleep, in case I got locked out of the house. It cramped my fashion style, but I didn't want kids locked away from me.

 

And never once did I need them. But I felt better knowing that I always (always) had keys on me.

 

Oh, and I always, always wore sturdy shoes because I had a runner. And if he got out of the house, he would (100% would) have taken off running, and I'd have had to take off running after him.

 

So, belt loop and sturdy shoes for about 7 years until everyone was well able to open doors themselves and not run away.

 

Oh--and eye-hole latches on all outside doors and medicine closets. A neighbor's two-year-old got out of the house one morning to walk the dog at about 6:30--before anyone was up. The girl was found, but I didn't want that happening in my house, so eye-hole locks at the top of all the doors where toddlers couldn't reach and go for walks early in the morning alone.

Edited April 2, 2017 by Garga

[Barb_]

When the kids were little, I never wore anything that didn't have a belt loop. I kept the keys on a carabiner. If the keys weren't in my hands, then they were attached to my belt loop. I kept them attached to the belt loop from the moment I woke up until I went to sleep, in case I got locked out of the house. It cramped my fashion style, but I didn't want kids locked away from me.

 

And never once did I need them. But I felt better knowing that I always (always) had keys on me.

 

Oh, and I always, always wore sturdy shoes because I had a runner. And if he got out of the house, he would (100% would) have taken off running, and I'd have had to take off running after him.

 

So, belt loop and sturdy shoes for about 7 years until everyone was well able to open doors themselves and not run away.

 

Oh--and eye-hole latches on all outside doors and medicine closets. A neighbor's two-year-old got out of the house one morning to walk the dog at about 6:30--before anyone was up. The girl was found, but I didn't want that happening in my house, so eye-hole locks at the top of all the doors where toddlers couldn't reach and go for walks early in the morning alone.

Yes! My son got out twice at that age by pushing moving boxes (we were moving in) over to the door to reach the deadlocks. And he also grabbed the dog and his plastic wagon. We had to turn his doorknob around and lock his bedroom door on the outside until we emptied all the boxes. Thank GOODNESS no runners though. He just mosied himself around the block a few times until we caught up with him.

 

Sometimes I wonder how children survive childhood.

[Guest]

I've never locked anyone in the car but once I was locked out of the house with a two year old and newborn inside. I've been fastidious with my keys ever since - it was horrific and terrifying! No cell phone either, so I had to start knocking on random doors until someone was home and let me use their phone to call my husband.

Same. But my husband was underway. So i had to convince dh's commanding officer over the phone that I was his wife and this had REALLY happened, and to get someone to go through DHs stuff at the station on the off chance his keys were in there....And let this dude that was a stranger even to ME pick them up.

 

But they did and my neighbor drive down and got the keys...Baby was in the high chair. Toddler (20ish months) gave him cereal <3 and turned on the TV with only one channel, and watched a soap opera.

 

I wept the whole time. I felt particularly incompetent because I didn't​have a bra on hahaha.

 

Now I don't walk out the door without keys and I'm a nutcase about it!

 

Neighbors and friendly pet store people==the best! OP I'm so glad it worked out. Try not to feel bad!

Edited April 2, 2017 by OKBud

[athomeontheprairie]

I'm so glad you were able to resolve this! It can be frightening!

 

My dh keeps a lock out kit on both of our vehicles. EVERY time we have gone on a trip, he has had to use it. For me the scariest one was 100° degree weather, a mom looked her toddler in the car at the gas station . Dh took about five minutes to break into her car, but it was a LONG five minutes.

Having that kit has been so helpful.