Just to preface.. the picture to your left is the guilty. If it looks too cute.. he probably is LOL
So my morning started out normal. I gave the boys breakfast, got them dressed, packed their bags and away we go to daycare. They go for 4 hours on Wedneday to get them ready for when I go back to work. Up here in Canada it can be pretty cold in the morning and the windows get all frosty. This morning was one of those days so I started the car to defrost them.
I told Thomas to get into his car seat while I strapped Ben into his. I closed his door and went to the other side. Thomas was not in his seat, infact he was in the front seat. I go to open the front door and to my horror it was locked!! The window was only open a peep. I started yelling at him to unlock the door and stop touching things. I was so conflicted. Do I run to the house to get DH to help me get him out? If I do, will Thomas figure out how to get the car out of park and hit the gas? If I stay and wait until someone comes by will that give him enough time to figure it out?
So I ran to the house and yelled at DH to come out with his set of keys. I ran back to the car and the blinkers were on, the wipers and he was playing with the break pedal! I stuck a stick in the window to try and press the unlock button (I know he didn’t do it on purpose hes only 2!). Finally after taking his sweet time not realizing it was an emergency Dh comes out with the keys.
I open the door and rescue my little man who was SO happy he was “driving”. My heart nearly came out of my chest. After calming down I took them to daycare and spent my time at home on the couch still trying to calm down! Imagine how much worse it could have been.
I was trying to find information and tips to share with everyone but they only have things on carseat safety. I am also very happy to hear that a child locking his/herself in a car is very common occurance. (Helps me feel a little less guilty). Unfortunately up here sometimes you do need to start your car before you put the kids in but I think next time I will let it sit alone and then shut it off as I buckle them. I’m also going to have a window open that my arm can fit in! So I guess my only piece of advice would be to keep an extra eye and that no matter what age, they can always surprise you!
Here is some Car Safety common FAQ: http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/safety_security.html
May 13th, 2009 at 11:04 pm
That is funny . . . now!!!
I’m always worried about this, too, as Emily seems to always push the lock button, never unlock!!
My cousins and I (around 4 years old) actually put the car in reverse and backed down the driveway into the neighbor’s car. We got in trouble for that one . . .
May 14th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
lol glad it all worked out
May 15th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Kaelyn (almost 3) locks the back doors with her toe almost as soon as we put her in the car. Shoes come off and we hear “CLICK!” Luckily locking the back don’t lock the car like it would if it were the front!
I do remember when I was… 9-10 my then 3-4 yr old niece somehow got out of her car seat. My sister had brought me to visit friends and the driveway out of their place was steep. She was eaving and I was coming up the road from playing (amazing what we could so 20 years ago in town huh?). The plan was when the van was backing out I met her to eave… well she forgot something and parked the van on the high incline and put the E brake on to run to the end of the driveway to grab it from whoever was bringing it to her, and my niece got unlocked from her seat, crawled in to the front, AND UNLOCKED THE E BREAK! Thank goodness Sis had a good alignment! She just rolled back down (backwards) to the low end of the driveway.
Even now my sister says that was the scariest moment of her mom life.. and she’s had 2 more since then.