After Reading This Article, if I Ever Have a No Call / No Show..

[MrsB]

Oh this is just so sad. I totally empathize with these parents. I dont think there is any amount of punishment that society can inflict on these parents that is any worse than the guilt they already feel.

A similar situation happened to me one time. When I worked outside the home, I always dropped the baby off at daycare and my husband dropped the older 2 off at school. My husband was out of town that week so Monday I dropped baby off and drove to work. My older 2 said Mom I thought we were going to school, why are we at your work? I was totally embarrassed. They were even talking and making noise in the back seat during the drive. I was just on auto pilot, I guess. From that point on, I always changed up my routine. Drove a different route, would take DD to the store first, or get gas first. Leave at different times, 5-10 minutes earlier just because. Every once in awhile I would change her carseat from one side of the car to the other. Just always switching up my routine so I never get complacent. A simple mistake can have such drastic consequences.

[gelbesonn]

I didn't read the article, but I can imagine what it says based on the posts. I am pg and won't be an emotional mess! Though a year or so ago, there was an article in a parent mag about something similar. I will call or txt parents i they are late to make sure everything is ok. Luckily I have pretty diligent parents and they contact me before hand when their kid isn't coming.

[Hunni Bee]

We had a case here a couple years back where the daycare van driver picked up the child from home but instead.of dropping the child off at daycare, he drove the van home and went inside, leaving the child to bake in the van all day. They only realized what happened when the child's mother called late that evening looking for.the boy.

It was a horrible situation. But it was soo preventable. The driver, who was.the owners son, never checked the van to see was anyone left on it...the daycare staff never called to see why had the van gone out and not come back, and whether the child was coming or not. They were dealt with....daycare shut down and both imprisoned.

The positive thing is they bumped up training for van drivers and the rest of us on how to prevent tragedies like that.

[Childminder]

Awful and tragic. A company needs to create a device in the car for parents that can monitor heat, oxegen and carbon dioxide. It should set off the car alarm if it reaches a critical level.

You could do this Michael. Invent it and make millions!

[Mommy2One]

A similar situation happened to me one time. When I worked outside the home, I always dropped the baby off at daycare and my husband dropped the older 2 off at school. My husband was out of town that week so Monday I dropped baby off and drove to work. My older 2 said Mom I thought we were going to school, why are we at your work? I was totally embarrassed. They were even talking and making noise in the back seat during the drive. I was just on auto pilot, I guess.

I almost did the same thing, but I didn't make it all the way to work. Our daughter is only in care 3 days/wk and we had just switched from a babysitter coming to our house to me dropping her off at the provider's. It'd been a rough morning plus I was tired and my daughter who normally talks non-stop was being super quiet in the backseat. It was our 4th or 5th day with the new arrangment so I wasn't hyper aware of the change but it wasn't yet routine and I totally went in auto pilot mode and missed the highway exit for her provider's house by a mile or two. I immediately felt terrible because I read a similar story in a parenting magazine, and at the time, wondered how anyone could forget their child was in the car.

I've heard that it's a good idea to put something of your child's in the front seat with you until you drop them off. Or to put something that you need for the work day (purse, briefcase, office keys) in the backseat with the child.