Well, it happened. The day I never thought would happen. At 10:52 am this morning I locked my kid in the car. After buckling Caden into his carseat and shutting his door, I placed my hand on the door handle fully expecting it to open like it always does but it didn’t budge. Searching my diaper bag for my keys was pointless because I could see them inside the car on the my seat.  After attempting to open all the other doors, including the trunk, I called 911.

The 911 operator told me the more relaxed I stayed the better it would be for my 19 month old. Umm…I just locked my baby in the car! I was ready to bust the window open with my diaper bag if needed to get him out. But instead I said a quick prayer and begin to play peek-a-boo with him. Thank goodness for that sweet 911 operator reassuring me I was not a bad parent and that if I was ever going to lock my child in the car the weather today was ideal for such a dilemma. With the fire department in route to my location the call ended and I attempted to distract my son.

After peek-a-boo we sang a few songs and I danced around to entertain him. I could have cared less what I looked like at the time but I am sure a 5 month pregnant lady dancing and singing around her car was somewhat comical.

In the process of waiting for the fire department to arrive I attempted to call my husband at work. 5 times. I knew that he was probably out on a call, possibly playing the hero to another mama who found herself in a similar situation. I understood calling him was not going to get Caden out of the car any sooner, but one of the benefits of having a firefighter for a husband is that he can talk me out of a panic and tell me that it is going to be ok.

On my last attempt to call Josh, Caden was becoming slightly less amused by the whole situation. I think he was starting to realize that we weren’t playing a game anymore and that he was stuck in the car.

Thankfully at 11:01 am, only 9 minutes since the 911 call, which felt like an eternity, the fire department arrived in the parking lot. I excitedly told Caden through the window that the fire engine was here to rescue him out of the car. As soon as he saw the engine he became super excited and began saying “dada” over and over again.

The firefighters were super nice and Caden was in my arms within 5 minutes. With no damage done to our car and Caden unlocked from his carseat I was a happy and relaxed mama again. Caden was such a trooper during the entire ordeal and he was given two stuffed animals from the firefighters. I hugged on my baby and said thank you numerous times as the crew packed up to head back to their station.

I will never lock my keys in the car again. Like ever. I might even physically attach them to my body so there is no chance I can do this in the future. That being said, it wasn’t the end of the world like I thought it would be, my mommy card did not get revoked, and Caden is the now the proud owner of stuffed teddy bear and duck.

Thank you Chandler Fire Department for rescuing my baby out of the car and thank you husband for cleaning my car out this weekend. This situation would have been even more awful had Caden been stuck in a dirty car surrounded by stale puffs and used kleenex.

I want to hear your confessionals! Has this happened to you? Leave your comments below. 

xoxo, Tamara

PS…Want to read my first confessional? Cough, cough, sneeze, and whoops…I peed my pants.