Family Leaves 2 Yr Old at MCO Airport!

[Seahunt]

This was on the local Orlando news tonight - count your kids before heading to Disney from the airport!

http://www.wftv.com/news/2204352/detail.html

 

[hercamore]

I'm speechless!

How do you drive for 30 minutes and not know your baby isn't in the car?


herc.

 

[jamsmom]

Tell me HOW you don't know your child is not with you.

 

[helenabear]

I cannot believe it!! I notice when I am missing a ring or a watch, let alone a kid????

 

[cgcw]

How scary for the little one. I can't imagine leaving without my child (although at times I wish I had ).

 

[Bunchkin]

Can you say LOSERS??

When we are at an airport, or any busy place with lots of people for that matter, my and my DH's attention is even more hightened as to making sure our children our safe.

 

[Tracie Wallace]

Just thank God that he's all right. Just think of the things that could have happened .....

 

[ripleysmom]

The really sad part of this is that the 2 yr old's family must not have been using a car seat for him (which they should have done) otherwise they would have noticed the empty car seat.

 

[allicat]

That means that these parents didnt even look at or try to talk to this 2 year old for at least a 25 minute ride! If they did, they would have noticed the kid wasnt in the car!
That is really poor parenting. In a hectic situation, like an airport, your first concern should be for the baby- not getting the bags into the rental van.

 

[FINFAN]

 

[Poohbear123]

Oh, my...an extra kid!

 

[Princess_Aurora]

Can we say Home Alone flashback.

Well, I know that when we get those rental vans from the airport they already have car seats...but shouldn't you still have to help a 2-year-old into a car??? Maybe it's one of those situations where they have a big family and everyone just assumed someone else got the baby??? Still though, before we drive away from anywhere I always make sure both my kids are in the car.

 

[TIdoublegaER]

well...in reading the article, it was 2 families with 2 vans. They probably thought the little one was in the other vehicle - not the vehicle of someone they didn't know!! No excuse not to count heads, but I suppose I can see how it happened.

Of course, I lost my 5yo last year at MK. Thought MIL had taken her to the bathroom and when MIL walks up with no kid, I ask where's Katie? I don't know. Let's just say I had a meltdown right there in Tomorrowland between Alien Encounter and Buzz Lightyear. Fortunately, she turned up a couple minutes later - I was so freaked out I still don't know how we found her in all those people. My advice - when traveling in a large group, always know where all the little ones are and who has them! When it's just DH and I, keeping track of 2 kids is easy - one for each of us. When there are 5 adults for 2 kids - what a mess!

 

[4greatboys]

Everyone knows how hard it is to keep up with little ones--esp. 2 yr olds thats why I never take my eyes and hands off mine. I can see how they may get seperated in a busy airport if your not right on top of them but there is no way these people should have gotten in their van and not noticed their own child was missing!! Much less notice after a 20 minute ride. Good grief!

 

[disykat]

Scary. I can see it happening. If Dad was in one van and Mom was in the other and they each thought the other had the child...

 

[mom2boys]

DH & I have always made it a point to explicitly stated when one of us is shifting responsibility for either or both of our boys to the other parent. Even now that they are 9 and almost 8 it's
"DH, I've got DS2. DS1 is with you". DH must acknowledge.

 

[whirlsy]

Poor kid but like another poster has said maybe mom was in one van and dad was in the other and thought each other had them, plus their are hotels about 10 minutes from the airport considered close to "disney hotels" plus when you get going around that airport it isnt like you can just turn around you have to go through different paths.Plus who knows if we are getting th full story they have to print what will sell. Thanks goodness all is well and I am sure that baby will get some extra stuff this vacation.

 

[bsnyder]

I'm not sure I'm clear, from the news report, exactly what happened.

DH & I have always made it a point to explicitly stated when one of us is shifting responsibility for either or both of our boys to the other parent. Even now that they are 9 and almost 8 it's
"DH, I've got DS2. DS1 is with you". DH must acknowledge.

This is a must for us too! Our family will frequently meet up at a restaurant for dinner, and sometimes we have 3 cars between us, if we're all coming from different activities. We make sure to clarify who DD (age 8) is riding home with otherwise I can easily see a miscommunication happening.

 

[kessieann]

No matter how inexcusable it sounds I cannot even begin to fathom how terrified they must have been when they realized the baby was missing. I watched a movie once with Michelle Phifer where she lost her child and I was crying in the theater at the sheer panic and horror it must feel like to have something like that really happen. Just reading that article made my heart skip a beat.

 

[Octoberbride03]

From reading the story, the impression i got was that the 2 families were from Ohio. But neither family knew the other. Besides. If its just me, Dh and 1 kid. I'm not renting 2 vans.
The alert family counted an extra kid and called security. The NO-Brain parents made it all the way to their hotel, b4 they figured it out.

I work in a preschool. So i have these kids underfoot all the time. I am constantly checking to make sure they are in my line of sight. But i will say this. There are many 2 and 3 year olds who can pull themselves up into their family car or van and climb into their car seat. BUT THEY CAN'T BUCKLE THE SEATBELT!!

if any of the other teachers in school see this story, there'll be a whole lot of talking going on.


Maureen
(Scuse the yelling please. This story just ticks me off a bit.)