So last night my daughter was running along the sidewalk, when she fell. Not only did she fall, she skidded for a little bit. Result, a huge patch of skin is now missing from her elbow. Ouch and it's looks awful. Last night we cleaned it, put on some neosporin on it and bandaged it up. Today, it still looks raw and awful so before her gym class I stopped at the store to pick up some more of the larger band aids (we were out), and put her in the car while I re-bandaged her. I get in and pull back out on the highway, and after I pick up some speed I hear, "WHEEEE" and see my daughter trying to climb from the back seat to the front! AAAAGGGH! She was in her car seat but, I forgot to buckle her in!
Luckily I was able to pull over right away into a gas station and fix that problem. Talk about your heart in your throat! Please tell me I am not the only one to do this, and make me feel better.
More than once! But thankfully even if I forget they usually shout from the back, "wait, wait, mommy don't go, I'm not buckled!" At least someone is paying attention! :)
You are not a bad mommy!
Oh, yes. It's happened. My grandson, when he was about 1, was an expert at getting out of his car seat. One day, while on the freeway, I looked in the rear view to see him standing in the seat next to his car seat! I immediately told him to get back in that seat right away. Unfortunately there was no shoulder - nowhere to pull over. I look back in the rear view, and he's bent over with his head in the car seat - kind of like Mork used to sit on the sitcom Mork & Mindy! He couldn't get back in the seat so he put his head in it! It was hilarious. Fortuntely, within a few miles was I able to pull over! It was hilarious (after it was all over!)
Been there. Done that.... More than once.
I've had to drive my kids to the sitters in my Jeep Wrangler [when I had it] with the top down... While it was pouring and I was sobbing. My daughter says, "It's ok mommy. It's only rain. We are ok." And my son [not yet 2 at the time] says, "Yay!" The top shrunk a bit because of the rain and I couldn't get it up.
I even forgot to feed my daughter dinner once. So, she got some snacks in bed and watched her favorite tv show.
HAHA, awww, you'll laugh about this later, I promise ;)
One time, I buckled my son (about 6 months old at the time) into his car seat, but I didn't buckle the car seat it, so when I took a turn, the carseat rolled over in the back seat!! I flipped out; he didn't even wake up ;)
Oops.
I have not, but I totally can see how that would happen. My husband once started driving away while I was standing outside the car door talking to him. And no, he wasn't trying to get rid of me. He was so focused on the kids... "are you guys buckled?" and trying to talk to me, he didn't process.
"Bad Mommy!!" Consider yourself scolded! And blessed that nothing bad happened.
One time, when my youngest was still in the infant carrier car seat, I forgot to buckle him into the carrier. It was winter, and I had one of the car seat cozy's on it and when I put him in, I must have been distracted so I zipped up the cozy, snapped the carrier into the base and ran to pick my daughter up from school. I got home, took the carrier out of the base, unzipped the cozy and my stomach sank when I realized the seat belt wasn't buckled. Thanks be to God I wasn't in an accident.
I've done that. :( As I was driving down the street my son started to cry. I asked him what was wrong because for the life of me I had no idea. It was a bad cry too. So I pulled over and he finally calmed down enough for me to understand him say "buckle"...he was scared because I didn't buckle him in.
It happens to the best of us. Now we (my husband and I) both say "everybody buckled?" before we take the car out of park. Don't be so hard on yourself, she is ok and that is the most important thing.
I remember two separate occasions arriving at my destination and going to get baby out, only to realize that I had never strapped him in. I was mortified and so grateful we didn't get in a car accident. But we're human and it happens.
Oh yeah, I was cruising down the highway with my 3yr old and infant nicely strapped into their respective carseats, when I heard "click". My 3yr old had reached over and unbuckled the infant's carseat base. So the baby's safely tucked into her 5point harness in her carseat, which is now NOT safely buckled itself. Of course, this stretch of highway had no shoulder and the nearest offramp was a couple of miles away. So I drove *very* carefully, got off and re-buckled her carseat. Then furiously scolded the 3yr old (who had done that before and had already gotten in trouble for it). The 3yr old never did that again - I don't know if it was the furious scolding or the sheer panic he saw in mommy's eyes. Either way, it worked.
And there have been *several* times when my children have reminded me "Mommy, you need to buckle me in!" So I never actually drove with them unbuckled, but that's only because THEY were anal about wearing their seatbelts (at 14, 10 and 9, they still are)!
Once, when my first was a baby, she was strapped into her seat, but her seat wasn't attached to the car! (We were visiting relatives and didn't have usual base, and I forgot to lace seat belt through-or actually my dad did when he said he would strap her in...). I stopped at a light, and her whole rear facing seat rolled backwards off seat, and she was upside down screaming! I had to pull over and unflip her!
I'm sorry, but this made me laugh out loud! I'm glad she's ok. We all have mom moments like these. Just day before yesterday I posted on FB about mine. My kids are older, 12 and 9. Its been raining here the last few days on and off. So its time for the kids to come home and I'm sitting on the couch and it doesn't look like its raining so I'm sitting there waiting for them to walk home. Well, I was looking out the back window, it must have been only POURING in the front!!! They run inside and are sopping wet and mad as all get out...I mean LIVID that I didn't pick them up from school and they had to WALK home! We live across the street from the school...so it probably took them all of 2-3 minutes. I thought it was funny and wanted to take their pic...they wouldn't let me. I did feel a little bad since I *could* have driven over to get them. =/
I have definitely forgotten before too! I realized pretty quickly and pulled over, but it does make you feel pretty bad.. The good news is that you're not alone :) I'm sure there are more who just don't want to admit it!
Of course, we have all made mistakes! The best thing I have ever learned is this, "If we are not making mistakes, then we are not doing anything." My pastor said this in church and I have remembered it quite often as I beat myself up for mistakes, and have learned not to. :)
Don't feel too bad, just don't let it happen again :)
I've done it once. When my oldest was maybe two or three months old. We were at an event for a company I used to work for, she had been in the infant seat in the stroller, but we weren't moving and it was hot so the straps and buckle weren't on. Well it was hot and she fell asleep so I had the shade up, we left I loaded the car, snapped the seat in, and home we went. It was less than 2 miles from the house, but when I got home and saw I forgot to buckle her I just burst into tears thinking about what could have happend.
She is almost three now and always buckles the top part herself, thankfully she will yell if we forget to turn around and snap the bottom part. We have never left the driveway without that being done.
This may have been one of the reasons I didn't use an infant seat with our youngest. :)
I have done this before, we pulled into the driveway from the park and all of a sudden my son jumped up and was just standing there beside me...it took me a minute to realize something wasn't right, I'd forgotten to buckle him in!
He's 3, I told him that it wasn't good that mommy forgot to buckle him in and to yell at mommy if she ever forgets again! Sure enough I did, and the second I started the car he began yelling at me to fix his seat belt. I do not forget anymore.
I have do it. I will put both my kids in on one side and my daughter will climb over and get in her seat till i can walk around and buckle her. On more than one occasion i have gotten in a hurry and forgot usually to remember in a few blocks and find her trying to buckle herself in (she is 2)
One car seat and 2 cars. So alot of shuffling the car seat from car to car. One time my husband put the car seat back in my car but didn't strap it in. After I buckled my daughter in I was driving and made a left turn to enter the highway. Next thing I hear is a thump. I turn around to glance and see my daughters car seat flipped upside down on the side of the van! OMG! I had a heart attack cause I heard no now. I pulled over and flipped the seat to find her still strapped and just looking at me like "what just happened"? So yes, everyone makes mistakes. And you will talk about it in the future and laugh about it.
Been there! I was driving my son home from daycare and I realized after about 5 minutes. I really don't even know what made me turn to look at him. My heart just jumped right out of me. I did the same as you, pulled over and stapped him in.
Don't beat yourself up, you realized it and fixed it.
My daughter was teh expert of getting out of seat belts when she was little. One time I was going accross a highway bridge with no where to turn off and there she was climbing out and halfway over the seat
Yup, one time I had moved the car seat back to my car but did not actually buckle the seat into my car. So I had her buckled in the five point harness but not to the actual car seat.
It happens....
my youngest son did that once, only we were on the highway, and he tried to open the door, actually got the door unlatched but the door didn't open because of the wind coming at it. Luckily my husband was able to reach over and click the door shut. It was scary. Kids are so onery sometimes.
Oh yes...one time from the back, my four year old says, mom, you forgot to buckle me!! Or the time he was two and was in his carseat while I am driving him back from a dr. appt and he drops his blanky...then he gets out of his seat and picks it up and gets back in his seat all while I am going 45 mph. I pulled over as soon as I could to buckle him in and to calm my nerves.
Years ago I got home and realized i forgot to buckle the baby in her infant carrier! Very heartsopping!
Just this morning I am running around trying to get my 8 year old and 6 year old and 4 year old ready for school. They pile in the van in the garage (so I think) and I back out after arming the house alarm and as I am driving down the street I do not see my oldest in the back. I ask the youngest to turn his head to see if he can see his sister and he says no! OMG - I about had a heart attack...what a terrible mother I am and now the alarm is likely going off and my child is scared out of her mind. Then I hear, here I am mom!" Holy cow, I may have said something not meant for thier ears. The morning routine is just that...very routine...I always glance in the review mirror, but this morning I did it after the fact and got what I deserved. I seriously doubt she will ever do that again. :-)
My best friends son will unbuckle himself and literally crawl under her or the passenger seat and she will be on the freeway and look back and cant see him. He does it all the time, and every time she forgets for a moment that he can do that and thinks he jumped out of the car.
