There are parents who leave their children in the car while they run errands quickly ... But this is a bad decision and it is better that you get your children out of the car and go together or that you do not go to run errands ... But DO NOT leave your children in the car alone. No parent, legal guardian or other person responsible for a minor child can leave him / her alone in a car. Leaving a child under the age of six with another under the age of 12 is also considered a danger.
Kaitlyn's Law
In the United States, since 2000 it has been illegal to leave a child unattended in the car. This law is more widely known as Kaitlyn's Law, named after Kaitlyn Russel, a six-month-old baby who died after being left alone in the car on a very hot day. The story is tragic and it was completely preventable.
The parents left their daughter with a babysitter and went on with their day. A few hours later, the mother received a call from the police department to inform her of the serious condition of her baby. She rushed to the hospital to find out that the doctors couldn't revive her baby. The pain the family felt is unimaginable and one wonders what the hell that babysitter was thinking.
Another sad story
There is another sad story (of all there are) about a mother and daughter who were running errands during the day. At the end of it, the girl was tired and curled up in the back seat to rest and the mother was going to do the last errand. The girl did not want to go out because the back seat was tired and comfortable.
Trying to avoid an uncomfortable tantrum, the mother decided to let her daughter stay in the car while she quickly returned an item at the store. He parked the car near the driveway to keep watch and left the four-year-old in the car with the engine and air conditioning running and locked it from the outside. The return took a few minutes longer than expected, and when he returned, lPolice officers were already circling the car.
The girl was left in a comfortable environment, with the air going, and the mother did her best to complete the last item on the list as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, there are still many variables that could have gone wrong and although her daughter was fine, the mother broke the law and pleaded guilty to the charges. Anyone who leaves their child in the car unsupervised is violating Kaitlyn's Law (in the US).
Tips for running errands with kids
With young children, planning is key. Don't run more than one or two errands a day and make it fun. You can play races in the supermarket, play detectives to find the product as soon as possible, etc. But never, NEVER leave your children in the car alone.