A 6-month-old boy died after being left for hours in a hot car in Louisiana, authorities said.

A 6-month-old boy died after being left for hours in a hot car in Louisiana, authorities said.

The baby was found dead in the backseat by his parent at about 5:46 p.m. Tuesday, according to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office.

When the parent went to pick up the baby from day care after work, they realized they forgot to drop him off at day care that morning, the sheriff’s office said.

  • voracitude@lemmy.world
    341·
    4 months ago

    You would not believe the downvotes I’ve gotten for saying this exact thing. I’m not a parent, but I do take the time to really consider what having to care for an infant would be like. I have been sleep deprived (edit: though, nowhere near the level of a new parent) so I perfectly understand how you could unintentionally cause the death of your kid. I think the hypothetical I gave was something like

    You’re out running errands with the baby on your day off while the spouse is at work. You got maybe 4 hours of sleep between getting up to feed and change, and you’re lifting and carrying and running around all day. You stop home to drop off some shopping, you even leave the car running because you’ll be right out. Quick plop on the couch just to rest your legs and back, and then suddenly it’s five hours later and you start awake remembering you left the car running… and the baby in the car.

    I know the terror I feel from that little hypothetical, I can’t believe it doesn’t hit close to home with actual parents too. And then, to be held socially - even if not legally - liable on top of your own guilt… an awful, horrible, soul-chilling situation to contemplate. I wish there were more compassion for new parents, I’d bet it’s more common than we think that parents’ bodies just shut down from the strain.

    • cynar@lemmy.worldEnglish
      241·
      4 months ago

      I thought I understood the sleep deprivation until I became a dad. The part most people don’t account for is the chronic nature of it. It’s not 1 night, or even a few, it’s weeks and months of it. It’s also combined with having your hormones thrown for a loop (yes, men too!). It jams your brain in ways you would never expect.

      It’s so easy to screw up that badly that I’m amazed at how infrequent it actually is.

      • Croquette@sh.itjust.works
        181·
        4 months ago

        I am actually in my big sleep deprivation peak with the second one, and I thought I knew better after the first one, but there is just no breaks.

        6:30 am to 8:00 pm every single day of the week, and then trying to catch up the house chores and anything we’ve missed during the weekend.

        Then, people have the gall to tell me I should be all fresh when I have one morning in months where I don’t have to wake up at 6:30. Motherfucker, I haven’t really slept a full night in months, it’s not one night that will fix it all.

        Modern society isn’t compatible with parenthood.

        • barsquid@lemmy.world
          4·
          4 months ago

          We are supposed to be in walkable cities and not forced to labor away for an entire 1/3 of most days just so someone else can buy a yacht.