The worst possible time to lose your car key is when your child is still inside the vehicle. And no matter how hard you try, you can’t seem to find the key. Is it inside the car, or did you drop it somewhere on the ground? Nobody knows, but right now, you have a more pressing issue at hand; your child is trapped inside a closed car.
So how do you handle the situation?
Start by staying calm
Your child is locked inside your car and the keys are nowhere to be found. A replacement key is also not an option in such a short time. The situation is, without a doubt, extremely stressful. The normal human reaction to such a situation is getting stressed out and continuously panicking. With the passing of time, we tend to panic even more. However, that shouldn’t be the case. You cannot panic in such situations, especially when you have to look after your child.
No matter how stressful the situation is, you need to remain calm. Otherwise, you can’t think properly or make any rational decisions.
Get a locksmith
You need to get the car’s doors open to get your baby out, and for that, you need to open or break its lock. To do so, you need to call an auto locksmith. If you’re anywhere in the UK, near London, Kent, or Surrey, you can visit the Auto Locks website (https://www.autolocksltd.com/) and call them for help. The auto locksmiths should arrive within 20-30 minutes. If you can’t contact an auto locksmith, you could call a regular locksmith, assuming they’re any good with car locks.
Call 911
The locksmith should arrive within 20-30 minutes. However, if they don’t or you feel that the situation is getting worse, you should immediately call 911. Sometimes, the first thing people do when they realize that they’re locked out of their cars with their baby inside is call 911; that too is a valid and reasonable option.
After hearing the situation, the 911 dispatcher will immediately send the fire department and/or a local police unit. Under certain circumstances, the dispatcher will also ask a team of paramedics to respond to your situation.
Get someone to keep you company
Having a companion is a must in the time of crisis. No matter who they are, they just need to be there to support you, and to tell you that things are going to be fine. It’s difficult to focus when you find yourself in such stressful situations. Having someone to support you and just be there for you really helps.
Make sure the car doesn’t get hot
When the car gets hot, it can cause a lot of problems for your child. Apart from nausea, and vomiting, such a situation can lead to heat strokes as well. If the car is parked directly under the sun, get some help to push it to a location with some shade.
Keep track of the time
Keep track of how long your child has been trapped inside the car. If help doesn’t arrive on time, and the car seems to be getting hotter, you might need to switch to drastic measures, which include carefully breaking into the car through the windows. If it does come down to this, make sure the child is far away from the glass, or somewhat shielded against the impact when you break-in.
Note: Breaking the glass is not an ideal solution, but if time is passing by, and help is nowhere in sight, this is probably your only option for rescuing the child.
Ensure that you’re visible to your child
Stay close to the car so that your child can see you or someone they’re familiar with. Otherwise, they’ll end up panicking even more. Your presence helps to comfort them.
At the same time, by keeping a close eye on your child, you can tell whether anything is wrong with them, or whether or not the car is getting too hot.
Take a break
You’ve done all that you possibly could, and there’s nothing more left for you to do. The locksmith or emergency services are probably doing their job, and your child will be out of the car in no time. For now, go and take a break. Instead of panicking and stressing yourself out, you did a wonderful job by calling the right people and asking for help. For that, you deserve a breather and a pat on the back.