Let sleeping babies lie?

Lately Baby M is not a big fan of the car seat. Getting him into the seat takes a lot of convincing, cajoling and the occasional threat of police intervention. Earlier this week I was parked next to the library in the midst of tense car seat negotiations when an SUV pulled up behind me. I didn't pay much attention to it and 15 minutes later, after finally getting Baby M buckled in, I got out of back seat walked around to the car driver's side. I happened to look up at the Escape parked behind me and saw 2 sleeping babies, probably around a year old in the backseat. I froze. What should I do? Yes, the windows were cracked and the kids seemed fine, but it was a warm day and and the car wasn't shaded. And, besides hasn't everyone heard a tragic story about a baby being left in car? Who does that?

Okay, actually I do that, but under very controlled circumstances. I leave my sleeping kid in the car parked on my shaded back patio with all the windows open, behind a locked gate and guard dog. I stay nearby and I don't do it when it's hot out. There it is, my true mom confession.

Now aside from worrying about confronting a possibly ornery father there was also the fact that I had just gotten Baby M into his car seat. Taking him back out and then putting him in again would delay us a minimum of 30 minutes. And leaving him strapped in while I ran into the library to complain about someone else's baby locked in a car seemed a bit too hypocritical. So I decided to wait 5 minutes and see if the man returned.

Now I totally get the urge to leave your sleeping kid in the car and I'm sure the prospect of rousing 2 sleeping toddlers for what should be a 5 minute errand seems ridiculous. That's why since becoming a parent I've become a big fan of the drive-through. Drive-through restaurants, drive-through coffee, drive-through drug stores. Now if only there was a drive-through supermarket, a drive-through Target and a drive-through library I would be all set. But when there is no drive-through you can't just leave your kids in the car. A five minute errand can easily become a 20 or 30 minute ordeal. Which is what seemed to have happened in this case.

After 5 minutes and still no dad, I got out of the car. I looked around and resigned myself to taking Baby M out and initiating a potentially ugly confrontation. Then, to my relief, a older couple walked by. I explained the situation and asked if they would mind having the library page the father. They readily agreed. I was still worried about an unpleasant encounter with the dad, so I got in my car and started circling the block. Two loops later the father appeared with his books and got in the car and drove away.

I still wonder if I should have handled it differently. Maybe I should have just waited around, keeping an eye on the kids as a show of compassion for a busy parent. Maybe I should expressed my concerns to the father directly, letting him know I understood his predicament, but that he was really endangering his kids, instead of wimping out and letting someone else do the dirty work. Maybe I should have called the police and taught him a lesson. I don't know. What would you have done?