Hi Ginny,

I'm sorry to say this but, at this age, I'm afraid we DO have to watch them all the time! Some are grown up enough to understand danger, but by no means all are. Explaining to him about danger is a good step, but he won't necessarily make the connection in his head that it means HIM.

You could get a deadbolt or a security lock fitted at the very top of your door, that he won't be able to reach. You can get them cheaply from DIY shops or hardware stores. This would be a necessity for you I would think. Even a door chain would help. Also, you can get these little contact alarms you just fit onto the doorframe, that make an extremely ear piercing noise when the door is opened. It might make him jump, and deter him from doing it again, and you will always know when he is opening the door.

At the risk of sounding preachy, NO child of this age should be left in a car, even for a minute. It only takes a second for a child to operate the handbrake, or put the car into drive, not to mention stranger danger. If he was left long enough to walk all the way down the street, something worse could have happened.

I would suggest he gets as much opportunity for freedom as possible in a controlled environment, e.g. a park or woods, so that his wanderlust is satisfied. I'm sure this will pass, but in the meantime extra vigilance is essential.

Good luck to you

Liz x

I'm sorry but at 3 1/2 years old you watch them all the time and don't slack off!

Having said that my 13 year old was an escape artist at that age and could regularly be found at 4am sitting in the neighbours jeep. So I do sympathise.

If nanny is leaving your child alone in a car its nanny that needs speaking to not your child.

Put extra locks on the doors, remove all items that could be used to help him reach them, alarms are an excellent suggestion, (where where you 10 years ago Liz ) may not stop him escaping but at least you'll know he has.

Afraid telling him what might happen will have no effect and quite possibly encourage him to test the theory out. Just put as many barriers in his way as possible, the idea is to buy time for yourself to realise what he's up to.