Pancaked parents can do some strange things. In Melissa, Texas, Michael Thedford apparently left his 6 month old daughter in a hot car. By the time he realized his mistake, the baby was unresponsive. So he tried to revive her . . . by putting the baby in the refrigerator before calling 911. If only reviving a child were that simple.

I wish we lived in a world where every drowning victim could be revived by pulling them out of the water or heat stroke victims could be saved with a little cool air. But sadly, the baby died of hypothermia.

Let this be a tragic reminder to other parents as we swing into the hottest part of summer. Every time things like this happen, the-blame-the-parent-brigade comes out in full force, wondering how you could forget about your baby and swearing that they would never be so careless. But it can happen to anyone, good parents included. And it does happen … to the tune of about 50 deaths each year.

The human brain easily gets distracted, and a sleeping infant is easily overlooked. To avoid this, by a baby-sized teddy bear to keep in your car seat. Then when you put your baby in it, take the bear out and set it in your lap as a reminder. It’s an extra precaution you will probably never need, but it only takes one brain fart to end in tragedy.