A Sydney woman who left her toddler son locked inside a car in scorching temperatures while she went shopping has admitted making a "stupid mistake", authorities say.

The 18-month-old was rescued by shopkeepers who used a hammer to smash their way into a four-wheel drive and rescue the screaming youngster in the car park of a shopping centre at McGraths Hill in northwest Sydney on Tuesday.

The temperature inside the vehicle was estimated to be more than 60 degrees Celsius.
The boy's 34-year-old mother had been contacted by caseworkers investigating the matter, authorities said on Wednesday.

"I understand that this incident is out of character for the mother and she is very remorseful," Community Services Minister Linda Burney said in a statement issued on Wednesday.
"She knows that she's made a very stupid mistake."

Police confirm they will interview the woman, a mother of five, later on Wednesday.
Ms Burney said leaving a child locked in a car in any circumstances was against the law and parents may face fines of up to $22,000 under the Children and Young Persons Act.

Real estate agent Peter Cassidy, himself a grandfather, used a hammer to smash the Toyota's window on Tuesday.
He rescued the boy with help from nearby shop manager Colin Grinyer.

"When I first looked in there the kid, the baby, was very distressed, very distressed. There was perspiration pouring off him and he was very red in the face," Mr Cassidy told Macquarie Radio.
Mr Grinyer climbed into the vehicle to find the child still strapped to his seat.

"As soon as I picked him up out of the seat and put my arms around behind the baby's head that was just soaking wet, the seat as well," Mr Grinyer said.
The father of two said the heat inside the car would have been "well over 60 degrees".

A worker from the nearby Harvey Norman store called Macquarie Radio to say the mother was shopping in his outlet at the time and the vehicle's registration was broadcast without response.
Another caller, Irene, claiming to be a friend of the mother, said the incident was just a "terrible accident".

"She's so upset and distressed about what has happened," Irene said.
"This poor little baby is everything to her, and she would never deliberately do it."

Irene said the woman had just dropped off her other children and forgot the boy was still in the back of the car.

"It was a terrible accident that she's never going to forget, but she is the best mother I know," she said.

chaircover:

We all make mistakes but leaving a child in a car on a scorching hot day & claiming it was a mistake is very bizarre.

How she reversed parked the car without looking in her mirrors is questionable and gives us lady drivers a bad name 

We all have our blonde hair days once in a while but the worst I’ve ever done is to drive my daughter half way to work before remembering that I should be driving in the opposite direction towards the nursery

ubiaa5:

U guys shd not be so fast to crit and blame,these things happen,i am not supporting wat she did but just saying.Thank God the baby is ok,some did not survive in d same situation.

~Sissy~:

i doubt it. she has 5 kids.this isnt the first time this kind of thing is happening. sadly it does happen

aggie80:

im surpriesd people think this was an accident. men and women have been known to leave thier child/children in the car beacuse they "will only take a sec" and dont want to carry the kid(s) along inside but cant leave them at home. dozens of children worldwide die every year in similar situaions

iice:

Terrible, but i've heard worse. Woman runs out of burning house and forgets kid. Kid dies. People are people regardless of their status.

slimes:

This mistake is beyond pardon because she intentionally locked the vehicle.

Fhemmmy:

Have you ever been stressed that you can even remember where you are?
Have you ever been stressed, that you lost your memory?
Then, she is human and stress could do anything to human.

slimes:

This mistake is beyond pardon because she intentionally locked the vehicle.

aggie80:

im surpriesd people think this was an accident. men and women have been known to leave thier child/children in the car beacuse they "will only take a sec" and dont want to carry the kid(s) along inside but cant leave them at home. dozens of children worldwide die every year in similar situaions

slimes:

She is human and could be stressed out but the child would've died in there.