A 10-month-old baby remains in critical condition after being left in a hot car for nearly two hours Tuesday next to a restaurant on Louisiana 26 where the mother was working.

The baby was taken to the Ochsner Center. According to Police Chief Danny Semmes, the child was in serious condition at American Legion Hospital on Tuesday after his mother discovered him in the back seat of the vehicle.

“The mother told us she was supposed to leave the baby with a babysitter and she said she just forgot because she was in a hurry to get to work, they needed her for a few hours,” Semmes said.

The baby was found about two hours later when the mother left work, he said. The mother immediately drove the baby to the hospital, where medical staff administered life-saving medical treatment. The baby was later transferred to a hospital outside the city, where he remained in critical condition on Wednesday.

Temperatures and the heat index are likely to have been well above 41 degrees during the time the baby was left in the car, Semmes said.

No charges have been filed yet because the investigation is still at a very early stage, Semmes said.

The names of the mother and baby are not being released at this time.

Semmes advises drivers transporting children to always check the back seat before getting out of the vehicle.

“You just have to be diligent and always focus on your kids, everything else comes second,” Semmes said. “I have a sensor in my car that alerts me when I get out to check the back seat. Not everyone can have that, but it should be a common practice, just like wearing your seatbelt. If you have kids, check the back seats to see if the kids are there or not. It only takes a second.”

Most people don’t forget their cell phones, so why should they forget their children, he said.