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Here's a little story on how this can happen:

On a cool day (~50 degrees) a number of years ago my wife and I went to church with our three small children and my addled father-in-law. I dropped my wife off at the front door with her Dad and I parked the car with the kids in the back of the van. The kids were 4, 3, and one and a half years old at the time. As soon as I parked the car my two kids popped out and I was concerned that they'd get hit in the parking lot so I jumped out of our minivan. All this time my one and a half year old was sitting silently in the seat directly behind me. My mind was concerned about the two older kids and I half thought my wife had our little one so I proceeded into church completely unaware that I had left her.

The ONLY time I thought something was wrong was when I went to her Sunday school class to pick her up and I asked where she was. That's when they told me she was never dropped off. My heart sunk like a stone in realization and I sprinted out to our car. There was my precious baby girl who had obviously cried herself to sleep. Although she has no recollection of this event, to this very day I have nightmares about this incident and will go to my grave remembering that look on her face when I opened the sliding door.

My kids are still fairly young and we ALWAYS do a head count and verbally confirm with one or the other, "You have so and so, and I have so and so." I am deeply thankful to God that this was not a tragedy that I would have to live with for rest of my life.