Some area households were left wondering how a man could have driven off from a South Attleboro shopping center earlier this week, leaving his 1-year-old son behind in a shopping cart on a cold and darkened parking lot.

But experts say without evidence of a history of abuse, the case points to the busy, often distracted nature of family life today.

An evaluation by the Massachusetts Department of Social Services and the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Family Services found the child was not at risk at home, and returned him to his parents.

Forgetting a child for short periods while performing other tasks is not that uncommon, DSS spokeswoman Denise Monteiro said.

"It happens more than one thinks and more than we would like," she said. Kathy Sullivan, coordinator of the Family Network in Attleboro, said she's not personally familiar with such cases, but isn't surprised.

"I do believe parents are stressed, doing many things at once," she said.

The Family Network currently is conducting an eight-week workshop with the aim of helping parents cope with the many facets of their busy lives.

"There's that focus to get things done," she said, in addition to caring for children.

Of this week's case in South Attleboro, Sullivan said, "it can be a very scary thing. It could have potentially been very serious."

The Children's Trust Fund is running a statewide safety campaign, "Not Even For a Minute," reminding parents and other caregivers never to leave children unattended in or around vehicles.

Parents today can be overwhelmed by a myriad of responsibilities, said John Iacoboni, the organization's director of public affairs.

"They can sometimes operate on automatic," he said.

The incident earlier this week occurred about 7 p.m. Tuesday outside the Burlington Coat Factory store in South Attleboro Square.

The young boy was left unattended in a shopping cart for about 15 minutes, after his father drove off believing the child was strapped in his car seat, police said. The father, 34-year-old Olwagbeminiyi Abiodun of Providence, returned to the store after realizing his son was missing.

He has been charged with reckless endangerment of a child, a misdemeanor.

The Children's Trust Fund supports families and children to prevent neglect and abuse. It has a Web site, www.onetoughjob.org, aimed at helping parents deal with the stress in their lives.