Name the worst thing a homeowner wants to see in the basement:

[mtnbiker]

Anyway...What do I do now? Is a little dampness not a big deal? Do I pull up the carpet?

I'd definitely pull up the carpet and try to find the source. The last thing you want is mold. That'd be really bad for your son (as if I need to tell you that). The carpet, if it's not been wet too long, would be ok, but the pad always needs to be changed out anytime it gets wet. The water ruins the pad, and mold just loves the pad. If the drywall is wet, get that cut out and replaced, too.

Find the source and get it fixed asap.

[Northwestcoug]

This thread brings back bad memories. Our old house in Massachusetts had 2 sump pumps in the basement. We figured this would be sufficient for the amount of rain there, but we were so wrong. In a period of about 5 years, I think our basement flooded probably 6-7 times. It occurred enough that we were able to predict when it would happen. Anytime it rained more than 1 inch in a 24 hour period, we were sure to get water in the basement. Mind you, the sump pumps worked perfectly, but there was too much water coming in the foundation.

We had a room that was covered by loose carpet, but no pad. We got really good at protecting our stuff. We were able to roll up the carpet, place it on crates, and move all the important stuff above ground. We could do it in less than an hour. The aftermath was a pain. We would borrow our neighbor's wet vac and rent blowers. It usually took 3 days to clean up.

I can't tell you how relieved I am to not have that problem anymore. I do wish I had the extra level for storage, but I'm happy knowing that I'll never have a flooded basement again.