... to expect people who use parent & baby car parking spaces to have children with them?

People who are allowed to use P&C parking places: anyone who needs to open the door wide in order to extract their infant. That includes pregnant women with big bumps and older children who still need help with their carseat/seatbelt. But not people with an empty carseat in the back! Nor, IMO, blue badge holders. There are always far more blue badge places than p&t places, and I don't see why bb people shouldn't wait for a free space, just as p&ts can wait if they choose.

It's just life really. People are selfish. I remember in the days before militant parking wardens on every corner, people would happily park blocking the road, causing massive tailbacks everywhere.

IMO you can't compare disabled spaces to P&T at all. I would actively encourage an old/disabled person who couldn't find a space to use the P&T bays if it helped them. And when I was pregnant with SPD I could hardly walk and remember hobbling to the shop and being unable to get dd1 out of a car.

'Squonk, yes it annoys em when people without Kids or with Kids that are say 4+ and have no special needs use those places'

Eer, you.

Seriously. My DS's disability is invisible- doesn't mean it doesn't exist. How can you jusdge if some needs the space on that criteria?

Peachy?????you lost me.....who were you asking?

Er how do you tell if a kid over 4 has special needs? And if you have that ability please could you come and assess my youngest as opinions seem to vary.

The Tesco badge for p&t spaces expires on the childs 5th birthday so a parent with a child of 4 yo is OK. Sainsbury afaik don't offer a badge but some of their staff park in them so how can they expect their customers to show consideration to people with children. At the end of the day they just want your cash!!

Shosha, wouldn't really work though, what with the Babycarriers often taken into the shop!

Squonk, yes it annoys em when people without Kids or with Kids that are say 4+ and have no special needs use those places, they are for mums with younger Kids, possible Carseat or Prams etc...not for people that have Kids that are able to safely walk with their parents...!
However, I would be happy to give a parent/Baby space up for a disabled person IF there wasn't any disabled spaces.

Dungbeetle, a to big car for ordinary spaces is NO reason to take up Parent?Baby spaces, often a bit further away are plenty of spaces left, so, why not choose one of those and walk that bit extra.

Pinktulips, how near a Parent space should be does depend a bit on yoru situation though, I know that when my ys was a lil Baby and my ms was under 2/just 2, it really helped when the spaces were also near the entrance, as it wasn't nice to trawdle over a carpark with lil ones. Especially if there wasn't any Baby/Toddler trolleys in tthe near by trolleypark (as it often seems to be teh case, sigh)

madmarchhare, it might not be a big deal to you, but for others it can be a big deal as an otherwise already horrific shoppingtrip with Kids in tow is made that lil bit more difficult I never really minded when I had only 2 Kids, as there was 6 1/2 years between them 2, so, it wasn't a problem , BUT when ys appeared there was only 21 month between ms and ys, and if I couldn't get a parent space it really was difficult, put on top of that that we lived in NI for a few month then, and what wiht safety issues etc...I didn't feel it was safe to leave my Kids in the car just to get a trolley.
Alos, why should someone, who is allowed in teh space wait because some lazy arsed tosser can't be bothered to park a bit further away, are they more precious or what, those businessmen?

errr Jimjams...going shopping wihtout Kids is NOT always an option, my dh is int eh army, therefore not always around, and in Holidays, when would I go shopping then?
Also, I don't think it's fair to say, well, as long as people leave my disabled spaces free I don't care...I don't have a need (thank god) for Disabled spaces, but I would care if I saw someone parking, without a badge in there, because they are lazy twats, why not return that curtesy? I can understand you being angry at the mentioning that people who are disabled shouldn't use P&T spaces, and rightly so, BUT being as careless back doesn't make that right, does it...

Mellowma...that so annoys me, when people park in parentspaces without Kids, but because they have a carseat in the car....wtf has that got to do with anyhting?
Although, in the evening when they virtually emptly, I really don't care about it, and have done it myself, but that is slightly different.

'traffic wardens should be able to fine people without car seats in there car'

Really?

Message withdrawn

Great thread though.

dont talk about this subject anymore after severe slagging I have got about it in the past!!!!!

god it really pisses me off though

have never actually used a p&t space as dp is a 'park as far from the entrance as physically possible while still being in the car park' type of driver but do feel sorry for moms with kids in car seats struggling to manipulate them out of a 4 inch gap between them and another car.

Definition......

Yep- have 5 mins peace before ds1's therapist arrives. So shoot me. What teribly important thing should I be doing?

My my - there were only 3 posts when I started typing mine - go to settle crying baby, come back, post, and find that I have missed a load!

Yes life definately too short to get so over-stressed about such trivial things!!

I leave my worry and stress for the biggies in life...and unfortunately seem to have had a few of them!

Not worried JJ, just idley wondering what people thought while I wait for ds to wake up. This is my switch off time, not my get wound up time

oh oh look at me I have children, the world must revolve around me and my children. I must have a space, I have a right to a space, how dare a disable dperson have a space when I have children.

Stop caring about them. Use them if they're free, park somewhere else if they're not. And if you seriously can;t get a child out of a car unless you have a massive space, buy a bloody mini. Above all get a grip.

Bigger things to worry about than sitting in front of a computer

I used to be a very nervous driver so parked away from everyone else, which at my local store happens to be PT spaces, or the loading bay!!

bloody hell you haven't upset me. I really do have bigger things to worry about. People beeping the school bus don't upset me. I just think they're idiots.

I have 3 children, 2 who are disabled, and yes I have used the P&B spaces when there are no disbled bays, DS can barely walk now, and is very unstable on his feet so yes I use them, especially in Tesco, where the P&T spaces are closer to the store than the disabled bays. Hell, I have even used the 'expectant mums' bays in Asda.