Parent and child parking spaces- are they for pregnant women?

[Ohhbaby]

I thought parent and child parking spaces where for people with smallish children.
They are specifically wider as to not struggle popping a child back in a car seat.
But I'm prepared to be told they're for pregnant people too!
I was parking at a big grocery chain - there were no parent and child ones open, but I manage to park in a spot 2 spaces away from the parent and child one.
As I was getting my baby, 2 and 4 year old out, I saw a lady getting out of her car in the parent and child parking space. .
She had no children with her.
I was slightly annoyed as I don't think she should have used it.
I know I'm not entitled to a parent and child space and I don't mind if they're full- but they do make my life easier.
Easier to get the kids in and out without scratching another car, easier to get the pushchair in beside the car etc.

We went into the shop and I happen to shop in the same aisle as this woman.
I plucked up the courage to politely say. "You really shouldn't park in the parent and child spot if you don't have children"
She said " oh no I promise I have children- I have a 9 year old and I'm pregnant".
I just said ' o okay sure, sorry!" And felt somewhat bad for calling someone out that was pregnant ( you couldn't see it yet) ( but I was floored by the comment that she has a 9 year old. So what, he's not with you. The parking space isn't for someone who has kids, it's for someone who has kids with them). But I was too chicken to point it out.
But as the uncomfortability of addressing a stranger wore off I thought to myself: wait a minute, what does the fact that she is pregnant has to do with it?
I thought the spaces were wider not necessarily closer as to make it more convenient for pregnant women??

Am I just wholly uninformed?

No it’s not required to - but it is for longer term, temporary conditions.

I parked in a supermarket carpark when I was heavily pregnant next to a wall, a twat parked so close to my driver's side I couldn't get in, I had pgp and SPD and was so uncomfortable I just did there feeling like I was about to cry. A very nice passer by saw my predicament shimmied in through the back door and climbed over and reversed it out for me.
I used p&c spaces after that if I couldn't find one on the end of a row.

Interestingly we weren't on holiday to Lisbon when I was about six months, I was shown so much kindness, people offering me cold drinks, queue jumping, seats in cafes and on trains and all of the p&c spaces showed a visibly pregnant woman. There was a clear cultural difference and level of kindness offered to a pregnant woman

There is absolutely nothing selfish about parking in a P&C spot with a blue badge.

They're not really for pregnant people. I suppose right at the end sort of makes sense if you're really feeling you can't walk far. I've only used them when I've had small babies/ toddlers. I've got a 2yo and almost 4yo now and I haven't used one in a while because my kids listen and will walk with me across a car park.
I treat it as a self-assessment: do you actually need to use it or are you just being lazy and entitled? Some people are just me-me-me and will take the piss of anything on offer.

Yes and if said store is Tesco they advertise it as part of their club card baby club. When I had dd they gave out stickers to put in the car window to state you were permitted to use them.

Really do think people should behave with courtesy and only use them when they are accompanied by a small child. Not a 12 year old. I stopped when dc1 could easily get themselves out of the seat.

I did use one while pregnant and massive, both times and once when people may have judged but I had hip dysplasia and was really struggling with mobility.

I think heavily pregnant women should be able to use them. I had that pelvic problem and it hurt so much to walk by the end.

No children and not visibly pregnant she clearly shouldn’t have used the space but most people don’t really care. The ones in the supermarkets near me all say parent and toddler spaces but most of them are usually full with uber eats drivers, van drivers, males of all ages drivers and young women drivers. I’d never say anything but I do silently think they’re dicks sometimes 😂

It never occurred to me to use them when I was heavily pregnant (with twins), I used to just park on an end space. I was very big but I honestly only really struggled to get out the car in a normal space right at the very end (I did only get to 32w but I was the size of a full term singleton pregnancy by 28 according to the midwives!). I wouldn’t have been parking near walls or anything though.

I wouldn’t particularly think about it though if I saw a heavily pregnant woman using those spaces.

I love those spaces now as it leaves some space by the side of the car to safely put the pram while loading/unloading my twins. I hate having to leave it by the boot with a baby in while I put the other one in the car in a normal space, it makes me nervous and doesn’t feel safe.

I’ve had 3 kids, the last a year or so ago and tbh the only time I’ve really needed (rather than wanted) the extra room was when I had my leg in an above knee cast at uni. Really can’t get worked up about their use.
Agree with many others that babies are easier to manoeuvre out of a tight car door than a third trimester bump though…

A friend of mine used a parent and child space with her blue badge at ASDA when all of the disabled spaces were full and received a PCN.

Just to clarify. If someone is a blue badge holder and parks in a parent and baby spot if there are no disabled spaces left that’s fine. It’s people who do it out of pure laziness that I usually have run ins with

For me it’s if I’m taking the baby in the pram into the shop because I can get the pram assembled at the side where there are no cars rather than having to put him in at the back of the car where there are cars driving close to us. It’s a safety thing for me rather than a convenience one.

Yep she’s entitled to use the space. The first trimester can be as tricky as the last in different ways.

I'm fine with people with older kids (pre-teens, say) using them as well. If you have a careless child who is prone to opening the car door into the neighbouring car, the extra space can come in handy.

I know that with disabled parking spots they come in two colours: yellow or white.

The white ones are not enforceable whereas the yellow ones are.

In my small Tesco’s the Disabled and Parent and Child spots are both white whereas in the larger Tesco’s store the disabled are yellow and Parent and Child white. In our retail park they are both yellow and have notices on the lamp posts.

Hmm I wouldn’t use them if I was pregnant. I never used them when I was pregnant at all.

Now with a 6 month old they are so handy but always full! I’ve noticed there are less and less parent and child slots around me - it’s as if they’ve been painted over.

It’s super useful if you have a small child and you need the space to safely get them in and out. Useful if you have a baby and need the space to sort the pushchair out.

Using it outside of that, is selfish in my opinion.

m But sadly - people don’t seem to care.

I plucked up the courage to politely say. "You really shouldn't park in the parent and child spot if you don't have children

And there was your mistake. They are not legal spots, but an ‘marketing tool’ of shopping centres, anyone can use them. Who made you a Sheriff?

They didn’t exist when I had kids, nor when my parents had myself/siblings (and cars were massively wide back then). Everyone got on with it and coped, whereas these days people seemingly can’t leave their houses if these spots don’t exist🤔.

Yes. There's a baby in your car it's inside someone's body.
Visibly pregnant tho. As you do need a bit more space to manoeuvre out of the car and it is harder to walk further, so it makes sense one of those parking spaces would be helpful.

Same here!

I use them now when heavily pregnant or I wouldn't be able to get out the door in normal spaces usually have a small child with me too anyhow

When pregnant with my last and had my 13 month old with me a middle aged man in a sports car parked in one I called him out on it T first he said oh I'm only going to be 2 mins I said that's not the point they aren't for you etc then he got aggressive and told me to fuck off so I told the security guard and they followed him into store and made him move , arsehole!

They aren't for pregnant people no but I wouldn't begrudge a pregnant person the space if they thought they needed it

Was coming to say this too! I can't remember where but I've used when heavily pregnant after noticing the sign mentioning

i would say No, not for pregnant women

Wouldn't bother me at all. I find it such a weird thing to get het up about.