How old were your kids when you could (would) leave them in the car whilst you nipped into the shop?

[mealideas2024]

Interested in knowing at what age most people think it's acceptable to leave a child in the car when they nip into the shops (not for a 'full shop, but rather nip in and grab some bread and milk for instance - a 5 minute trip at most).

I think my mum started leaving me in the car alone when I was about 8 or 9? But not sure what the current guidance would be!

I wouldn't ever tbh,not these days, doesn't hurt them to get out for 5 mins.

My eldest is 8 and I will leave her whilst I nip in to the local shop/ or send her in with the cash while I wait outside if it is for one or two things.

It will depend where you are?

I used to have to go through a security checkpoint. It could take 2mins, it could take 15. Everyone left their kids in the car.

Haven't got to that stage yet but I think probably around 8-10 would be fine.

TBH I never left my DC and later my DCs in the car on their own, they always came in with me, or another adult stayed with them.

Was this in the UK?!

My daughter is just 11 and still doesn’t want to be left in the car. Altho loves walking home from school with friends. Thinking about it from a pp above I would possibly rather send her in as you can watch the shop from the car but not the car from the shop. Obviously can’t see inside the shop tho so not sure still.

I leave mine but the older two are teens, one almost an adult who can now drive. They stay with youngest dc who is 7. I would contemplate leaving 14 yr old with 7. He’s perfectly responsible but they argue like crazy.
Id say 12 plus.

Army base! It wasn't all the time, only when there was a risk of drink driving....

I'm interested in this too. DD is 6 so clearly too young at the moment, although she does ask me to!

In my head I'm thinking 8/9 is probably ok, and certainly 10/11 given she'll be walking to secondary school on her own at 11.

I can see it could depend on the area though and even where we are it would depend which shop I think).

Interested some people are saying never - even a teen??

If you were driving a 16 year old back from somewhere, you’d make them get out of the car due to safety concerns? I assume not, so there must be an age cut off for you?

Petrol station I would always leave them in the car if I can see them (I know there’s a debate about this, risk of being hit by a car crossing the forecourt vs risk of car being hit by another). To leave them in the car out of sight I’d definitely leave my 10 year old. My 8 year old would probably choose to come with me, but would stay in the car with his sister.

There must be a cut off somewhere. If they’re old enough to walk home alone or be home alone will they be old enough to be left in the car alone?

Sainsbury’s called me out when eldest was 14 😂😂

If I could see the car from the shop, literally from birth. I never took mine out at the petrol station (it’s not safe) and generally not at the shop either, small village shop, big window, car right in front of window. Much safer than getting them out on the side of the road. They wouldn’t be out of my line of sight at all. Unlike at home in the drive when they would be while I unloaded the car (either inside or outside).

Obviously not in the heat though. And only as a sleeping baby strapped in a car seat. I wouldn’t leave a toddler or any child I couldn’t trust not to get out of the car or push something. For example, at the moment, I’d leave my 12 year old, but not my 7 year old. But I left both of them as babies.

My mum used to leave me in the car to do full shops in a big urban supermarket in the 80s. Like literally for 45 minutes. Once someone backed into her car and hit it, and I had to sit there awkwardly for like 20 minutes with this lady waiting for mum to return so they could exchange details. No way in hell I’d ever do that. My mum wasn’t exactly an example of stellar parenting though. 🤣

Local shop (can see through windows) about 9. I’ve not done it at supermarket or similar (he 10)

DC is 11. I do it only because they are happy with that. I don’t lock the car because you never know - something could happen that means they NEED to get out quick.

Interesting answers. My 7 year old always asks to stay in the car. I leave him if I can park right outside, no car park or roads to cross so he could come in and get me if he was worried or I get held up. Only to collect a parcel or something quick not a proper shop or if it’s very busy and he couldn’t find me if he changed his mind.

This is interesting - I grew up overseas for the most part and the consensus very much was that children are much safer in the car whilst adult goes inside to pay, so this has always been my thinking.

However (and i nearly put this in my OP) i had a horrific experience about a year ago where a woman started screaming at me (no exaggeration, literally shrieking) about leaving my 6 year old in the car whilst i went inside to pay. I usually go to a 'pay at pump' so it wasn't something I'd ever really thought about, but this woman started shouting that she was going to call the police for neglect. Since then it's made me a bit unsure what the general views in the UK are on these things!

Seriously? 😂

Dh used a cash machine next to the car when two of mine aged 8 and 10 were in it, a policeman walking by said ‘excuse me can you just get the children out of the car with you next time?’ Dh said ‘oh I’m not going any further’ and the policeman said ‘Just take them out of the car in future’

I’ve done with with my 6yo in our village a couple of times if the car is right outside where we need to go. If I’m just nipping in for 30 seconds I think it’s far more risky trying to get her out of the car, sometimes on the road side depending where we have managed to park, and then back in the car vs just leaving her belted in and going by myself. I wouldn’t do it if I couldn’t see the car/was going to be longer than a couple of mins.

I wouldn’t really think anything of a child that age sitting solo in a car outside a shop tbh unless there was some reason to be worried (they were upset, it was boiling weather and they looked in distress, etc.)

You see things like that scare me! There is no 'age' legally so it's purely at the discretion of the individual police officer. What if you get one who doesn't think children under 16 should be in a car on their own?!

I also think about this when I'm going to the shop and have a trolley. I've got the 1/2/3 year old out of the trolley seat and put them in the car and then have to go and put the trolley back. Surely it is safer for the child to be in the car alone for 20 seconds, than walking across a busy car park?!