To think this was an odd/unusual thing to do?

[NinkyNonker]

DH, dd (13 months) and I went for lunch at a pub in the forest today, glorious hot sunny day so we sat outside. A couple arrived at the same time as us and were in front of us ordering drinks in the bar. We all ended up sitting outside, they were in the middle of the beer garden and we were on the patio nearer the pub/entrance.

After about 45 mins/1 hr I heard a baby crying, couldn't see one but assumed he/she was in the pub or something. After about 20 mins of crying the man from the couple got up and went over to the car (parked in direct sunlight and quite a way away) and peered through the open window before fishing a screaming baby out, circa 18 months. The little girl was inconsable for nearly 20 mins as he walked her round the car park.

Now then, I know I will probably get screamed down for this but DH and I were genuinely puzzled that they thought this was a good idea. Are we just being uptight PFB-ers? I mean, we have sat in many a car park with a sleeping dd so know what a faff it can be but we'd never get out and leave her a fair distance away. Either they didn't hear her crying (in which case they were too far away imo) or they did and just decided to sit for a while. It was so hot in our car when we got back in, and even with a window open there was no breeze so no air flow, if you see what I mean? I wouldn't leave our dogs in the car today, hence leaving them at home and collecting them after for a walk.

So tell me, are we just uptight and this is pretty standard or is this an unusual thing to do?

YANBU!!! Awful.

I've sat in the car or front garden many a time, one time me and a friend sat outside pizza hut in coats and hats as the kids were asleep car parked right beside us, I could open the doors without getting up, and I felt funny doing that tbh! But dd was bfin and I got soooo hungry, kids had had sandwiches etc and crashed out, took an age to find somewhere suitable, if I hadn't I'd have gone hungry!

Just why. I mean WHY would someone think that's acceptable?

Some opinions here are a little meoldramatic, whilst babies do die in over-heated cars it does have to be very hot - not September in the UK - and left for considerably longer than 20 mins to be dehydrated enough to even begin to suffer.
Obviously parents shouldn't be out of sight/earshot of a napping child in a car, but given that you (OP) could hear the crying and the parents were sitting near you, I'd think they did hear it but left it longer than you were comfortable with before responding to their child.
Given the description in the post, are you really saying that one parent should dictate to another how long their child is left to cry ?
Perhaps they had been driving the child around for ages in order to get her off to sleep - an over-tired, ratty, 18 month old can be hell for everyone having lunch, perhaps the parents are trying feburising sleep techniques - maybe not to most peoples taste but then neither is Super Nanny or Gina Ford.
To be so instantly critical of someone elses parenting is a shame.

None of the things you've mentioned excuse their parenting at all - leaving a small child to cry alone in a car for 20 minutes is shit and cruel, whether you have read it in a book or think you're following a method, or are just a rubbish parent.

The baby was in the car for in excess of an hour as I said...we'd been there for nearly an hour when I first heard crying. I wouldn't leave my dogs in the car for that long. My question wasn't based around the crying, that was just another dimension. They were further away from us, and as I stated...either they couldn't hear (they should have sat closer, there were loads of empty seats) and if they did hear then yes, damn right I think they should have gone to her. She was strapped in a hot car on her own, if it was dd she'd have been petrified.

And I wasn't instantly critical. I think we did talk about it and try to figure it out, and I didn't come on here yelling for them to be burnt at the stake. I stand by thinking it was the wrong thing to do. Given they were sat in the sun with a bottle of wine (I'm pregnant so maybe jealousy is clouding my judgement eh) they must have known how hot it was.

YANBU they should know by now that this is not acceptable, idiots!

ummm still thinking some of the reactions here are a bit melodramatic.
The car/sleeping child problem comes up so regularly that I do think it is an over-reaction to assume poor parenting.
Waking a sleeping child is cruel too and regularly doing so seriously inhibits brain development.

Very stupid. Tis illegal here to do that and so it should be.

Waking a sleeping baby can be cruel. Which is why I have spent many an hour sat in a car park waiting for her to wake up, or taking the long route somewhere etc.

I will leave dd in the car while I pay for fuel, run into the house to grab my wallet or similar so am not overly uptight I don't think.

"waking a sleeping baby can be cruel" - which is why I had a car seat that clipped off its base and could be carried with sleeping baby in it.

I had a 5 minute max, car in direct view all the time policy with DS. Can't even do that here legally.

Well I am not overly precious about leaving my kids in the car either. Will leave them to pay for fuel, pick up a carton of milk, or run back into the house. If they fall asleep 99% of the time I sit with them but I have been known to let DS sleep in the car in our drive way immediatly outside our front door with a window open and the front door open so I can hear him as soon as he wakes. I also check on him very regularly.
I think what they did was completely unacceptable. As OP didn't know there was a baby there they clearly didn't check her at all for the guts of an hour and a half. Cars can get very hot in this amount of time, Sept or not. If it is parked in direct sun it would have been very uncomfortable. So they either didn't hear (which they should have made sure they were able to do) or they did and left her, alone, hot and probably scared for 20 mins.
I know we shouldn't judge but this is WRONG.