to leave the baby in the car while I pay for petrol?

[GnocchiNineDoors]

Light on...needed petrol sharpish. The only pay at pump (which is what I usually use) was miles away and it was rush hour.

Dd was asleep in her carseat.

I parked in the patrol bay right outside the shop (when you walk out of the shop you have to walk around the car in bay one to get passed) and locked her in. There was no queue and i could keep my eyes on her the whole time.

Im now not sure if I did the right thing

Yes this is ok! Your car is never out if your sight. I purposefully go to petrol stations when I am needing to get a pi t of milk etc as it is preferable to leave her in the car if she is asleep etc. I wouldn't park on the street/car park and go into a shop and leave her though obviously!

Very interesting, sat here with two blokes in the kitchen and they were both YABU. They said that they would really worry about car theft and petrol fumes catching fire. One of them has had a car stolen at a petrol forecourt, so I guess that's why.

my rule is provided I won't be more than 5 mins and DC are safe, they stay in the car. DC2 while I drop DC1 at school, both while I nip to the shop etc

What else would you do? Potentially wake a sleeping baby rather than leave them where you can see them and they are perfectly safe?

oh and where we live has the lowest crime rate in the UK, so feel quite safe

Of course you did the right thing. She is still alive and well I take it? No harm has come to her?

I do this with my three DC, taking them out the car would be far more dangerous.

YANBU - I do this. I try to be as quick as possible but I can always see them from the queue.

Oh my god, you left your Dc in the car whilst you went to pay for petrol????

So do I. Much safer than dragging kids across a busy forecourt.

YANBU leaving the baby in the car
YABU by overthinking it.

There is ALWAYS someone on these threads that says that "A friend of a friend of my Aunts cousin twice removed knows sopmeone who saw a car spontaneously combust at a petrol pump".

Perhaps, but that was
a) probably years ago and safety has improved a lot
or
b) not in UK (I have been in someplaces where a guy fills your car up for you while smoking a fag)

The risk of them getting run over or you getting road rage directed at you for taking such a long time are higher.

As long as I could see them from the shop i used to leave mine in the car,

I Wish i had SEEN this SOONERRRRRRR!!!

seriously no one but mumsnetters could be pious about this shit - everyone does it and those that dont are over anxiious fuckers

so with you Custy

Oh I have been an over anxious fucker, but I am stopping right now.

Why would you NOT do this???

No way was I lugging twins out of the car. I either use pay at pump or lock them in whilst in kiosk. We have a competition to see if I can get back to the car before they set the interior alarm off by wriggling around in their seats!

I even leave mine in the car while I get bread sometimes :)

Are people really this paranoid?!

The only 'danger' is if you leave the car unlocked, depending on were you live, tbh.

We are to safety conscious in the UK for there to be any risk of fire.

It is safer to leave a baby in a locked car, than take them across a petrol forecourt.

Of course you leave them in the car! Really surprised anyone would think otherwise.

YANBU.

I reckon the risk of you & DD getting squashed walking to the shop is much bigger than the risk of anything happening to your DD when in a locked car that you can see at all times.

And to those who mentioned the fire risk, petrol fumes catching fire is very unlikely unless people are pouring petrol all over the ground, or smoking whilst filling up.

Thank you for your kind responses.

To be honest, if anything, I'm guilty of under-parenting DD. I sometimes think she's brought up like a third or fourth child therefore when I thought twice about this I thought it must be naughty of me to do, as generally she is left pretty much to get on with life.

BUT, I can safely say at 5 1/2mo, I have had my first PFB moment.

i did it with my 2, id locked the door when i went to pay for petrol