At what age is it unreasonable to use the parent and child spaces on a car park?

[TheFlipsideOfTheCoin]

Just that really.

Saw a woman with a young teen (about 14 years old) use a parent and child space at Tesco yesterday.

Also saw a family with a baby using a normal space, although they could have used the parent and child spaces as there were some available.

So just wondering.

My Mum always jokes that she can use then when I'm with her and I'm 37

But in seriousness, I have an 11 and 8 year old and haven't used them in years. No since I had to reach in and strap them into car seats

Mine are 6 and 9 and I haven't used them for about 2 years.

So about 4 I guess.

Fair enough OP, I read it as though you had lol.

We have a Tesco store locally where the parent and child spaces are further away from the store than normal spaces. They have a wide walkway down to the store, and I think it is a fabulous layout.
For me proximity to the store is not the issue, it is people parking too close to get the children in to the car safely without damaging the cars that have parked too close (over the white lines in to my bay).
Hence I prefer wider spaces.
If all spaces were wider we wouldn't use parent and child spaces.

with the tesco ones you're supposed to be a member of the p&c group and get an orange window sticker thing to display when you're in store, which is valid till they're five.

or at least the leaflet we got said so when dd was born (shes 5 this year) we've never used our orange thing, i've never seen the orange in another car, and i don't think the group exists any more - we used to get regular leaflets and coupons but not for ages

They are okay to use as long as you are legal to drive. So from 17 (or 16 in some circumstances), and yes that's the age of the driver.

I went to the supermarket today and managed to get in and out with noticing what anyone else was up to.

I haven't used them since ds2 was about 5 or 6!

No need really. Now I have a big bus of a car so always park the arse end of nowhere anyway. The dses are 10 and nearly 9 now so they rarely come shopping anyway and I normally shop online.

I've never used one.

What do people do at car parks with no P&C parking?

Suck it up and use a horrors conventional space. Or boycott the car park, or pen whiney letters to convey their annoyance. ..?

Whaaaaaat????

Erm....when they're still walking around your stomach? I've taken to using them while I'm pregnant...the amount of times I've had someone park so close to me that I struggle to get into the car is insane..so I've been using them even when I don't have my 8 year old with me (who is still in a car seat)

It's just to make it easier to get Dc's out of the car that need help.

I would much rather a Parent used the P&C spaces rather than increase the chance of knocking their door into my side panel whilst trying to get their DC's out.

If you need to strap the child into a carseat yourself. Although my 7yo is on a car seat, he can do the belt correctly wothout help. However, my 5yo cannot, I need to open the door and lean in to do it myself so I will park in P&C in order to have the car door open wide enough to lean in.

I don't know, 5 or 6 ish?

Actually, if the car park was really busy and it was difficult to find a space I would be a bit annoyed if a parent with small children or a person with a disabled badge took a normal space when there were P&C and disabled spaces available because then I would be left unable to park. I wouldn't get especially het up about it but a slight, 'why couldn't they have noticed that they have choices and I don't huff huff puff' would have crossed my mind!

Having said that I often go shopping very late at night and sometimes park in P&C because I'm extremely lazy and they are right outside the doors of my local sainsburys closer even than the disabled (??) with the reasoning that if there are little kids in the store at that time of night then they shouldn't be there anyway!

A bit bad, I know!

I would say 5. DS1 is 5 and if we're out without his younger brother we don't use P&C spaces. He's still in a car seat, but can get himself in and out.

There's no way anyone should need to use one when they have school age children. I've seen people get out of cars with teenagers before. I don't know how they have the nerve!

I saw a woman almost reduce an old man to tears over a P&T space yesterday. All the disabled bays were full so he, and I, had parked in the P&T spaces. He had his wife in the car who used a wheelchair. She was screaming at him like a banshee about how hard her life as a parent was and he wasn't entitled to park there!

I was coming back to my car, and told her to be quiet, his BB meant he could park there and she should park elsewhere. The poor old man was shaking and said he would move because he couldn't be doing with the hassle. It was pissing down, he had to park quite a bit away so he could find somewhere wide enough to get his wife out. I was absolutely bloody fuming. I told her she should be ashamed, but was she hell! She pulled into the space and left her child of about 11 in the car as she strode off into the shop!

I spent most of yesterday evening worrying about the old couple and wish I had spoken to the manager of the supermarket so he could have told her the old man was right!

Ezza1 don't be daft. You just use a normal space. It's just nice to get a p&c space if there is one as there's lots of room to get kids out.

Manicinsomniac - you can park there anytime you want. P&C spaces are not a legal right, they are a marketing ploy.

I'd say you need one if you need to lift them in and out of the trolley or pushchair - that's what the extra space is for surely? Once they can get in and out of the car on their own you don't really need one. No able-bodied parent and child needs a priority space more than a disabled person.

My DC are still in high back booter seats, but I don't use the P&T spaces.

I remember wanting to cry when I'd parked in the middle of the car park far from any other cars, then while I was shopping other drivers parked next to me, so close I couldn't get the baby car seat in. Why...you have a whole carpark to chose from, why park next to the family car?????

I wouldn't ever want someone else to be in that position because I was too lazy to walk a few feet to the shops.

My ds is just 4 and I only use them if there's a few left now. To me its really baby and toddlers that need the extra space

There could be many reasons why they parked there, the child could have special needs, but is not severe enough for a blue badge, my son is 13 and when he is with me shopping, we park there in case he has a meltdown it's easier to get him into the car as its closer to the shop.

When they can put their own seatbelts safrly and correctly without an adult reaching in, for mine that was about 4. I kept the child locks on till this year (DCs are 9 and 7 now) to prevent them damaging neighbouring cars, now I remind them every time to take care and get out whichever side has most space.

I use them with my toddler who's two because as u say its difficult to get her out if people park too close, it's a godsend now I'm very pregnant as sometimes I can't get out either!

Will just add its not often as usually they are all full