To think it is not ok to leave your kids in the car outside a large supermarket?

[Aberchips]

Yesterday afternoon I parked in the mother & child spaces at my local (large) supermarket with my two children (4 &2). As I was getting out of the car, I noticed that in the car next to us were 2 kids who looked about 6/7 & 3ish - the younger one was waving to me. They were strapped into seats or anything but just roaming about the car- playing with the steering wheel etc.

I admit that I do occasionally leave my kids in their car seats in the car when I pop into the Sainsburys local or corner shop, but I can always see them out of the window & I lock them in with strict instructions not to touch the doors. I am never doing anything more than picking up a pint of milk & only gone about 2 mins.

I don't know how long these kids had been there, but it took me a good few minutes to park, get my trolley, unload my kids etc & nobody came back to the car. I thought about telling the security people/ staff but then wasn't sure they would do anything?

I don't think IBU to think you shouldn't leave kids like this, but WWYD?

Mine don't climb all over the car while I leave them though.

archive.indianexpress.com/news/two-children-die-as-fire-breaks-out-in-parked-car/909925/

What this one?

newsok.com/parked-car-catches-fire-child-dies/article/1911958

Or this one? I can only find two incidences online, and in both of them it sounds a bit more neglectful than leaving your children safely strapped in while you nip into a shop?

You know sometimes I also pee without my children. Shocker.

I would never leave my children in a car to go in a shop unless it was a little local shop wihere I could see them every minute through the window.
However, I would never ever leave my grandson in a car on his own as that is not my decision to make. Not that that is relevant at all to the thread, just pointing out that parents have to make their own decisions.

A car engine caught fire in the carpark of my dc's school last term. New car, good make, properly maintained etc.

Very, very low risk of something like that happening, but too horrific to contemplate if it did with kids inside.

I must be an awful parent. When my DDs were babies I sometimes used to leave them asleep in the car in the driveway if they had fallen asleep on the journey home to save waking them by lifting them out. It seems it's a miracle they survived!

Someone I know did this and a customer told security who gave her a telling off. She also got a visit later from a police officer to follow up on it!

My kids are 5 and 9 and I ask them if they want to come or be left when I nip to the shops quickly. If it's a cash machine I just leave them, as they can see me.

My parents, dad in particular, used to leave us in the car for what felt like hours.

Just remembered, my old neighbour's toddler would only have his afternoon nap in the car. It was parked on the street and often not outside her own door. You'd know when he'd woken up as the car alarm would go.

She didn't even stay on the ground floor (I did, but next door).

I wouldnt because mine, 3 & 8 would probably kill each other and I wouldnt put it past the youngest to be able to start the car somehow

I think if you think the kids are in danger then you could always say to the shop that kids are mucking about in tX car in the car park the person probably thought they were still in their seats left the oldest in charge and they thought bugger this and let the youngest out of the seat too, but tbh you do it as well your kids could do the same at any point of leaving them

Mine are 8 and 10 and I will do this, but they could pass for much younger as they are small and both still in high back booster seats. Also you can easily pop in, grab something and be back out again in five minutes with the self service checkouts, even in a big supermarket. So, no I wouldn't have said anything.

7 -absolutely fine.Not a 3 yr old on her own, but with a 7 yr old? Maybe

HauntedNoddyCar, if there was a constant risk of car's spontaneously combusting? I mean seriously?

The fact is that life is a risky business, somewhere someone is getting hit by lightning?

We cannot wrap our children in cotton wool and report everyone else who doesn't. Taking sensible precautions is one thing but I still do not see the dangerous in leaving children in cars, unless there is some particular problem with that particular child or car.

A friend of mine (a grown up) sat in her boyfriend's car while he went into work to collect wages. He was away a while and she was playing with her phone. She looked up to see people in the office window waving at her. She waved back then realised they were trying to signal something too. The car was on fire and she hadn't noticed.

Even knowing that girl and hearing her story (she got out of the car unharmed, car was a write off), I still let my little ones sit in mine unattended.

roar at bumpotato great name, great post.