To park in parent and child space?

[mcjx]

DC hasn't arrived yet, but I am heavily pregnant and really struggle walking from the car into my local supermarket. There are never any spaces near the door except P&C so involves a bit of walking to and from.

Would I be U to park in a parent and child space?

As long as it’s not a disabled space then park where you need to to make life easier

And I think ALL P&C spaces should be further away, for what's it worth, to discourage people using them unnecessarily. Small children will be safely stowed in buggies etc and if your school age child hasn't got the sense to behave and walk properly with you in a supermarket car park then you'll probably not want to send them on any school trips either...

I wouldn't have any issue with someone pregnant using a parent and child space. I see it that they are wider to help get a child in and out. You need more space to get a child in and out, just in a different circumstance.
However, when I saw two lads loading boxes of beer in the back, with no child in sight, in a child space near the door, I was not happy.
When I was pregnant I couldn't park in the car park at the doctors surgery to see the midwife. The chances were that if a space was free, and I parked in it, I couldn't open the door wide enough to get out. I stopped bothering and parked in the next street and walked.
I wish they would put the child as spaces further away, with a proper path to walk on. The extra width is usually needed more than the proximity to the door.

Surely the need to use P&C when heavily pregnant isn't the distance to walk but the ability to open the car door wide enough to get out without clanging the car next to you as you might do in a normal space?

Usually. But this OP states clearly it's about walking the distance to the supermarket; no mention of door opening. That's what I responded to.

But yes, usually people asking about this ask because of the extra door space. And Mumsnet generally thinks it's fine.

Not unreasonable at all! I wish I had done this. I was so huge I could barely get in/ out the door and could have done with the extra space. If you’re heavily pregnant and the car next to you parks too close you are blocked in!

Fair enough @englishdictionary I missed the distinction in this particular post

I guess you have to consider whether, upon arriving at a p&c space, at the same time as a car with multiple children in, who should actually gets the space, because if it were me in the car I know what I’d be thinking.

englishdictionary

As someone who was in Op's position last summer, yes those few yards do make a difference, sometimes the difference between being able to walk the next day or not.

Absolutely fine to use them, I did. It would've been a struggle to get out of the car if I didn't.

I wouldn't bat an eyelid at you parking in a p&c spot. Go for it. I had SPD with my youngest and needed crutches and would park in the p&c both for the space and the fact every step hurt like hell, so less steps was better.

I am curious though, those saying p&c should be at back of car park/further away, I thought the point of them being where they are is so that people don't have to walk across busy carparks with young children?

As someone who was in Op's position last summer, yes those few yards do make a difference, sometimes the difference between being able to walk the next day or not.

That's fine. I wasn't saying people shouldn't t park in them. I don't give a shit where you park, so long as it's not a disabled space. I just said I was baffled, because I didn't see much difference.

Of course you should,you have your child with you-couldn't be more with you

I guess you have to consider whether, upon arriving at a p&c space, at the same time as a car with multiple children in, who should actually gets the space, because if it were me in the car I know what I’d be thinking.

That would be whoever gets to the space first.

YANBU I needed.it when I was heavily pregnant not for closeness to shops but for the space to get out of the car. I once had a car.park too close and I had to climb over from passenger side. Defo park there anyone who has a child will remember what it's like. That's if you can actually get in one due to all the vans that use them.

Most car parks have pedestrian paths and crossing places, don't they, they just might not be the most direct way from car to shop. You can be safe, you can be quick, but you can't necessarily be both.

Update: went to my local Aldi and there was only one p&c space left outside of the shop. Somebody else got there before me, thought fine.. was a middle aged man alone with no children in tow 😑

@MatchSetPoint I can't walk around the supermarket unless leaning onto a trolley the way around