to park in the parent and toddler spaces when I'm on my own

[nametaken]

if it's 9 o clock at night. I mean, surely, they won't be needed late evening?

Or should I not?

Bridie3 i will cross my fingers that next time you do it you will get a fine.

sometimes i park right across 2 p&t spaces and then throw fruit shoots anyone who complains.

Thanks so much, 2shoes. I'm sure you're right, I should have transported him across the huge car park in the sleet, past all the ten empty disabled bays for the 25 minutes I was in the shop. And then passed the ten empty disabled bays on the way back.

of cause you should have. and splashed in the puddles on the way(i need sleep so you will have to excuse me being a cow)

Once when i was out with my sister my niece and my ds we parked in a disabled space and put my sons badges up, then about three spaces down a souped up boom boom stereobox golf roared into the dsbled space next to the cash machine and a young lad got out, i was really cross and my sis said not to say anything but i got out of the car and confronted him at the machine, he said "im not parked my engine is running" to which i replied that he was in the four white lines so was parked, he then told me to hassle someone else so i said no i was hassling him! When i went back to the car my sister was so embarassed she was hiding under the steering wheel!!

Can't believe you want a small baby in a pram to get soaked and cold just because its mother uses one of many, many empty disabled bays and there are no P&Ts.

the trouble with 'many' disabled bays - is that when a disabled person comes along 5 minutes later they may all be full. 25 minutes in a shop is well and truly long enough for all the disabled bays to fill. Long enough for them to fill and empty again as well- so off you toddle, wander round the shop 'oh they're all empty' you think as you come out, not having seen the people who have had to go home because they couldn't get a space. Maybe it didn't happen, but it could. Disabled bays full of able-bodied happens a lot in the rain. I never go anywhere that I need to reply on a disabled bay in the rain.

Babies don't rust (have had 3 of them - none of them have rusted in the rain). Prams come with raincovers. Or you can even tuck them in a coat or hold an umbrella over them. Keeping rain off isn't rocket science and is a necessary skill if you live in the UK.

Well done Lottie.

My Dad has a blue badge as he has a heart/lung condition and gets out of breath quickly if he has to climb stairs, go uphill or when it is very windy. He can walk a reasonable distance though. He only uses a disabled bay when absolutely necessary, not when going to Tesco so he can park nearer to the store.

It is important that these bays are kept free for people who really need them. I remember reading about a family whose son was autistic, they went to Macdonalds but had to go home because the disabled bays were full. Their son could not cope with parking on the left side of the entrance instead of the right side.

And it does not matter how many bays are free when you arrive, there is no excuse for parking there. I agree with Yurt, babies are not made of sugar, they don't melt in the rain.

Erm, folks, my son is now eleven... We are talking about a one-time incident well over a decade ago. I probably shouldn't even have confessed it.

yurt - at 'babies don't rust', but also on your and others' behalf that you keep having to defend the oh-so-luxurious privilege of disabled bays.

The more threads I read on here, the more I go from tzhinking 'P&T spaces - nice idea really' to thinking 'P&T spaces - grrrr, work of the devil'. The Germans manage just fine without, despite having stonking great cars. Just having a car (2 small children, both no SN, so car really not a necessity) seems luxurious to me.

It's quick and effective, btw, to learn how to use a sling, so in these sorts of situations you can take baby out of car seat, pop it into sling and then go across the car park with an umbrella over both of you.

How dare you suggest that i think disabled bays are a luxury! For people who have them they are for a REASON!!! not for a LUXURY!! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!! Dont you think that people wish they didnt need to have to use them???? Some people really make my blood boil!!!!!!!!

Would it fit him now he's in year six?

Berolina
Don't speak too soon. Our local supermarket has now got 3 P&T spaces. It is all downhill from here

Calm down! I was being ironic, hence the face! I was expressing sympathy to yurt and admiring her and others' patience at constantly getting into these discussions with people like Bridie about 'but there are so many empty disabled bays, hy can't I use them, I have a baaaaaaby'.

(08:46:27 post was to lottiejenkins btw)

lottie
Berolina was talking about parent and toddler spaces, not disabled spaces

ha ha at patience. Stupidity more like

Why do we need p&t spaces? Most people going to supermarkets put their babies in the trolley don?t they? So it?s simple, you park car, lock car, go and get trolley, put it round back of car, get baby out and put into trolley. Even with a buggy you normally stick it in the boot so easy enough to get buggy out and carry the baby to the buggy not the other way around.

As for disabled bays, there is never an excuce to use one if you don?t have a disability. In fact, I used to be entitled to a blue badge which my mother insisted I apply for (was living at home then so more naïve) so she could get free parking . When it expired I refused to renew it! Seems totally hypocritical that I would park in a disabled space (mm not me obviously but the driver of car I was in) when I walk everywhere, so clearly nothing wrong with my ability to walk from one end of the car park to the shop!

There is an asda in Bristol I think it is, that fines people £50 for parking in a disabled space without a badge, and if you offend again you risk being banned from the store. Think that?s excellent personally.

Apologies!!!

'S alright

I actually quite liked the p&t bays as they are bigger.

I once had to leave DS in his car seat at the side of the car park while I reversed the car out as I could not get him in otherwise.

A man came running over shouting, "WAIT! You have forgotten your baby!!"

I agree with wannabe- if you don't have the blue badge stay away

Our situation here is that 2 of my 3 boys are disabled enough to get higher rate DLA, I am also 28 weeks pregnant and have ahd SPD at intervals throughout this pregnancy. DLA have assessed us as not being entitled to a blue badge (will be challenging that in July when DLA renewed as just got reports in) despite ds3 (the more severe in terms of that side- ds1 is mroe aggressive) having v. poor understanding so not responding to stop or any notion of safety due to his sensory impairments- quite often I'll be dealing with ds1 stimming or beinga ggressive and have to dart after a disappearing ds3. So unless I ahve a second adult I don't go out, a disabled space would help a lot.

But I don't have a blue badge so i don't use the space, and never would consider it.

P&T sapces are a bit more of a free for all- personally I can see how they're handy if like me you drive a gert MPV and need extra door space (my hips up for architecturala wards atm LOL ), but I think they should be away from the frnt of the shop then they wouldn't attract so much venom. Rain- as Yurt says- will not kill a small child.

And tbh if you can't park the car you drive, you shouldn'treally be driving it should you?