To think that people who use parent and child spaces without children are selfish *****

[hotcheeto]

Fill in the starred swear word as applicable.

I've only started truly noticing how many idiots do this since I had my baby 4 months ago. I can't believe how many people I've seen do it. And yes I always call them out and have had some pretty disturbing abuse thrown back.

I have also always reported to the shop staff to be told it isn't illegal and there's nothing they can do bar having a parking attendant out constantly which isn't possible (I know this isn't the shop staff's fault).

No disabled spaces? Fair enough, crack on. But this isn't the case 99% of the time. People use them because they are close to the entrance. I would rather the spaces be far away from the entrance with a small trolley park nearby with car seat/child seat trolleys.

Yesterday I purposefully parked straight down the middle of two normal spaces because I didn't want to risk having to reverse out just to get my baby's car seat back in. As I was walking in I witnessed 3 separate very able bodied people walk back to their cars without children.

Just really pees me off 😒

So when you damage their doors and they get you on CCTV and your car insurance goes up you will feel so self righteous then.

stop being so self entitled.

You are just as bad.

Taking two spaces is very selfish of you.

@TidyDancer how do you know why people park over 2 spaces?

You’ve just labelled all people like that rude.

Our old wheelchair vehicle had a side ramp. That meant there was 1 parking space in the whole supermarket we could use. Most the time I went, it was being used. Therefore, I had no choice but to park over the back of the car park but straddling 2 spaces. I obviously put out the blue badge and a hand written note but I often had a snotty note left.

Why assume there is a far corner....my Sainsbury's is in a square complex with 3 food outlets, a phone shop, card shop, next, curries, superdrug, h&m and tk max short of parking in the exit road there is no space away from shops ...and negotiating the various roads whilst keeping toddler baby and trolley in line is only safe via the pathway and crossing points.

You do not. But you may need easy/ close access to facilities (blue badges allow you to park for limited times on double yellows, residents bays, council car parks etc.)

But you can get a blue badge for hidden disability reasons. I have one for autism and digestive issues. The people talking about hidden disabilities are making a moot point, because those people can absolutely get a blue badge. If they do not have one, it is because they do not qualify as disabled or have not applied for a blue badge.

I do feel like the thread has turned into a disability vs children argument.

The problem is that both groups need certain accommodations and structurally quite often seem to be pitted against each other - look at wheelchair/buggy spaces on buses, baby changes in disabled toilets etc.

There are various good reasons for (most of the time at least) prioritising disabled users of services over babies/children but 'you chose to have children' isn't one of them. Once the children are here, they need to be cared for and it being their parents' choice to have them or not is irrelevant. A better argument would be that there is usually a workaround for parents in most situations (walk, change baby on a mat in the buggy etc.) so they are suffering inconvenience rather than anything else for not being able to access the service in question, whereas there often isn't for those with disabilities who will often be excluded from going about their day-to-day lives if the service isn't available to them.

It annoyed me when I had one baby but I could park on the end of a row etc but now with a baby and a toddler it infuriates me as even parking on the end of a row means trying to get a kid out the other side.
Also annoys me when people park right on the line rather than in the middle of the space...or when I park furthest away from the store where there's loads of empty spaces and return to my car and despite there still being loads of empty spaces someone parks right next to me, right against the line, grr!

My husband has arthrogryposis, his application was turned down, and yes, he did complete the application properly.

You can not qualify as disabled because it’s a “temporary” medical condition that usually lasts about 3 months.

Only it’s been 2 years and it’s still ongoing.

For example... not that mine is hidden, I walk with a stick mist of the time 😐😂

@EsmeSusanOgg

No, it is not. Not if you have actual proof of disability and fill in the paperwork properly. I really wish people would stop repeating this nonsense.

Perhaps you could do mine?

I have 'actual' proof.

I have a motability car.

What are you suggesting a person does in such a situation that they are blocked in by 2 cars when needing to get a car seat back into the car then?

As everyone else seems to be whatabouting, what about if you have a newborn who isn't big enough for the trolley seats and you can't do online shopping? What if you can't afford the minimum spend? That isn't my situation, but it's someone's.

It's either open the door onto the car or leave the car seat to reverse the car out as I see it? Please enlighten me. I'm not going to purposefully bash the door, am I?

I wholeheartedly agree

@Hufflepods

That's for DLA - children (in the main)

The PIP criteria for automatic BB are different and the ADP (Scotland) differ again.

A big problem is that people feel the need to buy huge cars when all they do is things like the school/nursery run and go to the supermarket. 90% of the people driving big SUVs do not need a car that size.

But why unless you are changing cars do you need to take out the car seat? Someone else mentioned taking out a car seat to change a baby? Why? You are making the choice to make things more difficult for yourself by taking the car seat in and out. The OP is talking about dinging car doors rather than leaving the car seat behind? It's not the babies making it hard it's the insistence on bringing a car seat everywhere you go that is making it hard.

I need to fully open the car door to get out, if I can’t then I just can’t get out.

I go for corner spaces... or different shops tbh, if I can’t find a space that I’m going to be able to get out of I leave and go somewhere else.

A sling.

@Jifmicroliquid but how do you know if people need the bigger car or not?

Maybe I’m missing the point of the thread but I personally can’t understand why on Earth anyone would want to traipse their baby/small children round a supermarket. Why don’t you just shop online and avoid all the hassle? Ok, some people can’t afford it and need to shop at Aldi/Lidl but I honestly can’t understand why some people treat a supermarket trip like a fun/educational day out.

No yanbu. Those people are cunts.
I wouldn't call them out though. Scary angry people and babies are not a good mix. In my fantasies I execute a brilliantly sarcastic 'oh what a beautiful baby, it's hard being a parent isn't it'.

Personally I'd not be careful about car doors. No one ever checks the CCTV.

It’s not something I can get worked up over

YABU.

An absolute minority of people do all their grocery shopping online.

Reasons include the delivery fee, delivery slot availability, not wanting substitutions, wanting to pick their own better quality produce. Or maybe a new mum just wants out of the house.

Well for me, if you get home delivery they give you all the vegetables that are about to go off, meaning I can't make healthy food for my family.
They also invariably do substitutions of key items that don't work for the meal provided or miss it out altogether (eg spaghetti in spag bol).
We have dietary requirements that don't work for substitutions most of the time
And children should see everyday things. Going to the supermarket is part of life and children shouldn't be shielded from it. It's something we don't explicitly teach and so they need to learn by doing so they don't become adults who can't use a supermarket. Children also do a lot of pretend play based on mundane acts. That's why you have little pretend tills and vegetables. It's important for.their development.
It's also convenience if you plan your day to coincide school pick ups or toddler groups with a shop.

Based on the people I know with them, believe me, they don’t. I know one lady who drives a huge Range Rover as a WFH mum with 2 small children. I’m guessing my experience must be quite similar to others.