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 😒

I’m the same with my daughter. It’s hard as people just presume that they should be able to hop out the car but it’s just not the case. We will never get a bb, it’s hard enough getting any sort of help in the first place. I’m feisty enough though that I’ll give back as good as I get should anyone say anything. Interestingly, it was much easier when my daughter was a small child as I could physically help more. Now that she’s the same height as me it’s not so easy!

People are quick to judge without considering there may be a very valid reason. I get a similar reaction when I use disabled toilets as my disability is invisible to them.

But for every parent of an older child who should really have a BB there will be about 20 taking the piss.

@hotcheeto "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."

Well that tell me every thing I need to know about you, quite honestly if I could not park because of some one doing this it may get accidentally scratched all down the side and hopefully tickets for not parking within the parking bay.

But the people like op who take it upon themselves to be parking wardens have no idea and that’s the point.

ds is 13 and has a blue badge, for short trips he doesn’t need his wheelchair. We are in the super lucky position of getting judged from both sides - if we use p and c he is too old for them, because he is a child and doesn’t “look disabled” we obviously shouldn’t use disabled spaces either in the eyes of many self appointed parking wardens. All it does is add an extra stress to already stressful trips out.

I think putting the P&C spaces further away from the store would resolve the issue, as its not proximity to the entrance thats the key factor, its the ability to unload children freely.

Plenty of space available further away because people do tend to park as close to the entrance as possible. Not necessarily because they're terrible people, but there are a lot of things that do impede movement but don't warrant a disabled badge.

As I said, our local Sainsbury’s does this and they don’t get used.

You’d get a parking ticket in our supermarket car park for even parking slightly over the white line!

Then it's not the often cited need for space thats at the heart of the issue, is it?

To the people saying to park in an empty part of the car park.... What's the difference in OP doing that, and OP going to the back of the place (assuming what is an empty part of the carpark) and parking over 2 spaces to make sure she doesn't get blocked in? I mean if it was Christmas week or a busy Sunday I'd probably wait at the car to give out to you but on a quiet day, what odds.

9 out of every 10 times I go shopping there is a CF using a P&C space with no kids in the car and disabled spaces (that are closer and wider) free. Like OP, I'm not able to get my child in and out of the car in normal spaces. I either try get an edge seat, do a few laps to try get a free P&C spot, or have on occasion just gone home tbh.

Definitely think moving the P&C spots further away from the door would be a help. Surely in a row designated for parents, the drivers would be more vigilant in watching out for children passing by and the parents walking would be more aware of moving vehicles??

My children are older now so no need for them anymore but yes I always said that I would be quite happy to have them further away from store but with trolley park right by the spaces. I was well able to push a trolley with my child in it across the car park, I could not get a maxi cosi car seat off the base and out of the rear door with another car right by me in a regular space. It is really selfish but I bet if the spaces were moved across the car park they would not be nearly as attractive.

When I broke my leg and needed a wheelchair to get about, I used P&C spaces at the supermarket as I could t use e disabled spots.
There were plenty and no one went without whilst I was in store.

I agree with you, with the caveat that you can’t always see who is able bodied (for example 80% of people who are registered disabled do not use a wheelchair). I am disabled and you wouldn’t know. But I do display a blue badge. I’m sorry you’re getting abuse, I get that too sadly.

And I don't think anyone would begrudge you using them under your circumstances but there is a huge issue with people using them who neither have kids, or a temporary mobility issue, or a disability with no free disability spaces!

People are arses for parking in in parent/ child spaces if they do not have young children with them.

you are worse for parking across the middle of 2 spaces.

OMG being slightly pregnant is absolutely no justification to use a parent and child space! It's like saying I can park there even though I've not brought my actual children! Good on you for calling her out even though she was obviously just a selfish cow.

There are definitely people that take the piss - just like all the other rules that people are supposed to follow, like stopping for a red light. Unfortunately the world is filled with self entitled people. What can you do?

It wasn't until recently that I realized what P&C spaces were actually for!! When ds was a baby 20+ years ago, I just thought it was supermarkets being nice to parents and didn't realize it was because they were for getting dc in and out of car seats.

And, I thought it meant just babies and infants, not older dc too, so stopped using them when ds was about 2. Can't say I had much more difficulty than I do now getting my not-large body in and out of my car.

You can learn something new every day.....

So obviously most parents can get children in and out in a normal spot

I've only ever used parent and child spaces when very pregnant. Never with kids, so slap me now! But got to get out of/into the car when you can barely fit behind the wheel, which you cannot always do in a regular space.

Always park at far end of car park with children - far easier to empty/fill a car full without other cars whizzing by - the parent and child are far too close to the store so they get masses of traffic past, plus abused so really not safe if you have child & a trolley load, aside from the fitting them in a car seat when you can barely open the door & have a rigid toddler that won't be strapped in/won't get out of car seat.

I’d really love to know what people do in busy carparks for soft play and zoos etc. On these threads, you never get an answer from those who act like it’s close to impossible to use a supermarket without P&C spaces.

(I’m not referring to people who say they make
life easier but there’s a vocal minority on here who act like they couldn’t access a supermarket without a P&C space.)

You’ll probably have judged me if you saw me when I was pregnant. I wasn’t visibly pregnant, nor did I have a big bump even at full term, but I did have hyperemesis. If I was lucky enough to make it out of the house to the supermarket, I parked in the parent and child bay. 1-it was closer to the entrance and any exertion made me at the very least gag, if not vomit and 2-I spent some time sitting with the car door wide open debating whether it was safe to go in/leave. So while I agree with you in principle, policing it is difficult and I certainly wouldn’t be confronting people who may have very valid but invisible reasons for parking there. That’s a little silly, if you’d done it to me my initial reaction would’ve been to tell you to go fuck yourself to be honest.
Plus they’re for kids up to 12, one could argue a 12 year old shouldn’t need one 🤷‍♀️

I think they should just have blue badge spots close to the entrance, then 'extra room' spaces at the back of the carpark with a safe path to the entrance. Then anyone who needs more room can use them and fewer will be taken by people who just want to be closer.

I also hate it when they have older children. If you have teens you don’t need the toddler/ baby parking. It’s so annoying.

Teenagers with disabilities are more likely to need extra space than a baby or toddler.

Very true. Going out and about with DS was he was small was a doddle compared to now!