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 😒

It's Mumsnet parent and child parking bingo time!

"Not all disabilities are visible" - yeah but I bet if you did a survey of childless people who parked in p&c spaces 99% would be able bodied twunts.

"We managed just fine with them in my day back in the 1800s". Modern are wider, parking spaces haven't caught up, and car seats are now compulsory.

"Just park further away" So you can get run over by the entitled twunts too busy looking for the closest space to the shop to notice you walking through the car park lugging a heavy baby car seat.

Did I miss any?

And yes again I don't have magical powers that allow me to detect disability. But I assume a majority of people with disabilities that require a closer spot to the entrance would have a blue badge.

you couldn’t be further from the truth!

When were they introduced?

What's with the twee * you can swear you know!?

It's an adult forum

The attitude bugs me too.

It's ususally parotted by people who lived "in the olden days" who walked to plentiful local shops with their babies in prams to get their shopping. Or from the times when baby car seats weren't legal so they just put their babies on the back seat 😂

Genuine question to those of you who managed without. How? Tell us your secret.

But all the parent and child spot does is give you a bit more space (and often not much)? It’s not a magic seat fairy! I had 3 kids in a built up area of a city. What you can do, if there are no spaces on the end of the row (and often there are), is park more to one side of the space so that you can get more room usually on the drivers side and then load/ unload everyone out of that side. It’s even better if you have a smallish car or one with a sliding door at the back. If you need to do a seat belt up you can just reach over from the front. Yes your situation doesn’t sound fun, but I am not sure that it’s ever going to be easy to get 3 kids into a car whilst 9 months pregnant…

They really should put these parent and child spaces at the back of the car park

Yup, it's annoying as the family spaces are there so you don't hit other cars when getting kids from car seat etc so it messes it up for everyone. So annoying trying to navigate car seats in both sides in a small space

8 parent and child spaces. Me with a toddler (just 2yo) and newborn. Need to open both doors. 2 people without children (or car seats) using parent and child spaces. I’ve had to climb across seats to get them in. Also had to leave my eldest in their car seat whilst I attempt to get the car out. It’s so dangerous.

Why?

If you are navigating say, a trolley, multiple DC, including a baby, it's lashing rain, trying to manage a trek across a car park is a real pain.

I'm years past that stage but remember it well.

Of course they should be close to the entrance.

If they weren't available, that was ok - I parked elsewhere. But others using them with no need / children, is utterly selfish.

TBH I’ve never understood parent and child spaces. Most if not all times it’s perfectly possible to get a child seat or a child out in a normal space.

Depends. I only have a small car (an Aygo) but if two massive cars park either side of me it can make the space pretty tight. Plus I prefer to reverse in because it's safer, but in regular spaces that can mean I can't then get the pram round and into the boot.

I agree OP, I do think it's selfish. People always trot out "how d'you know they're not disabled?" but that hardly flies when there are plenty of disabled spaces free, as is always the case at my local supermarket.

Not all disabilities qualify for a blue badge, but may on occasion require a closer space.

I expect you're right but they probably put them closer to avoid children having to cross car parks (which don't always tend to have designated walking paths)

But they’re not ‘additional needs’ spaces.

What about disabled parents?

Good point. Parking in a P&C space near the store entrance isn’t necessary. Park at the furthest point where it’s usually empty and walk.

Im a blue badge holder and our local
asda has taken away more than half the usually always full disabled spaces. I will park in p&c spaces when I am incapable of walking the distance from the non-disabled /p&c spaces. I don’t look old or disabled. I do have kids with me most of the time but you might not consider them small enough to be eligible. Meh.

The ignorance here is unbelievable. Yes people do take the piss with using them when they shouldn’t but not all disabilities enable you to get a blue badge. The effort needed to go to, to get a badge or high rate DLA or a great deal of effort submitting evidence to the council rule it out. Not all disabilities qualify you for a blue badge but your life may be considerably easier to use a parent and child space.

And so what if they have "additional needs"? Parents of young children also have additional needs and need to get children safely in and out the car with buggies, car seats etc.
If you don't have a blue badge then you don't trump the reason the parking space is there in the first place - for young children!
Your need does not trump mine

FWIW I did park at the back of the car park when parking across 2 spaces and I'd do it again if there were no parent spots free 🤗 I don't think it's unreasonable and I don't think I've undermined myself either.

This is an obnoxious attitude.

There is simply no way you need to do this. I managed with 3 DC, even with a share of tight parking, it is very rare that both sides will be so tight you can't extract / insert car seat.

I only took car seat when they were very little eg 8 weeks & under & I was popping it on the buggy chassis.

Otherwise I used the buggy / pram, a sling, or into seat in the trolley.

I see people with the car seat in the trolley itself or putting it down in shops & never understand why they do it beyond a very early stage.

What special skill is required to see if someone has young children in carseats or not?

I agree, it’s so annoying although I am now 15 years into parenting and it doesn’t annoy me as much as it did when I had my first. You become great at kids car extraction gymnastics.

What I can’t get over is the able bodied (100%, I know them) parents parking their Ranges in the disabled spots at David Lloyd so they don’t have to walk far to the door.

And nor does yours trump theirs.

Sorry for not swearing 🤨 fairly new to MN and not sure on the etiquette.