What is with childless people parking in family spots!!!

[Asher09]

I have a toddler and a baby - so thats 2 car seats and a double pram. I genuinly need a fair bit of space when parking and recently I've seen so many people without children parking in the family spots - its so frustrating!

Surely family spots are there for a reason - they're closer to entrances and allow more space to get in and out. Its so helpful to a parent!
When inconsiderate people park there without thinking it leaves me driving around with a screaming toddler and a crying baby trying to find a decent spot where I have some room - some car parks have such narrow spots its impossible to get my kids in and out without hitting a car.

I've caught some people in the act, and have confonted them 'Hey I think you've left your kids in the car' but no one thinks they sre doing anything wrong or should move.

I think family spots should have the same rules as disabled spots. Just don't know how that would be implimented.

That’s what our shopping centre was like when my kids were babies/toddlers. They were very much used used, often only one or two free, I only ever saw parents with young kids using them. The distance from the entrance to the shops seemed to put others off using them so was a good solution.

I saw a young man in his 20s being challenged in a disabled spot a while ago, by an elderly couple who were demanding his space. They wouldn’t believe he was disabled, lots of people were filming as they were being quite aggressive. It ended up being put on our local Facebook and is on YouTube. The man in question was in fact disabled, a wheelchair user. He was also diabetic so had dared to eat for a couple of minutes in his vehicle which the couple were moaning about. People need to stop thinking they can see disability from seeing someone sitting in a vehicle.

What if it's not a choice?

Well yes I do agree. But that ship has sailed unfortunately. Even average size (inside) cars seem huge now.

100% they should be at the back of the car park. There should be twice as many and they dont need to be as wide as they are. They should be avaliable to anyone who needs them, even large Van Drivers.

Its not about being a princess just just a basic need to be able to open your door to get your kid in an out.

When I feel myself getting annoyed as I look for a parking space with my 2 small grandchildren I cast my mind back to when I was a young single mother. I didn’t have car and the only way I could shop was have the baby in a sling and toddler in a buggy and travel by bus.
if any of you have a violin could you play some sad music for me now 🎻 🎻🎻

ds is 14 and a blue badge holder. On a good day he doesn’t use a wheelchair. If we can’t get a disabled space, or if P and C are better located which daftly they are in some places, we park in a P and C space. It’s what he needs for his needs and his disability “trumps” your car seat

Precisely. I have one that seems to manage one break/operation from football yearly. It’s not a chronic disability, so not badge worthy, but when they excel themselves, yet again, if they are with me I’m parking in the parents spot if the alternative is a spot at the other end of the carpark with an adult child on crutches or knee scooter or whatnot. Do not give a shit if some other entitled parent thinks that makes me an arsehole. Too bad, too sad.

Family parking should never be the same as disability parking because disability is a medical state. There should be more disability parking places not more family spots.

Parents could always campaign for legislation around them but they don't because they know it won't be an issue for them in a couple of years.

I totally agree there need to be way more accessible spaces. I think shops underestimate the size of the population that need them. They go oh put 5 in. 5! They can do better

You aren't being unreasonable, OP. It's difficult to get a kid out of a car seat in a normal sized space! I wish they were at the far end of car parks. I don't care about being close to the entrance, I just want to be able to wrangle a toddler into a car seat!

We don’t need legislation, we just need people to be considerate and not park there if they don’t have children or another need such as disability. Seems like it’s too much to ask that others are considerate though.

They'd have to be a lot smaller to allow for the faffing about with car seats that is now necessary.

True

As far as I'm concerned, people who park in P&C spots when they don't have small children or a very good reason to need the wider space are selfish twats.

and a "very good reason" is not just because you have a big car.

Lots of things aren't illegal but people are inconsiderate and rude to do them. I see parking in a P&C space without a child (or a disability) as equivalent to queue jumping in terms of its social wrongness.

It's not illegal, but why do people who do it think they're more important than others.

But as I always say on this thread, I wish half the P&C spaces were put on the far side of the car park. I don't need it to be close to the shop, I just need to be able to open the door wide enough to lift a 1 year old in. And putting the spaces further away would discourage lazy people from parking in them because they can't be arsed to walk a few more steps (for clarity, I'm not including those with disabilities here, obviously if the disabled spaces are full, P&C spaces should be used).

Car seats these days are huge and some don’t even fit in small cars. YANBU OP but on mumsnet it’s a race to the bottom as usual.

I dont know if this genuine or not but I'm going to give your 'concern' the benefit of the doubt. I appreciate you wanting to help with that but thats not what my post is about. My kids cry and scream in the car for various reasons - thats not up for discussion here and would in no way shape or form help with inconsiderate drives or lack of spacious parking. Thank you.

Too small a car wouldn’t fit car seats in as well as a pram. Car seats have also got bigger/bulkier because of safety regulations.

These are I think only provided as a sop to planners or for the supermarket to try to look good.

If we didn't give a licence to 25% of those who currently have one and should not (mix of health issues for some, conduct for others), perhaps there would be less of this, because of more confidence about other drivers.

It was genuine I assure you. I find the noise of my children crying incredibly stressful so was wondering if it was linked to the being in the car or not. Thank you for giving me the benefit of the doubt.

This is me at the moment- my blue badge was stolen when my car was broken into, and stupidly there isn’t any provision for the period between it being stolen and a new one coming (which is 3 weeks and counting…).

So if I park in a disabled bay I’ll get a ticket, but if I don’t have extra space I can’t do the whole wheelchair thing. So I’m just putting up with the tutting.

OP you'll get told you are being unreasonable because there's a large cohort of people on here who hate parents and small children and resent them getting any kind of accommodations, grace or support. But YANBU.

How would they enforce it though? By only allowing people with buggies and multiple children? What if a mum parked there and got out with one baby in a carrier? Do you have to take out a stroller to qualify for that space or is just having a child enough?

I readily admit I park in P&C if I have DD with me out of sheer convenience. She can walk fine by herself so we don't have a stroller but it's also about the distance to the door. It's safer taking a jumpy 5 year old a shorter distance compared to the entire parking lot. Also convenient coming back if we're laden with bags.

I'm 7 months pregnant and on so many occasions recently have struggled to get back into my car in a normal space because someone's parked too close to me. I feel I need the extra space of parent and child now more than I will when the baby is here 😅 park in them guilt free