Parent and child spaces should be for those with children 5 and under

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Parent-child parking spaces at supermarkets should be reserved primarily for those with children aged 5 and under, aside from older children with special needs (although a blue badge might be more appropriate where they meet the criteria, in these cases).

I was alone with my 4 month old today, the trolleys with the baby seats are kept next to these spaces. The spaces which have the easiest access to the trolleys had all been taken with the last taken by someone just before me, I reversed into a space around the corner and the driver was shaking their head at me, presumedly because their space only had extra room on one side and my space came up to them (see picture). I was surprised to then see them get out with a child of about 13. I saw multiple other people using these spaces with children looking like teenagers. I was able to get a space which still had fairly easy access to the trolleys, albeit by needing to walk on the road and inbetween the other cars, multiple people had parked in the spaces with the easiest access with much older children. I was lucky to get a space at all, had I not I would have had to walk across the busy carpark holding my baby.

YANBU- Just because someone has a child under 16 doesn’t mean they should take up these spaces, they should save them for people who need them the most.

YABU- first come first served, who cares if someone with a baby is having to traipse across a busy car park holding a baby to get to the baby trolleys.

Life is too short to be stressing about parent and child parking spaces love x

its just as well your opinion doesnt change anything. I park there with my autistic child at 12. Would love anyone to pull me up on it in person 🙃

isn’t it lovely your little ones are so perfect getting out of the car. Maybe you could invest your energy in something a little more important

I used to park miles away, I had 2 babies so needed both doors to open wide enough to get them out I just used to carry them to the trolly pop them in and was all good, also had a sling. We had 2 supermarkets that didn’t have p&c close to the doors and one that only had 4 spaces so I usually didn’t bother,

I needed the parent and child spot less when my child was a baby. I definitely need it now she's an eloping 3 nearly 4 year old. I'll continue using the spot until it's easier to wrangle her across a car park.

Bit young to get married at nearly 4 isn't she?

Also getting a baby out of the car in comparison to an older autistic child is a fucking breeze 😂 I’m so sorry the car park doesn’t have your VIP space you require

I was going to type a reasoned response out but to be honest you’re a bit of a twat.

I have a 6 yo and a 5 yo. I still use, and need, them now.

Oh for God's sake, how sad to care about something so petty and minor.

I highly doubt she had a blue badge and forgot it, she was probably just lazy and entitled. The fact that she ignored her screams guilty to me. I would also have said something to her!!

No point getting worked up over these things imo. I have a 10 month old and sometimes there are parent and child spaces free and sometimes there aren't. I don't worry myself over thinking who else is parked in the spaces, I just park elsewhere, carry her to the trolley and get on with my shop. Its never caused me any stress.

Nope. Child and parent parking is a privilege not a right.
Even with an arbitrary age restriction (why 5, not 4 or 6? Nonsense) all the spaces can still be taken at any given time and you’d have to walk a little further across the car park 🙄
Also if I was going to be argumentative I’d say that a baby in a carrier being lugged by an adult is actually a lot safer than any young children walking so surely the age restriction should be 18m/walking and older, not babies, for parking closer to the store or trolleys.
But then wider spaces are handy for getting baby seats out so maybe some nice wide 0-18m spaces at the far end of the car park would be better?!

Completely agree with this

A 4m old 🤔😂 try two toddlers op and then have a whine. Seriously, it's annoying, it's not worth getting worked up over. Agree that having them further from the doors would help, its the extra room I need.

We use them with our 6 year old.. I'd say until they are out of a car seat? Fastening them in is what makes us need more room

Exactly, at the end of the day it was very clear she was just a lazy CF. Maybe many of the people tearing me apart on here are also lazy CFs 😂

You could write an equally patronising reply to most mumsnet threads, does that mean people should just shut up?

Well, we'll never know. You can doubt it all you like but the reality is, you have no idea.

Of course you can challenge people if you wish. As long as you don't mind other people thinking that you look like a twat.

Please tell me what hidden disability would mean you can walk through a shop completely fine, but can't walk across a car park?

Deafness, as a pp stated. Also visual impairments not amounting to blindness, which may not seriously affect you in the shop but may affect your ability to spot and co-ordinate your movements with cars that are suddenly pulling in and out of spaces. Presumably a driver wouldn't have such an impairment, but their older child/ teenager might.

I use them with an autistic older primary age child. If you saw us park up and go in you'd probably think my child is "independent and mobile" as a PP said. If you saw us come out again you'd know exactly why we still use them as DC is liable to do a runner or just lie down in the middle of the car park and I'd rather be in a safer area with room around the car.

We mostly get shopping delivered for exactly this reason but sometimes it's unavoidable.

I know OP said that this wasn't about children with disabilities but you wouldn't know my child has disabilities necessarily, you'd assume we were being entitled because DC is physically capable of walking. DC gets middle rate care and lower rate mobility DLA so not entitled to a blue badge but also not able to be safe in car parks.

You still don’t get it. It’s not your place to challenge. Report someone if you think they’re abusing the place.
As a disabled person, I promise you I am less lazy than a lot of the entitled people on here. I never challenge people even if they park in BB spaces without a badge. I’m not a parking attendant!

Wow. I’m shocked by all the negative posts.

There are obvious saftey concerns getting a small child across car park which is why they bother to provide these spaces. Comments like ‘spend your energy worrying about something else’ to OPs compliant is just ignorant.

Things which don’t affect your day to day life might seem silly but when someone saying they struggle perhaps it’s worth listening.

The parent and baby spaces at my local supermarket are always taken up by single men who can’t be bothered to walk across it and don’t give two shits about anyone else. I often have to take risks with my toddler and have more than once had to jump out of the way of cars screeching round corners.

Once she is not a flight risk I will leave these spaces for people struggling with buggies, car seats, or who are forced to leave their trollies with the baby strapped to it in the way of cars while they unpack. If an older child needs the space for whatever reason then that is of course at the discretion of the parent, and not to be challenged. But the vast majority of people using these spaces do it from laziness not need.

Tbh if I noticed someone parking in a BB space with no BB I would also challenge that. I think a lot of it is just common courtesy.
P&C spaces as far as I'm aware are not reportable and nor am I the type to "speak to the manager," I'll challenge someone on it in the moment (if not using a BB or very elderly) because if they're parking there because they're lazy, very likely, then I think they should be challenged and hopefully next time they'll rethink and let a parent and their child use the space

Honestly, just use online shopping. I signed up with Ocado when my 16 year old was a baby and I'd never go back.

I use them with my 8 year old if there are no end of row spaces. Plenty of times as a parent have been unable to get one but can’t say the walk to the shops has been an issue regardless of my child’s age. The biggest issue is getting in and out the car hence always trying to park at the end of an aisle no matter how far away.

Id rather look like a twat for challenging someone than be the twat using the space when I don't need it, and yes based on her response to me she did not need it and was being lazy