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.

I would get rid of p&c car parks altogether, personally. They are unnecessary and encourage some parents to be very precious.

If we have to have them, it would make sense to put them as far away from the shop as possible so that others have no reason to park in them.

I really can't understand the issue with carrying a baby across a car park? How do you get through life?!

@StevieNicksWannabe as long as there is a footpath between the allocated spaces and the supermarket I'd have no issue with this, the proximity to the shop isn't something I need, just the extra space to open the door fully and the baby trolleys.

Idk, kids 6-8 could run into road? Or walk infront of a car oblivious? Besides youd have to fight the people that use them without kids first before then thinking about the older kids using them 😂

Yabu, still need the space to open the door fully to let DS who is 6 out rather than bashing other cars.

I wouldn't feel safe walking across it with a baby because someone with a teenager has parked in the spaces allocated for people like me.

So you would feel safe walking across it with a baby if the allocated spaces were all taken up by parents of under 5s?

I have a teenager with impaired mobility. I don't park in P&C spaces, but my ability to get her across the car park as a baby was much greater than her ability to do so now. The bar for getting a blue badge excludes many people who have a need (and not a want) for a space close to the shop.

I'd personally like P&C spaces done away with altogether and replaced with spaces for those who feel they need to park closer to the shop - yes that is subjective and some will abuse it, but will avoid some of the judgemental parents like OP.

I always thought they were for people with toddlers, prams, pushchairs etc. That's what they should be for anyway. The whole point of having space is to wrestle them in and out.

I've just come back from the supermarket. One p&c space was taken by an elderly woman with a stick but no blue badge. So a perfectly justified and genuine use of the space by someone not technically allowed but who would actually benefit from it.

Another space was taken by a woman waiting in the car for her teenage son to head into the shop! He strode back to her, definitely capable of managing the walk and the space by himself 😆

The extra space is really important for car seats that need to come in and out. But the safe walkways are more important if you have multiple children too big to carry but too young for full car awareness. I only have one child but I image two or three age 5/6/7 are also quite nerve wracking in a busy car park.
So no, I don’t think they should only be for under 5s.

It means you don't need to remove the seat too, so yes.

They should be for people with young kids yes. I still use them with my 6 year old because he still needs help strapping himself into his car seat. Don't get worked up about it. It can't really be anything but first come first served, I am not going to hang around for 10 minutes when I get to the supermarket to make sure there isn't a parent with newborn quads waiting to park too.

If the door opens enough to get a grown adult out (likely to be the case if you've parked in a "normal" space), then it will be big enough to get a baby out ...

I’m not sure what point your making here?

You need a lot more space to get a 6 year old safely out the car than you do a baby. You need even more space to get a disabled teen out the car safely!

(and you can’t know by looking at someone if they have a disability)

I agree with you OP.

MN is weird about P&C spaces though. Apparently it is super entitled to use one - even if you have 2 sets of twins under 2 - because apparently you should struggle getting car seats or toddlers out of tiny spaces just in case the 25yo bloke in the Audi sportscar who’s just pulled up and sprinted into the supermarket like Linford Christie might have a hidden disability

In the real world, it’s completely entitled to use a P&C space unless you have a small child. I once when DD was a toddler and DS was a newborn, saw a Bloke in a pick up truck park over 2 P&C spaces (which wasn’t necessary he was just being a dick) and get out with his teenage daughter. When I kindly asked him to park elsewhere as there were no remaining spaces and I had a toddler and baby he said “I’m a parent with a child arent I”.
so I parked behind him blocking him in and took my sweet time doing my shop. I told the staff what I’d done, and assured them I wasn’t blocking anyone else in (it was at the end of a row and no other spaces nearby). They didn’t argue with me. He came in to look for me of course screaming in the aisles at me but I just told him the more he did that the slower I went.
that was a good day

This will sound patronising which I don't mean to be but you'll get used to stuff like this without relying on adaptations to everyday life which may or may not be free at the time. You'll find a particular parking area that works that isn't necessarily the extra wide space etc etc.

YABVU.
PC places are a courtesy and policing other folk's use of them is pointless!

When my eldest turned 6, he was still rear-facing. Parent and child spaces made it far easier for me to fasten him in his seat safely (although I usually had my 1 year old with me as well). The extra space (when available) was greatly appreciated. Parent child spaces are a ‘nice to have’, it’s not worth getting worked up over.

I must admit I thought they were for under 5 children! I would never have taken one once mine were older .I was mortified when I realised I had parked in one by accident at Waitrose .No one saw thankfully.YANBU at all

I use the p&c places because the council is throwing the blue badge application backwards and forwards. We need it because dsd is large (I don't mean tall!) and we need the door fully open then need to do up the seat belt for her. The alternative if there's two adults (usually is due to level of disability) one person pulls the car out of the space and blocks traffic, this doesn't go down well. Morrisons have given us a permit to use their blue badge spaces, this is better.

Perhaps if councils were better at issuing blue badges there wouldn't be a problem

@YaMuvva I fully approve of this.

Much more easily than trying to get the entire seat out, yes.

We get this thread about every 15 days. It's the first time I've seen someone claim that carrying their baby a few metres is dangerous and a terrible imposition so you get points for originality there.

Out, yes. In is trickier when you are bending over getting the straps nice and tight!

Using your logic about car park safety, slightly older children need them more because they are walking rather than being carried. Or those with more than one child.

Its also easier to get a child out of a rear facing seat (U4) than a forward facing seat in a tighter space.

YaMuvva - wow that was very cuntish and dangerously provocative behaviour. Especially while you had your kid with you.

I don't know how you can be proud of doing that.

Agree