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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Is it okay to leave a baby in the car?

78 replies

Anonymousmummmy · 29/06/2024 23:06

My son recently started a new nursery, and about 2/3 weeks ago I noticed at pick up time that there was a baby left alone in a car (I would estimate around 3-5 months old), with the windows all the way down… ie I could have climbed though a window and taken that baby in probably under 30 seconds.

The nursery has a garden at the back, and then at the end of the garden there’s a gate which leads to the small car park with no cameras and completely open to the public - which you enter/exit via a small ‘through’ road with a few houses on the opposite side, but mainly just garages and parking behind each building so the odd person/car but not crazy busy. Anyway, you have to leave your car, go through the garden gate (where you already can no longer see your car anymore), walk through the garden, up the side of the building through a kind of alleyway, and then enter the nursery. This nursery does a full handover with a notebook which takes around 5-10 minutes each time. So this baby is left around 10 mins alone inc time to walk there/back from the car, out of sight.

Now the first time I saw it, I was absolutely shocked and actually looked in the windows of the car to make sure there was an adult or someone else in the car with the baby, which there wasn’t. I actually hovered around and kept an eye on the baby until mum had returned with her 2 other older children just to make sure no one took baby or nothing bad happened. I went home and couldn’t stop thinking about it but decided just to leave it; that the mum was probably having a bad day and made a bad decision. Since that first time, I have seen her do exactly the same thing probably 6-8 times. FYI baby is left in their car seat in the front passenger side.

I really really don’t know what to do! I definitely do not want to speak to the mum about it; I wouldn’t be comfortable with that. I have considered telling the nursery but the mum will know it’s me as we’re really the only ones who use that car park at the same time for pick up each day (but does this take priority over us potentially being awkward from now on if she does suspect me?). On the first day I saw this happen, I was genuinely considering calling the police but I wouldn’t do that now as think it’s a little dramatic and harsh? I don’t know - AIBU? Is this actually an okay thing to do? She seems so blasé about it - I even saw her sitting on the steps at the front of the nursery the other day with her 2 other children doing something with their bags for quite some time - all whilst her little baby was left completely alone in the car. Please help, I genuinely fear for this child😣 Only one bad person needs to walk past at the wrong thing and lord knows what could happen.

OP posts:
MissingKitty · 30/06/2024 07:07

CurlewKate · 30/06/2024 06:43

@MissingKitty
"TotHappy
I would do it - albeit not with the windows all the way down, but if they were asleep, yeah - why would someone steal a baby?

Yeah because that’s literally never happened before right? 🙄"

Could you give details of cases where a baby has been stolen from a car while its mother is collecting children from school?

I was responding to the poster saying ‘why would someone want to steal a baby’, not ‘why would someone want to steal a baby while its mother is collecting children from school’. If you want examples of people kidnapping babies you can google this for yourself. You are just being obtuse if you think there is 0 risk from leaving an awake baby unattended with windows open for 10+ minutes. Yes the risk is low, but that doesn’t mean bad things can’t happen to you.

Thoughtful2355 · 30/06/2024 07:47

@TotHappy I guess someone doesn't know pedophile and kidnapper rates.
2022/23 there were 7,420 kidnapping offences in the UK, every year it increases drastically.

They guess that atleast 1 in 6 men are pedophiles and that's not including the woman.

MotherOfCrocodiles · 30/06/2024 08:34

@Thoughtful2355 those numbers will be mostly one parent not returning a child from contact etc. there are definitely not thousands of babies snatched from cars by strangers every year.

lemonmeringueno3 · 30/06/2024 08:46

You can call social services or 111 or whatever else has been recommended on here but leaving your sleeping baby in a car while you drop off at nursery won't prompt any sort of investigation or action. I guess it leaves a record in case other concerns are raised about the family in the future.

Wrongsideofpennines · 30/06/2024 08:50

The report to nursery could also have come from a concerned member of the public, a neighbour of the nursery for example could hear the baby crying and go in to tell them. So what if some random mum at nursery doesn't like you much. Her kids aren't even in the same room as yours so you won't even have to deal with her at parties or playdates or anything.

mummyh2016 · 30/06/2024 08:55

Mention it to nursery but the suggestions to call 999 and SS are bonkers.

Oblomov24 · 30/06/2024 09:03

Not that I'm recommending it, but is it actually illegal though?

SprigatitoYouAndIKnow · 30/06/2024 09:03

I would absolutely report it to the nursery. Babies are not designed to fend for themselves and should never be left alone. I took my kids in with me to the petrol station until they were old enough to undo seat belts and get out of the car themselves in an emergency. A baby can't do that.

I do actually think that the kidnap risk is miniscule, but it's not the only danger. The car could be stolen, handbrake not on properly, sun be coming through the glass straight onto baby's eyes, baby could vomit, mum or kids in nursery become unwell and no one would know to check the car and many more.

Oblomov24 · 30/06/2024 09:07

"Babies .... should never be left alone. "

See I don't agree with that. That's not actually true, is it? Or else no one would ever cook a meal, have a shower, go to the toilet. Do a pooh! Wink

Jessieshome · 30/06/2024 09:07

I know he's been proven to be a rather unsavoury character since, but didn't Laurence Fox get a warning from the police or something for leaving a toddler in a car parked outside a chemist while he popped in for 2 minutes to buy calpol?

MissingKitty · 30/06/2024 09:15

lemonmeringueno3 · 30/06/2024 08:46

You can call social services or 111 or whatever else has been recommended on here but leaving your sleeping baby in a car while you drop off at nursery won't prompt any sort of investigation or action. I guess it leaves a record in case other concerns are raised about the family in the future.

The baby isn’t sleeping. But exactly that, all OP can do is report and if further action needs doing it will be taken, if not then no harm done.

Sweetvalleyhigh1234 · 30/06/2024 09:23

TempestTost · 29/06/2024 23:20

It's not at all unusual to see this kind of thing in other countries. People often leave babies in prams in many places.

The fact is our feelings of fear about kidnapping tend to be overblown. The baby is a lot more likely to be in an accident and harmed or killed on the drive over, with the mum in the car, than kidnapped while she pops in to get the other kids.

If the her taking the baby for a car ride doesn't scandalize you, leaving it in the car while getting the other kids probably shouldn't either.

It's attitudes like this that give bad ppl opportunity to take or hurt kids.

Codlingmoths · 30/06/2024 09:34

No. No way. I would never do that.

magnoliablooms · 30/06/2024 09:36

Anonymousmummmy · 30/06/2024 06:37

It’s because we see each other most days and I don’t want her to feel judged or upset that I’ve ‘reported’ her. That’s why I haven’t said anything to anyone to far. I also don’t want a horrible tension or awkwardness in our lives on a near daily basis as we cross paths a lot, but I think after reading all the comments it just needs to be done.

She is judged though

Iaskedyouthrice · 30/06/2024 09:38

If you really don't want any confrontation @Anonymousmummmy , is there anyone you could ask to ring the nursery to say they saw a baby left in a car outside as they were walking past? They could describe the car, the woman and children getting back in to it and the reg? Is it obvious that the carpark belongs to the nursery?
I dont know how anyone would think it was ok to leave a baby alone, with the windows down, when out of sight for over a minute tbh. Unless they were incredibly stupid.

Nanny31 · 30/06/2024 10:11

Definitely not ok!!

Schoolchoicesucks · 30/06/2024 10:15

Don't call 101 or 999.

But do either mention it to the nursery or hand around and mention it to the mum.

I know you've said you don't want to. But if you're stood there waiting for her to come back anyway, you may as well. It can be a "oh I thought I'd better wait for you to come back, didn't want to leave your baby alone as you never know who could come by".

If the car park is away from the main road, the mum probably has risk assessed that leaving the baby there with windows down for a few mins is safe. I wouldn't do it. If the handover happened at the door so you could see the car, yes, but not as you describe for 10 minutes out of sight.

If you can't speak to the mum speak to the nursery manager.

Wontletmeusemynormalname · 30/06/2024 10:18

I'm going to go against the grain here but the faff in getting baby out, pram out etc is more than likely the reason. Yes it's not nice to see/hear a baby cry but would you be saying the same if the mother was in the car?

If the windows were closed and it was in direct sun, you'd have a point. As for stealing car and baby, most cars are keyless these days so if she has the fob, the car won't start.

zebedeehadapoint · 30/06/2024 10:20

Hell no

ZoomDoomZoom · 30/06/2024 10:23

Why not call the police and report it? The nursery might not do anything about it.

LlynTegid · 30/06/2024 10:24

Talk to the mum first, perhaps on the basis of help being needed. If the mum does not like you for doing that, you would not want someone with that view as a friend anyway.

Grasshopper7 · 30/06/2024 11:33

Please don't waste police time with this. It is not illegal. By all means mention to the nursery if you're that concerned. But try and assess the risks logically. It is very very unlikely that the baby will be kidnapped or anything bad will happen to it. Over heating might be a concern though

SouthLondonMum22 · 30/06/2024 11:41

It’s very likely that mum has risked assessed and decided that any potential risks are incredibly tiny. As a parent, she is entitled to make that decision.

I wouldn’t do anything about it.

Lighteningstrikes · 30/06/2024 12:11

Yadnbu

I think you would have to be pretty dumb and naive to risk it.

Needanewname42 · 30/06/2024 12:12

SouthLondonMum22 · 30/06/2024 11:41

It’s very likely that mum has risked assessed and decided that any potential risks are incredibly tiny. As a parent, she is entitled to make that decision.

I wouldn’t do anything about it.

That's what I'm thinking. The risk of someone abducting a baby from a locked car has to be very low.

Is it really much different from leaving them in a forecourt?

She probably pressed for time too. Collect them will be quicker and easier than faffing getting LO out the car too.