Do you leave kids in car whilst paying for fuel?

[elm26]

I’m not saying which one of us does which but here’s the scenario, 9 month old and 3 year old in car. You cannot pay at pump (we have one of these which is miles from us).

You’re only paying for fuel, you’re not choosing drink/crisps or anything else, literally in, pay and out.

YABU - you’d take both kids in with you
YANBU - you’d leave them in the car

If your toddler can cause havoc and feed your baby from their car seat then they can’t be very securely strapped in.

I know you said you can't pay at pump, but that's what I do so as to not leave them in the car , or get petrol when both adults are there so there's one in the car, or an adult alone.

My three year old was in that very awkward phase where they could get out of their car seat but couldn’t be trusted to make wise decisions. Perhaps you were blessed with less nimble or wiser three year olds.
No judgement just sharing what I did and why.

My point was more if they can do that while you pop and pay for petrol then surely they can also do it while you’re driving - therefore it’s not safe?

I always left hhem but at the time it was considered controversial. Competitive parents said that if you were not willing to take them in it meant you didn't deserve to be a parent. Things aren't so silly now.

I would take in a child who could unbuckle, id be worried about escape or fiddling with the car iand releasing the breaks or even just layingnin the horn.

Yes, it's possible, and annoyingbwhen they do it. But at least you can try and tell them to stop or pull over. And theyblay be less likely to try since you are driving.

Only if you have it in the car surely?

whilst it is not strictly illegal to leave a child in the car alone the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 states it is illegal to leave a child unattended if it places them at risk or harm

Which it doesnt

I wouldn't. I took them every time when younger. I don't leave my 4 year old still. Only just started leaving my 8 year old if I'm at a close pump and no pay at pump is available.

Purely because if something happened on the forecourt, they likely wouldn't let you leave the building to go and get them. My 8 year old can get out the car by himself if anything was to happen.

Yes I always leave them in the car.

Yes- I explained this in a post below my original post, if you bothered to read the full thread.

Good luck stopping me...

I never did but seems to be fashionable these days on SM to claim how dangerous it is not to …

I can’t imagine any parent would be held back by a petrol station attendant from rescuing their child.

I wouldn't leave young children in the car. I always used to either drive further away to pay at pump or just wait and one of us would go out in the evening without them in the car at all.

Mine are adults, but I can just imagine the fun I would have had taking, for example, a newborn, 3 year old twins, a non verbal autistic 5 year old and an 8 year old out of the car whenever I got petrol. Held all their hands, while carrying a car seat, paid while still holding hands, carrying seat, struggled back across the forecourt and herded them into the car and got them all strapped in while a queue formed behind me. What larks that would have been!

So yes, I left them in the car, always, even when I only had one child. I don't know anyone who took their kids in with them.