In thinking mother and baby places should not be used by those without children not pregnant etc and then laugh about it treating it as a joke!!

[2luvlyboys]

PILs park in the mother and baby space all the time as a matter of course using the fact they have a child seat in there as an excuse!! Never take my dcs shopping never why would they? That is very very unreasonable imo and makes me ! They have been challanged about it and they say they make a joke about they left the kids at home!
Observant ones will notice I put this on another thread but then thought it deserves an aibu in its own right iyswim!

I know the baby couldn't have cared less but whether it was hormonal anxiety or whatever, I just couldn't leave them unattended when they were small babies. Visions of stolen babies, cars spontaneously combusting etc. irrational maybe but...what if.

3andmore- the difference is that a mother doesn't actually need an extra special space to go shopping. They could choose to park somewhere else and walk across to the shops. Some people with disabilities cannot get out of the car unless they have the space to get their wheelchair out etc- that is why disabled spaces exist in the first place. They are needed for access not to make someone feel a bit special because they have a few kids. To confuse the two is to demonstrate a complete lack of understanding about issues surrounding disability and access.

There is a difference between a perk (being a mum and having a special space) and a necessity. I have in the past chosen to shop online because it is easier ( couldn't be arsed to go to the shops in the time I had available) and I have also chosen to shop online because I had no choice and it was the only way I could get the shopping done (dh away, all 3 kids at home- including severely disabled ds1- can't manage all 3). If you say to a mother 'oh you could shop online'- you are saying 'if it's so much hassle for you shopping'- they still have a choice. If you say to a disabled person "oh if you could shop online' then for some it's different because -remove the space and they don't have the choice. You remove the opportunity for shopping in the store, not the choice.

Gangle- of course you can use an umbrella - you just don't need an extra special parking space to do so. It really is far easier to leave your child in a car for 2 seconds to fetch a trolley, and it's safer to leave them in the car than bring them into the petrol station.

if it's that difficult managing a baby in a car park, why not get the bus instead? Or even better - maybe we should lobby supermarkets for parent and toddler bus stops, that pull up right outside the supermarket main entrance

You ABU, heavily pregnant womwn have every right to use them.

I used to take the baby out of the car and go for the trolley. What's the problem with that?

You didn't carry your own child juuule ??

Well I'm off to the supermarket with ds2 and ds3 (much to ds1's disgust- he loves going). Will report back on the number of nutters mothers circling like sharks for the P+T spots. Do I get 10 points if I get one?

Of course, i wouldn't drive past a P&T space to get to a 'normal' one.
If theres a P&T space free then i use it simply because i 'like' to have the extra room cause it does make it easier to get DC's out. But i dont need the room and could manage without it TBH so it doesn't bother me when there are no P&T.

If i saw someone parking in a P&T with no children, although not right, it wouldn't really bother me TBH.

P&T parking is not a right.
Pregnancy is not an illness or disability.

It is easier and more convenient to be able to use P&T spaces when heavily pregnant, or when you have very small children, but not the end of the world if you can't.

I think they should be moved, and all the spaces nearest to the door be used for disabled people.

I like the idea further down the thread - where P&T spaces are put at the far end of the carpark, and a pedestrianised walkway leads from there to the entrance to the store.

I also think the supermarkets should enforce the rules re parking in spaces for disabled people. Anyone abusing the rules should be fined, and the money given to charity.

"I like the idea further down the thread - where P&T spaces are put at the far end of the carpark, and a pedestrianised walkway leads from there to the entrance to the store."

Me too, if we have to have them.

Supermarkets are crap at enforcing any rules about people parking incorrectly in disabled spaces. My local Tesco has told the night staff to use the disabled spaces so that they are safe

Also Asda has a policy about not offending customers ie challenging them

jimjam, at no time did I apply that I would think it a good idea to get rid of disabled parking....which is what you seem to be to implying.
Like I said, online shopping isn't that great anyway.
I also did say that disabled parking has to take preference and is a necessity.

Thing is, this thread is actually not at all about disabled parking...but every single time these 2 are mixed when this kind of thread appears....and, tbh, I think that is really silly....yes p&t parking is an optional perk...however, I don't see where it becomes just fine for people to completely ignore the reason why they are called p&t parking....if you don't have Kids or older (not disabled Kids) or arent' disabled yourself, then you should not park in them...and people using having a carseat in the car as an excuse...well, that is a tad annoying....

vjg, our Asda has now some board standing up inside the shop, telling customers not to park in p&t spaces unless they have Kids under a certain age wiht them, and I am sure there is somehting about only blue badge holders to park in disabled bays....
if they act on any complaints...I would not know....

Tbh, it is all about common sense and respect...but there you go....there will always be people who think, that rules, etc...do not apply to them personally and who seek the thrill of going against them....those are usually selfish people, and well, that is NOT a nice personality trait, is it!

I have some stickers which I stick on cars not displaying blue badges using disabled parking spaces. They say something like 'you don't have a badge so here's one from me'. Maybe some of the P&C paking space lobby could get some special stickers too.

thing is, you can't neccessary tell by looking at a car, can't you....what with Babyseats being often removed with the Baby....

But I like the idea of those stickers for blue badge holder cars....if the person has a badge but didn't display it for whatever reason, they wouldn't be offended and the others , well...maybe they will take the hint.

Most people have baby on board signs on the car, or something on the window. Well all the mums I know do, lol.

Do you really go round put stickers on cars, vgj13?

Supermarkets should monitor disabled bays.
Not P&T ones though.

bexie...we never bothered with those silly signs....are we unusual? I don't see the point in them....I mean, it is not going tom make a blind bit of difference...no one is going to be less of an arse on the road if they are an arse, and those driving carefully will do so anyway...

vjg13 ASDA stores here certainly challenge anyone parking in disabled bays without stickers not sure about P&C

Ours keeps falling off, lol. I think they were designed so emergency services knew there was a child on board.

We do have a sunshade and cuddly dangly toy on Toms window though.

Oh I can't be bothered to read all this.

As a parent of a baby in car seat - I agree with expat - abolish all P&T spaces.
I just park near the back or on the end of a row. Plenty of room, and much less stress!

Baby on board stickers are NOT designed for the emergency services. If they were they would be a legal requirement, you would also be required to remove them when you DIDN'T have a child in the car so that precious minutes weren't wasted at an accident scene looking for a child that doesn't exist, and they would be a better design than some stupid dangly thing which blocks half your rear view.

Bexie - the theory re the emergency services is an urban myth.

Well I did wonder when someone said they were on a previous P&C thread.

Here you go Bexie.

Just want to add my experience to this.

I live in a country where there are no parent & child parking spaces. It doesn't seem to be an issue.

I have 2 children, a 6week old baby and ds who is 15 months. I have never had any problem going to the supermarket.

The baby goes in the ringsling (she usually falls obligingly asleep within minutes) and I walk ds over to the trolleys holding his hand and then lift him into the seat on a trolley. So no need for a buggy, even with 2 children.

As for nappies - I leave a changing bag permanently in the car and top up nappies every so often. That way, wherever I'm going I don't forget nappies (I always used to forget before I thought of it). If I ever need to change, I can always go back to the car, but I've never had to change nappies at the supermarket.

As for petrol - lucky us - I have yet to see a petrol station that operates with self service over here. Here, you drive up, open the window and say "put 20euros worth in" or whatever and it's all done for you. Great!