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 disagree. Sorry but I just cannot imagine leaving my baby in the car and walking into the petrol station to pay - just wouldn't do it. Lots of people I know also don't do it. Fine if you think I'm neurotic - I think you're crazy for even contemplating it.

Well I said it elsewhere, but honestly if someone accidentally stole my children they'd give them back pretty quickly

I guess I just think of it in terms of rosk assessment - what the bigger risk is. I have a friend who works in a petrol station - he has never seen anyone have their car stolen while they paid for petrol and nor has the petrol station ever been blown up while there was a baby trapped in a car! He has, however, seen people very nearly get knocked over whilst walking to the kiosk to pay.

So for me, the bigger risk is taking ds out of the car, hoiking him across the forecourt, attempting to hold into him, or control him and stop him pulling everything off the shelves and going into total meltdown while i pay, then hoiking him back across the forecourt and strapping him back into his seat (while he arches his back and screams because he doesn't want to go back into his seat). Overly traumatic and fraught with danger. I'm amazed that you can't see that, tbh!

risk assessment.

Add in a few extra kids (or even one extra baby to hold onto) suburbandryad and it becomes even harder....

jimjam....lol....I think anyone stealing my lot would also return them swiftly

but than it is highly unlikely that any joyrider would seek out our boring Fiat Multipla....not exactly racing material, lol

Urban has a very good point about riskassesment

Gangle, I've read the whole thread, and I don't think anyone has been disrespectful to you, or been a judgemental bigot.

You seem a little anxious, but lots of new mothers are, and fwiw, I never left my children in the car at petrol stations when they were tiny either.

I think perhaps you feel your desire to protect your son has been criticised, but these P&T threads always get heated - it's nothing personal.

Some of the comments (by others, and by yourself) have been a little scathing or critical - I think it's been six of one, and half a dozen of another.

But please don't feel attacked, because that's not what anyone wants you to feel.

(And you'll look back at these P&T threads when your son is a strapping 13 year old, and smile a wry smile. I know I do. )

gangle...completely besides the point, and non of my beeswax...but earlier you said you have gp husband, right....so, why do you live in a bad area?
Maybe wrongly assumed gp's earned pretty well....

I have asked 16 mums (in my antenatal group) whether they would leave their 7 month olds in the car to get petrol and only 2 have said yes.

I think MN is guilty of shooting down those that it belives to be neurotic, irrational, precious etc when its a fact of (my) life that its normal for first time mums to be like this.

Sorry, I know the OP was about parking spaces but the garage thing seems to have come up a lot.

If I could not find a petrol station with credit card pumps or drive up pay booths (all of the ASDA's around here have both of those) then I would unstrap DD and carry her in with me to pay.

Overly anxious, maybe, so what shes my daughter and if it makes me feel better then I will do it. Its hardly difficult when you have 1 child to do this?

Ask the same 16 mums in a few years time when they all have other children. Huge difference between carrying one baby and herding several walking/running children whilst carrying a baby at the same time.

Hi jimjamhasleftheyurt

Oh yep I know that. See my earlier post and it says that whilst I am only a mum of 1 I might as well make the most of overly protectively DD, as wont have the time or energy next time round.

I know that but i think OP is also a first time mum ... ?

Perfectly normal to be slightly neurotic about your PFB. Slightly irrational and unreasonable to get arsey with parents of older kids who tell you that it's not necessary to do all that faff and who give you options and ways to combat said faff!

Didnt realise (I?) or anyone else was being arsey (although it is 9am and have been up 3 hours with DD whilst DH is still asleep!!).

I am perfectly aware that next time round I will probably leave DD/DS in the car.

At the moment, my role (whilst on maternity leave especially) is to care for DD the best that I can.

I will learn from my own mistake and anxieties for next time round

Why doesn't everyone go back and read Hedgewitch's post of 01:40:12 which is the most sensible post on this thread.

People have different ways of parenting and by criticising that you're on dodgy ground. Everyone has a need for special treatment if you ask them and everyone wants things organised in the best way for their own needs so we're never going to agree.

But for what it's worth, I'm only 5ft 1 and those trollies that take the car seat are worse than useless as I can't see over the top. Why aren't there lower trollies for me?

I was glaring at a bloke in a 4x4 yesterday, whose wife got ut and went into Morrisons...no children, no child seats - and he wound down his window and said ' er- you do know I've got children, don't you?'

I said, 'Oh, ignore me, I glare at everyone'

I wandered over to speak to him and he said 'it's just our granddaughter, we brought her down...' and trailed off, I have no idea what he was trying to say but I think he was bullshitting.

I just stood there casually staring into the distance and said something about, 'people do it though, it does piss me off..'

Then I left him to it and went and sat in my car with my kids, while they had something to eat. Unfortunately the woman did not return during this time. Granddaughter my arse.

I like to think I made him a little nervous though

Just returned from a sojourn on the continent and noticed, how next to the disabled parking bays there were dedicated parking bays for expectant mamans.

I tried to persuade dh to pretend I was pg (I certainly look it ), he has more morals than his dw and made me, and all his young children, struggle across a very busy car park rather than deprive a pregnant mater of her right to park nearer the store

haven't had to do this yet but just incase i ever do is it better to push the trolley and pull the buggy behind you or push the buggy and pull the trolley behind you? which is easiest?

thankyou. i must admit riven i think you are brilliant. i think i would fall to pieces if i had to cope with the all things you do. i hope that doesn't sound really patronising

I do get very cross when i see people parking in the parent and child bays when they quite clearly have no children with them.

I know my parents didnt have the luxury of these spaces but if they are provided then people should not abuse them. What also annoys me is when parents do park there but their kids are quite clearly not babes in arms or toddlers, more like 8/9yo.

I think it would be ok to get rid of the parent spaces as long as they made the regular spaces a bit wider. Some car parks are worse than others and i guess it does depend on the car you drive.