For considering leaving young DCs in car...

[slightlystressed]

...while I pop in shop to buy bread and a few bits? They are 2.8 and 0.8, Answers ASAP as need to leave in 10 mins thanks.

I wouldn't

I do this in local village where I can see car from the shop and am never longer than about 3 mins.

Also do it at garages.

I wouldn't , sorry ! can you walk to the shops with them in a pushchair instead if you don't want to take them in and out of the car.

you'd be gone quite a few minutes and unable to see them i presume , and they are young and could well get distressed

God no - do it. As long as you can see the car entire time. Much easier than wrestling with children and groceries. Best if they're asleep, mind.

I knew I shouldnt of asked! WALK to the shop are you MAD??

I have to pick eldest from nursery then was going to stop at shop, I will be a good mummy and take them in the shop with me!

If they're asleep, you can see the car and there's no queue, sure. Otherwise, get 'em out and bring 'em in.

please don't the likelihood is nothing will happen but if it does, you'll regret it forever.

nope.

I do it in a garage when paying for petrol as it is quick, you can see car at all times, I lock them in while being able to see car at all times, and the danger of taking them out the car on a busy forcourt far outweighs any risks of leaving them in a locked car.

but in a shop, you won;t see them, and altho they are 99% certain to be fine and safe, that !5 could happen and IMVHO it is not riskable.......not at that age.

1%, not !5....sorry, did the shift at the wrong time

I know this is pouring oil on water or something, but what exactly is the 1% risk?

I mean, I do this when I know I'm nipping into the local shop for a couple of bits in an area I know well. I don't go into Tesco for an hour. I do worry, but I'm not sure about.

What are you worrying about? Child abduction? Kids escaping from car seats, getting out and running about on roads? Just general distress?

I don't actually know what I'm worrying about, but will be taking them in with me after starting this thread it would just be tempting fate to leave them in the car...........not that I even believe in fate!!

Completely irrational mum syndrome!

I do it outside village shop. No problem--I can see them all the time.

I probably wouldn;t leave them in a street outside village shop.

However I know I would be perfectly happy leaving them in a locked car at a garage.

Which doesn;t make sense really as I imagine that the inherent dangers are probabluy the same in a garage as at a shop on a village street.

It's fine.

Local shop, 2 mins - fine
Tesco, full shop - not fine

For a full debrief of cars combusting, children being abducted and aliens landing - do a search on previous threads - there are plenty of them.

I'd worry about the little one waking up and getting upset that I wasnt there, about the older one undoing her seatbelt and getting out the car or taking off the hand brake, plus I'd worry about somebody taking them OR a policeman walking past and seeing them alone!

the 1% risk is what I did when locked in a car when small.

I took off the handbrake (was pretending to drive....I was 5), and as it was on a slight slope it rolled backwards and crashed into another car.

and no-one could get me out until my aunt came with the keys as I was hysterical and the car was locked.

tis not always fire and abduction you need to worry about.....tis inquisitive jids thinking they can play!

oh, and I wasn;t outside a shop.......we were off out somewhere and aunty locked me in the car as she had forgotten something and got out for it, locking it automatically, as you do occasionally.

was at the back of our houses, we had a tarmac area that the residants could use for car parking/kids playing. there was a hill one way that was down, and another way that was up.......luckily I didn't hit a child.

No way- not worth the risk. I got fined once in the US for leaving my kids unattended in the car and they were 5 and 7! Its against the law in that state.

Highly unlikely they would get abducted but one could suddenly be sick or something- anything, or get really upset - especially if they are asleep and suddenly wake up and you are gone!

Not worth the risk.

I would be scared of them getting distressed if you cannot see them. I would not do it. Not unless they remained in my line of sight at all times.

My cousin aged 6 weeks was left in the boot of the car while his mum went to the shops. When she got back HE WAS GONE!

He had in fact been taken away "for his own safety" by a policeman who had failed to leave a note for the highly distressed mother who came back after about 4 minutes but spent half an hour hunting for her missing baby. Stupid bugger.

Yes, I know, stupid woman for leaving a baby in a car, but it was in the Scottish Highlands in the early 70s....

I live in a rural area, we leave our kids in the car when we park outside and nip in the local shop/farm shop/petrol station/pick older ones up from school especially if they are asleep.

Tis better for everyones sanity and arguebly safer then wrestling a just woken up, wriggling toddler, keep an eye on a tired child and carry dinner essentials back to the car whilst you avoid the speeding traffic.

Use your commonsense, keep your kids safe, I make hundreds of decisions everyday, like we all do, for our families. Some of them are short term - do we cross the road now?
Some of them medium - you need to go to bed else you will be tired tomorrow
Some longterm - I don't feed you crisps, chocolate & chips everyday because I want you to be have good health as an adult.

Lets be supportive, at the end of the day the real crime is abducting other peoples children.

I agree with Bobdog I would ( and have ) certainly done it in the small village i live in.

spot on bobdog

I did once outside a chemist as ran in for Calpol as thought would do more harm taking him out in the cold and rain when he was ill than leaving him in warm car fast asleep - 5 mins max and could see car but still came out to a crying baby and an absolute bollocking from policeman who had already radioed in 'abandoned baby in car' scenario and kept me standing there for ages while he consulted with someone over the radio about what to do. Eventually he let me leave but with the warning that 'somebody might be in touch' and I was dreading a call from social services for months afterwards. Never did that again!

Hi, bit late as you will have been to the shops now! As others have said it depends on the location and the circumstances, and I have done it at garages, cash machines etc.

However, as I understand it, the law is that you mustn't leave children alone where they are at risk, ie some harm could come to them - even if no harm actually results, you are still committing an offence. There is no minimum age set in England for leaving kids alone.

My main worry would be that a police officer (or "concerned passer-by") would see and cause trouble - a greater risk than something happening to the kids, I reckon!

Car seats are pretty safe these days, but be a little bit wary of the booster type seats used with a normal seat belt instead of a harness - a family friend lost her little girl when she strangled herself trying to get out of one of these, and the belt must have pulled tight. Obviously it was caused more by a faulty belt than the seat, but it's worth bearing in mind.

We all take chances (me included) but I'm going to make an effort not to take so many!