to leave DS in car at petrol station

[Elvisina]

I wasn't sure where to put this (couldn't find an appropriate place in the 'Being a parent' section). I just wanted to ask whether it's reasonable or not to leave a baby in the car when you buy petrol. My DH and friends say "Yes, of course" and so I do leave my DS in the car usually but today I was at a large Supermarket garage, in a long queue and felt really quite stressed as it seemed as though I was really far away from my car. My DM says "Well, what could happen to him?" and I do see what she means but it just feels a bit odd (he's 5 months). There are a few other situations where I'm also not sure such as leaving him in his bouncy chair in the garden or leaving him in the car while I go back in to get something from upstairs. I'm guessing I'm being ridiculously paranoid but just wanted to know what other people consider to be reasonable.

I was at a petrol station the other day and the attendant refused to fill the car until i putt DD in it and shut the door.
She is 7 and was just sitting on my side with the door open and I kept trying to fill while attndant kept using intercom to tell me she wouldn't fill until DD moved.
But I had bad cold and couldn't hear so we were there for 20 mins.
I looked like I was on some kind of community release programme , swearing loudly because I couldn't hear myself and looking all over the place to try and find where the voice was coming from to get my ear nearer.
I hate filling the car up. There is always a problem

As long as I can see the car, it's not hot, and there is no queue, I do this.

I wouldn't go into a shop or the bank though, anything out of eye-line is too far.

I also dash to get a parking ticket, as long as I can see the car. There are often threads about this too...

Much safer to leave them in the car in eye-line for a sec than negotiate car-park or forecourt traffic.....

Agree with hoppershopper I have 3 dc's under 4. I think it would be more dangerous to take them out of the car at petrol station.

lol pag
I leave mine - started off taking DS in but it became harder and harder as he got older, and now I have two...
don't for anything else, although i've been tempted by the post office you have to go in and shut the door behind you, and then of course you don't know how long the queue will be.
I genuinely don't worry about any of the risks other than either of them getting distressed, or as DS gets older, getting out of his car seat straps.

I also am happy to pop back in thre house & finish off bits & pieces when they're strapped in - it's much easier and quicker that way.

""Let's hope your traffic police don't tell you the story of the baby left in a locked car on a petrol station forecourt that caught fire. Nothing anyone could do."

When and where did this happen? And why didn't it make the national news? And why didn't the petrol station explode?

"my FIL works with minority groups in a deprived area and says he knows families who got their kids taken off them for leaving them asleep in the car outside their house."

Taken off them by whom?

(I'm going to keep c and ping my post til someone answers)

""Let's hope your traffic police don't tell you the story of the baby left in a locked car on a petrol station forecourt that caught fire. Nothing anyone could do."

When and where did this happen? And why didn't it make the national news? And why didn't the petrol station explode?

"my FIL works with minority groups in a deprived area and says he knows families who got their kids taken off them for leaving them asleep in the car outside their house."

Taken off them by whom?

(I'm going to keep c and ping my post til someone answers)

I used to leave dd in car when I paid for petrol

Then I saw a car go up in flames in seconds (I mean literally 10 seconds to fireball) at a petrol station.

I would never ever do it now.

And anyway now I have ds if the car was to go up I would never be able to get them both out in a hurry, so ergo, I do not leave them in the car at the petrol station.

minthumbug trust me leaving a child in the car whilst you pay for petrol does not constitute a criminal offence.

I leave DC in car all the time when paying for petrol. lets face it the chances of us all getting hit by a speeding car on the forecourt are far greater than my car spontaneously combusting whilst I step out for three minutes.

seeker within the Thames Valley as it was told to us at a hospital post-natal group meeting by a visiting PC who came to talk about safety. I think the risk is pretty rare but after being told something like that I could never ever take the risk no matter how pita it was at times.

I always pay at the pump or get DH to fill up.

MollieO - did you never wonder why this hideous event didn"t make the News?

Think it was some years ago and no didn't question it. He was wearing a uniform after all! Equally didn't question the story about toddler twins being killed by a chest of drawers they climbed and fell over on to them. No 'proof' of that story either but it happened in our area and some time later I met someone who knew the family.

I remember the twins and the chest of drawers being on the news. Just like I remember the two little children who ran down to the sea near Norwich and were swept away and drowned. i have been obsessively taking in tragic stories of the death of children since I first becake pregnant 16 years ago. And no baby dying in a spontaneously combusting car has crossed my very sensitive radar.

I think it probably predates that. I'm sure if you contact the traffic police at Taplow they would be able to tell you. Assume you also know about children being strangled by rotary dryers. There was lots of horrific stuff told to us. You can only take on board what you can deal with and act accordingly. Lots of MNetters do thingst that I would never feel comfortable doing and even when the risks are clear.

I've always done it, and so have most people I know. It's illegal in America and some European countries. Not sure why, tbh.

lol, pagwatch

OK, right, so you are saying that you should think an activity dangerous because once, more than 16 years ago, something bad happened. Think of all the times people stop to fill up with petrol. And in more than 16 years, one dreadful thing happened.

Now, think of all the children who are killed on the motorway every year. Not long ago a whole family was killed when their people carrier was in an accident. A 6significant^ number of children are killed on the motorway every year.

So why do you every take your children on the motorway, when it is so much more risky than leaving them while you pay for petrol?

When I was a child I fell off a horse and was badly hurt. I nearly died. Children do die in riding accidents. Sould I stop my children riding?

I leave the kids locked in the car, and have also done the same in the middle of town once when I realised i'd forgotten Toms hard boiled eggs for nursery (we live in town and parked outside). I didn't want him to be the only child without and didn't have time to unload them and go back home as you're not supposed to park outside for long. I would never leave them to go shopping like someone I know witnessed recently (granparent left child asleep in car but they woke up frantic, friend was parked behind and realised it was a child in car, so she stood next to car until her Gran came back).

Cars bursting into flames on forecourts......should I be getting DP and the kids out whilst I pay?