would you leave your baby in a locked car?

[Friendlygirl]

have left my baby sleeping in my locked car while I dashed into the supermarket to buy a couple of things. Would any of you do that? Is it even l;egal? It worried me but I would rather do that than wake them up and sometimes I just have to get sometyhing from the shop for tea.

Would never leave them in car to pop into supermarket for a few things, nor leave the little ones sleeping in car while taking older children into school playground which happens a lot at ds school. Its just a thing I don't like , I always think of the what ifs!

Melissasmummy,

"What happens if another car hits your car, your car overheats & blows up? These things do, can & have happened."

Following this logic perhaps its better not to put kids in cars at all and just walk everywhere? I don't know the facts but I would wildly speculate that more accidents occur in the home than they do in parked, locked cars but we don't worry about leaving our kids in the lounge whilst we go to the kitchen.

The examples were put there to say "it can happen" I just don't understand the logic of leaving a child in a car. If a fire breaks out I can get them out of the car if I am there, if it happens in my house I can get them out.

Or rather, I stand a much better chance of getting them out

Hi, just been reading this thread, I only have one child, and have allways wondered if leaving your child in a locked car is acceptable. I have come to the conclusion, that it is your choice, but personally, nothing and nobody are more important that ds safety. so even when paying for petrol ( i could keep an eye on him from the till) I take him out of the car seat and in with me. By the way pablopatito, imo i dont think you can compare the lounge in you own home to a car on a road in public. Unless ofcourse, you dont have fire guards or have not childproofed your home.

The thing is, how many children die or are injured in parked, locked cars compared with how may die or are in injured whilst being driven. Yet there's lots of discussion about whether or not to leave a child in a parked car but very little discussion about whether its a good idea to take a child out in a car in the first place. If nothing is more important than child safety then maybe we shouldn't put a child in a car in the first place, yet we all do.

Applause for pablopatito!!!!

absolutely spot on!

I wouldn't do it. Cars can overheat when the engine's been turned off, another car could go into yours, this may be the first time your 18month old wakes up and discovers he can undo his belt... But perhaps I'm just a worrier! I wouldn't feel happy about it at all.

I only leave my older children in the car when I pay for petrol - they are 12 and 10, on the basis that they could get out of the car in an emergency and can be generally relied on not to do anything dangerous. I would always take the 7 yr old and 2 yr old in with me to pay.

My pet hate though, and I don't know if anyone agrees with me, is when I see childminders doing it - there are a couple round here who regularly leave little ones who are awake in the car while they pop into school. Judging by this thread though, perhaps it's just me? Would anyone here object if a CM left their child in the car like this? I know it may be unlikely that anything would happen but surely when you're looking after someone else's children you should err on the side of caution.

Obviously little children go into other rooms in your house, but hopefully the house is a fairly safe environment for them and an adult is within earshot should something happen.

I leave my 4.5yr and 2yr olds locked in the car if I can park infront of the shop ( the only ones I do it at have huge plate glass windows and I can see the kids and car at all times) and paying for petrol but again only if I can park directly outside the kiosk doors.

I woulsn't leave the little one by himself, no way no where

Just to report that I left my two children (2 & 4)in car outside my local greengrocers while I went in to buy a punnet of strawberries on the way home from school. Both were tired and ratty and I couldn't face taking them in. I could see the car the whole time, was waving at the children, there was no queue and I had the right money, so I was matter of seconds. While I was watching a huge delivery lorry parked behind my car and accidentally rammed my car - not hard, but moved the car and DS was very frightened. I shudder to think what might have happened and I will NEVER do it again.

I always leave my DD locked in the car when I pay for diesel but thinking back I only go to fill up when she is sleeping!
Today I left my purse in the bank as DD wee'd on a chair whilst I was at the counter - lovely! I realised at the roundabout and the lovely lady said to put DD on and she gave her a free ride whilst I sprinted back. After reading this thread I am starting to feel guilty instead of grateful!!

Yes but surely the majority of us need to use our cars.

I have to drive my little girl to her SN School But I certainly don't have to leave her in a car whilst I go into Asda or Tesco!

Bit of a difference I think

would never do it. Never never never. personal choice i suppose.

I have 4 children and if they were all with me and i needed to run into tesco's for a pint of milk, I would probably leave them in the car (only if they agreed, which they usually do)

I think that it would be far more risky to haul them across a busy car park, then to leave them safe and strapped in.

This is why I will also use a disabled space if the parent and child spaces are taken and I need to take them all with me (a different thread, I know)

I would never leave one of them on their own and wouldn't leave them if they were asleep as they may wake up and panic.

Having said all of this, I know of a friend who left her sleeping newborn in the car while she dropped her ds into the school playground. When she got back to the car, it was full of smoke and the engine was on fire (electrical fault) Other prents had tried to get into the car to pull out the baby, but couldn't as it was locked, mum eventually managed to get there and open car and baby had to be treated for smoke inhalation

no, i wouldn't. because you never know how long the queue is going to be, and you can't see the car from inside the shop

difference with petrol stations is that:
you can make a decision based on queue length (assuming you can see into the shop)
you can see the car from inside

i would much rather wake ds up than leave him asleep in a car park of a supermarket.

No I wouldn't, too many risks imo for something so unnecessary. I always use the "pay at pump" option as well if I have to get petrol and ds is with me.

I've never left dd in the car herself while getting petrol or going to the shop. When she was a baby I would carry the car seat in to pay and that way if she was asleep she would stay asleep. Now she is a bit older she comes in with me (awake). I dont go for petrol if she is asleep.

Sorry can't add much as I don't drive. But DH left Ds in the car once and I nearly belted him for it. And that was outside a small grocery store. Only found out as I called him on his mobile and the conversation went 'if you are there, where the f**k is the baby!'

However, sometimes DS has been asleep in the car when we pull up in our drive and as it's right in front of our house (DH van about a foot away from our bay window) I have been tempted. Have never done it though.

I think it depends on your situation at the time. There are stories about how robbers have nicked cars from petrol stations with the baby on board though.

would never do it at a supermarket, have done it to pay for petrol, but where i can see the car and left it locked., although now always try to get petrol where i can either pay at the pump or drive to the checkout, so usually asda or tesco.

Yes when paying for petrol, otherwise no need, they can get out and come with me!

When I had 1 child I ALWAYS took him in to get petrol but with 2 toddlers I figure they are more likely to get hit crossing a busy forecourt than something happen whilst they are in the car. I try to park where I can see them & LOCK the car (will maybe rethink locking). Would never leave them for more than a minute out of sight.

On the whole I pay at the pump at tesco (I hated to do that because I felt I was doing someone out of a job, but to be honest they were so surly behind the counter I no longer feel guilty!!)

If I park on a hill I ALWAYS leave it in gear - when the engine is off it cant go anywhere (found this out when a helpful chap was trying to push the car when it broke down!!) You just have to get into the habit of knocking it out of gear before re-starting it.

Probably not at supermarket. But not because I would worry something would happen, more that I would worry that I would be judged a bad mother.

I think chances of something happening to (particularly) sleeping child in a locked car (window - slightly open of course) are minor. Weighing up the risks I would do it.

However weighing up the risks of someone calling the police and social services deeming me a bad mum and trying to take my adored dd away from me. No way would I do it.

There was that awful story of the two children who died in a parked car. The Granny had left them, both asleep, hot day. A catalogue of dreadfully unlucky errors and incidents occurred, I think something happened to GRanny. Anyway sadly the two children died due to heat I think. Most heart rending thing was when the Mum was interviewed she said having heard her own Mums story of what happened, she couldn't judge her as she could follow her logic and thought processes all the way through.

Lots of danger dragging sleepy kids across supermarket car parks of course. am always abandoning well planned shopping sprees for that very reason.

No, I never have and never would. I get petrol from a small garage where the staff come out and do it for you or at Asda where I only have to get out to fill the tank then drive up to the window to pay.

My brother's car ( a 2 year old Mondeo) developed an electrical short-circuit and ignited while parked outside his local library. In the time it took to return a few books, the car was a write-off. Luckily his 2 sons were in the library with him.

what about if someone crashes into your car, what about if the baby is sick and chokes (mine did this all the time so i kept him in sight)

OR

what if something happens to you while you are in the supermarket: you faint, you get hit by a falling stack of bean tins, the supermarket gets held up, the person infront of you forgets their purse and takes forever etc etc

i don't think i could take that chance, but i do leave them when i get petrol as long as i can see the car and i don't lock it so if they are needed to be got out in a hurry any one can do it and at the same time i can see if anyone is trying to steal my bag phone car etc!!

personally if i ever saw a baby alone in a car i would call the police - i feel very strongly about this and even at the petrol staion i take my baby out of the car and do not leave them in the car alone. In fact i sometimes go out of my way to go to a tescos nearish me to use 'pay at pump'

I am not flaming - but my god - anything could happen - car stolen - hit by another car - broken into (smash window, grab baby)

never ever ever ever ever ever leave your baby in a car by itself