Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Parenting

For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

Flip

1 2 3 4

Original poster

Do you leave your child in the car when you pay for petrol?

100 replies

mumontherum · 25/02/2016 09:37

I'm really not sure what the protocol is here. If I can park close to the building and see there's no queue, I leave my 2YO in his car seat in the petrol station forecourt. He's always been fine and so far I've never come back to a panicking child (touch wood). If the petrol station is busy then I usually take him in with me, which is a pain as a) it takes much longer and b) he wants to pick up everything in the shop.

What do you do?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

thatsn0tmyname · 25/02/2016 16:15

Yes, I do, as waking and wrestling a 4 and 2 year old is more dangerous. I'll pay at pump where possible or only use petrol stations where you can see the car clearly when inside.

DinosaursRoar · 25/02/2016 16:19

do you know, in the 6 and a bit years I've been a parent, there's only been one occasion when I couldn't pay at pump and didn't have another adult in the car to leave them with! As that was driving at night and both DCs were asleep in the car, I left them and went to pay without them, I did have a moment of "oh, what am I supposed to do now?"

SanityClause · 25/02/2016 16:19

Yes, unless they want to come in and buy Percy pigs.

I know I'm taking a big risk that the car will spontaneously combust, and that when it does, all bystanders will stand gawping, rather than using the fire extinguishers, and calling 999, and helping my DC out of the car.

But, I like to live life on the edge.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

2 year olds Families General parenting

Florin · 25/02/2016 16:21

I rarely fill my car up, husband makes sure it's filled up at the weekend. If I do have to do it. My 3 year old has an ability to find trouble anywhere so no way could I trust him in a car on his own it is too risky so take him with me and run the gauntlet of the chocolate displays.

louisejxxx · 25/02/2016 16:24

I generally either time it so neither are in the car or go to somewhere that I know has pay at pump. My dd freaks out when I get out the car and leave her in just to do the petrol, so going in the petrol station would be a definite no no. I should add it's because she wants to come in and get all the stuff in the shop - not because she's overly clingy!

kippersyllabub · 25/02/2016 16:25

Every time. And if someone calls social services I shall have a robust discussion on the subject of risk

IrianofWay · 25/02/2016 16:27

Leave in car.

But then again he is 19

But I always did. Wriggling, active children on a busy petrol forecourt are not a match made in heaven.

kippersyllabub · 25/02/2016 16:28

When someone can provide me with documented evidence of the risk of harm from leaving a child in the car I will take this sort of thing a bit more seriously.

Alibabsandthe40Musketeers · 25/02/2016 16:31

I have always left mine in the car. Strapped in, doors closed but unlocked incase the car catches fire and so someone else can get there faster than I can.

The likelihood of a child being run over on a forecourt is far greater than them being kidnapped from inside the car.

fakenamefornow · 25/02/2016 16:34

It's so good to hear the sensible views on this thread. They have always seemed dominated by posters insisting you are all bad, lazy parents for not taking children into the shop with you.

tattyteddy · 25/02/2016 16:45

Leave in car, forecourts can be slippy and I have a 4 and 4 month old. A couple of minutes in the shop would take me about 20 minutes if I took them in!

cuckoooo · 25/02/2016 16:53

In Australia I left my sleeping 6 year old child in the car outside the chemist while I went and got kids paracetamol. He had flu and the last thing I wanted was to make him go outside.

I was gone maximum of two minutes. When I came back a security guard was there saying they had called the police for neglect and an unattended child.

The police came and I had to explain why I wouldn't take my 6 year old out (he had a temperature and I didn't want him to keep going out in the cold) and why I didn't leave the window open (er, it was 4 degrees outside!).

The police were fine but it left me shaken and fuming at the stupid security guard.

In Australia it is illegal to leave your child unattended, even in a petrol station. It is because of kids who got heatstroke in 45 degree heat who were left outside.

Thankfully in UK we have pay at pump. It is ideal if you have kids.

Haroldplaystheharmonica · 25/02/2016 16:54

I've always left them in the car and like a PP, I've never heard of anyone taking their kids into the petrol station with them except on MN. God, I'd be fuming if I was stuck behind someone who was sorting their child out and unstrapping/strapping him into the car seat. It's bad enough when you're behind someone who faffs with their purse and seat belt when there's a queue of 10 cars waiting to fill up

Strokethefurrywall · 25/02/2016 16:56

I have never taken my kids in to pay for gas. I've never even used pay at the pump options.

I don't think the risk of fire/overheating/child snatcher has ever even occurred to me either. And I live in a hot country. I'm in and out in 3 minutes max.

Whenever I see someone respond on one of these threads claiming that they do because of the risk that the car will catch fire, or the kid will be kidnapped I have to sit on my hands to refrain from typing a sarcastic response.

How many child snatchers do you think there are lurking around station forecourts in broad daylight for the opportunity that a parent will leave their little darling unattended in a car. And what are the chances of would be child snatcher managing to sneak into the car (again in broad daylight), have the knowledge to hot wire the car in record time and then disappear into the ether before anyone can stop him.

And if it's being car jacked you're worried about, your car is about 100% less likely to be car jacked if you don't leave the keys in the ignition.

The mind boggles.

SpocksThirdEar · 25/02/2016 17:00

I have 5, so trying to get them all out of car seats when they were smaller would have been a nightmare. As would trying to hold all their hands while crossing the forecourt. So, they always got left in the car. I always went to a quiet petrol station anyway, rather than the busier supermarket ones.

Now they are plenty old enough to be left and there's pay at the pump everywhere.

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeG0es · 25/02/2016 17:00

No pay at pump round here. I used to find supermarket petrol stations very handy when the DCs were little for picking up bread, milk etc without having to take them out and go into the shop, so probably would have done that a lot of the time instead of paying at pump anyway.

EweAreHere · 25/02/2016 17:25

I always used to leave mine in the car in their car seats. Always. Just lock the doors and keep an eye out. Ridiculous to try to take children across a busy, multi-laned petrol station just so they can stand in line with you. You can see them through the windows of all these places.

Spudlet · 25/02/2016 17:28

I have an 8 week old, and a 3 door Micra. Wrestling him and his seat out of the car is a nightmare, and not one I'm inclined to go through every single time I buy petrol! I lock the car and move quickly. I can see the car the whole time.

Byrdie · 25/02/2016 17:29

I am the mum who struggles in the kiosk with kids in tow!!! If any of my three are asleep then they do stay in the car ( they are 2, 5 and 8) but if the 2 year old is on her own then she comes in with me. I was the same with the other two. I think i only started leaving them when i could explain it to them and they were happy to stay in the car. I always try and seek out a pay at pump anyhow so it's rare i need to make a decision these days.

waitingforsomething · 25/02/2016 17:39

Leave in locked car. I don't understand the angst over this. It's 2 mins and you can see them

captaincake · 25/02/2016 17:54

At an average petrol station you are very close and can see the car at all times so I would leave DC in the car but I almost always pay at pump. If it was one of the larger ones with a proper shop and you couldn't see the car completely or weren't close, or I could see there was a long queue, I would take him in with me.

peggyundercrackers · 25/02/2016 17:57

Leave in the car all the time. I never see anyone taking children out the car to go into a petrol station where I live. Same with people going to bank machines/ATM - I've never seen anyone take a child out to go to one for money.

JenEric · 25/02/2016 18:00

I try to pay at pump or go without them but if I can't I normally lock in car and make sure I am parked within sight of the shop (so not behind a van or anything. I wouldnt leave them to go into a shop usually but you can always see them from the shop/kiosk and they can see you if front facing and I don't faff picking up anything I don't walk past.

lavenderhoney · 25/02/2016 18:17

Living abroad meant a chap filled up for me and took payment without me leaving the car. In the uk the DC stay pby choice in the car and so do many other adult passengers in all the cars around us. As do beloved pets etc.

Frankly it's the only place I can get emergency milk/ bread etc without a child/ v poorly child. I have only seen one woman mess about with DC on a busy forecourt in two years of filling up in the uk. She didn't look like she'd be doing it again tbh.

Kr1stina · 25/02/2016 18:21

I've never seen anyone taking their children out the car TBH.

And cars do not spontaneously combust in petrol stations

Flip

1 2 3 4