Leaving baby in car alone

[monstera16]

Just curious about peoples thoughts on this?

To preface, neither me or my DH would leave our baby alone in the car, however, wondering if anyone does leave their baby alone in the car while they pay for petrol or nip into a shop?

DH grew up in another country where it was relatively common so it got me thinking!

Petrol... mine were babies before Pay at pump was common. It would have definitely been more dangerous to get a toddler and baby across a forecourt than to leave them in the car.

Never a shop.
Nursery knew we all left babies in the car if it was raining, and had them ready!

I also had to go through security checkpoints. All the kids were left in the car when we went inside the guard hut.

Baby /toddle in car seat and child locks on and car in sight of you, no problem as long as not blistering hot

However, toddler not is child seat, why not and no child locks, then take with you

childern do open doors and fall out I've seen it twice over the years - both were about 2/3

It's at most 10 metres (depending on what one out of 2 spaces I park in). It's honestly such a non issue, but I posted as I know threads like this always bring out the crazily risk averse (I worry about how people ever leave the house if they have such a low tolerance for the slightest risk). The car is parked outside, surrounded by everyone picking up kids, a lot of whom know me and my car (it's a local authority run nursery school so it has set start and finishing times - it's more like akin to primary school, so the kids are all 'thrown' out together). I'm more self conscious being one of the very few that drive, not about leaving DS in the car, but it suits nap times to avoid an accidental buggy nap on the walk home.

I note @DuploTrain hasn't had the same pile on under very similar circumstances. What I do really isn't uncommon, apart from on here.

Always leave them in the car at petrol stations

Shops, almost always take them in with me but if it's the local and very small co-op and I can park right by the door, I do sometimes leave them in the car. I have a 6yo and 2.5 yo twins. The 6yo is old enough anyway i feel, but the twins can be more of a danger getting them in and out of the car so if it's just milk or bread I'll run in alone. Lesser danger of two options I feel 🤷🏼‍♀️

I'll take that bet. Shall we say £100? Do you want to come and time me? I'll PM you the address if you like, given you seem so certain

Petrol station yes, shop no. But also leave baby in car on front drive if he’s asleep on returning to the house. Front window about a metre from car and both windows open and I live in the middle of nowhere, so no passing traffic.

@PuttingDownRoots finally some more grown ups have arrived!

Never left baby or young child in the car.

I suspect our petrol stations have a different layout because there is no way to keep the child in sight the entire time and pay.

A lot of my friends outside of London do this when their kids fall asleep on the way home. It certainly works with my mantra never to wake a sleeping baby.

Wonder if you'll get the same pile on that I've had though, or are middle class driveways somehow more immune from whatever disaster my son is apparently at risk from?

Never under any circumstances.

Yes to petrol stations and driveway with car window and front window open to hear when he woke up.

There's an obvious difference between a public road and your own driveway.

sexnotgenders you are relying on other people to look out for your baby whilst they are unsupervised, essentially. And I'd take you up on your bet btw, people's ability to accurately gauge time passing is crap. The woman who parked outside her office and had her car roll back into the river was away from the car for 2 minutes and 1 second according to the inquest. She was only getting some cash from her safe. Perhaps you should actually time yourself each time for a couple of weeks or so, and see if your judgement of the time it takes is accurate.

I hadn't seen DuploTrain's post either, and would say the same to her as well.

Never left mine - used pay at the pump or went on my own. Just no reason to leave small children in cars these days. In the case of disability in older children I would speak to the local garage about them making arrangements to pay at the pump if they haven't got modern pumps (though I can't remember the last time I saw ones that didn't have it enabled)

OK @sexnotgenders well that makes more sense then. I was comparing to my nursery pick ups where parents can pick up whenever, so it's often a bit of a wait while they get the child ready especially if it's busy. Sometimes 10-15 minutes. I reckon most other posters are thinking of their own similar nursery pick ups. You didn't mention any of the additional details in your first post whereas the other person said it was 90 seconds, hence the 'pile on'.

Yes to pay for petrol. I've never ever seen someone take a baby into the shop at a petrol station.

More so with older children, but if you lock the car with a child inside and they move around a lot (even strapped in their car seat) it can set the alarm off which is scary for child and annoying for everyone else.

I don’t even leave my baby in the car in the nursery car park. Christ.

I also use pay at pump whenever I can.

Fair dos @Yuckyyuckyuckity I'll take that. Although the poster that seems to think they know my exact timings better than me is getting a bit stalkery. Maybe it's the lack of oxygen up there on her/his high horse. I'm sure if all of our parenting decisions were laid out, we'd all raise eyebrows at some of the choices of others. I wouldn't bang on with quite so much superiority about it though

Don’t leave them. I left my DS in the car for a couple of minutes he was 8 at the time. Village location nursery car park to get DD.
A man smashed the window and took my DS’s bag that was in the front. DS was sat in the back.
It was horrific. Traumatising.

@fedupandstuck what is the difference? Why is a driveway ok if you're so concerned about babies in cars? At least be consistent with your outrage

And despite how much you want to be right, it is only 2 minutes. Sorry to disappoint. Unfortunately nursery is closed this week as it's half term, but she'll be there next Tuesday if you're free at 2.45 for pick up? I'll bring the stopwatch

Yes for petrol if I have to and I can see the car. But where I live I don't even leave my 12 year old in the car to pop into the shop.

Agree with @InTheRainOnATrain car theft is my biggest worry even when paying for fuel or popping into a shop which is why they have to come in even just for milk.

Never taken a single one of my 4 kids out of the car to pay for petrol, no. I only found out people did this on mumsnet.

😱 poor thing, hope you and him are ok now.

I hadn’t even considered that but you’re right that it does happen too. I was thinking more of the relay theft where they bounce your key fob signal. That’s also silent and takes seconds so you probably wouldn’t realise anyone was doing even if you walked right past, which is of course how they get away with it.

Thinking about it I don’t think I would leave a DC in parked car even on a busy street until they’re old enough to be visible in the front. With tinted windows or rear facing seats it’s not necessarily obvious there’s a DC in the car so there’s nothing to make criminals think twice. Obviously there’s not going to be an out of control steam roller or aliens (I’m presuming that poster is on a wind up and/or has been on the vino at lunch) but car crime is very real. Even if someone clips the wing mirror or bumps it parking, again not improbable given the standard of driving I see around here, that’s pretty scary for a child on their own.

I saw someone leave their baby in the car while they paid for petrol recently, they were gone about 10 minutes (by the time we left) and baby cried the whole time. I was waiting for hubby to pay for our fuel so tried talking to baby through the car window to distract it but wasn't sure what else to do. When my husband eventually came back, there had apparently been a queue and an issue with the till. It made me wonder what parents usually do in those situations.