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!

I used pay at the pump and my 'baby' is twenty.

Yep I do if my baby is asleep and I am parked straight outside (rural area) and therefore remains within sight. I contact my husband first to tell him where I am and then confirm when I am back in the car again. This is because I worry if I fainted etc in the shop no one would know baby is in the car. My husband would raise the alarm if I didn't confirm I was back safely with baby. I'm sure some people will say I'm irresponsible, but everything is a risk that needs to be weighed up. Waking a sleeping baby to take them across a forecourt into a petrol station etc is not worth it for me.

This is awful, the article also makes it sound like both parents were there so one could have stayed with her in the car.

In answer, yes I would leave baby/child if paying for petrol. However I generally always use the same petrol station which is quiet and the pump is close to the door and car is visible at all times.

I wouldn't leave them in any other circumstance.

I've always left my child in the car probably 60% of the time
He's 5 now and I still do it as much as I can get away with.

Petrol maybe but I'd be panicking

Shop etc, no way

Where I live (in the sticks) out of the nearest 8 patrol stations only one is pay at pump.

Petrol pay at the pump or wait till someone else is with you to get petrol. I didn't leave them alone in the car when babies/toddlers/little ever.

Petrol yes
Picking up train tickets when I can park 2m away from the machine yes
Chip shop where I can park next to the plate glass window and dc visible at all times yes

Corner shop where dc would be out of sight even if parked by the door no way
Nursery ON A RESIDENTIAL STREET IN ZONE 2 ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?

I will use pay at pump where possible but if I can't I will leave the kids in the car (1 and nearly 5) as I can see the car at all times. Will also very occasionally pop into the small rural shop where again I will be 2 mins and can see the car most of the time.

We live rurally and the crime rate is extremely low. Everyone knows everyone kind of area.

I have never done this or intend to but I do understand why people ‘nip’ in to pay for petrol as they have sight of their car and child from the shop.
Absolutely no judgement here.

But you can never predict what will happen… I say this because last year I had filled up with fuel and was inside the shop paying for petrol… I was actually on my way home from a KIT day at work during my MAT leave so baby was not with me or in the car.

Minutes later a woman drove into the side of my parked car at the pump next to me. She had completely lost control and it resulted in £700 worth of damage to my car and she was unable to drive her car home. (She was an older lady and was mortified but after checking she was ok we looked at the damage to her car and decided it wasn’t safe for her to drive home- I waited whilst she called her son)
I couldn’t stop thinking what may have happened if my baby had innocently been in the car as she hit the side where the car seat is.
just a reminder that sometimes you think ‘it’s ok’ but you never really know what freak accident or accident could occur.