Quick question to all parents...

Morba · 29 Mar 2011 at 20:24

vonhelmet said:
There is next to no risk in doing that, and once my kids are capable of going to the toilet on their own i.e. in terms of opening the doors, locking the cubicles, reaching the taps, etc. then they'll do just that.

No risk yet 2 children were raped in a maccy d's toilet.
I'm not saying it will happen to every child, but that's less risky than leaving them on their own for a longer period and something horrific happened to them.

Castiel · 29 Mar 2011 at 20:24

EniGmA1981 said:
Hey all,

I went out shopping this morning to a retail park with my kids and partner and when I parked up I noticed that there was a little boy (probably about 18 months) fast asleep in his car seat with no one else about, so the mum/dad/grandparent obviously left him in the car while they shopped so as to not wake him up im guessing.

This is only the 2nd time I've seen this and both times I've been quite shocked, it's not something I would ever do but it got me thinking, is it me just being uptight and paranoid or is this something a lot of parents do when they go shopping and their kids are sleeping?

Answers on a postcard please

Absolutely not. Besides it being illegal, it is also highly irresponsible.

Vonhelmet · 29 Mar 2011 at 20:25

Castiel said:
Absolutely not. Besides it being illegal, it is also highly irresponsible.

A challenger appears.

Vonhelmet · 29 Mar 2011 at 20:26

Morba said:
No risk yet 2 children were raped in a maccy d's toilet.
I'm not saying it will happen to every child, but that's less risky than leaving them on their own for a longer period and something horrific happened to them.

How many children go to the toilets in McDonald's on their own?
How many children who go to the toilets in McDonald's on their own are raped?
Could the toilets in McDonald's function properly if all parents accompanied all children into the toilets?

lttlejoe · 29 Mar 2011 at 20:27

vonhelmet said:
Please elucidate the risk of leaving children in a locked car in a public car park.

If you really need to ask that question, then perhaps you need to attend parenting classes!

Morba · 29 Mar 2011 at 20:28

vonhelmet said:
How many children go to the toilets in McDonald's on their own?
How many children who go to the toilets in McDonald's on their own are raped?
Could the toilets in McDonald's function properly if all parents accompanied all children into the toilets?

My poInt is that even in a very low risk scenario things can happen. That is on the drastic end of the scale admittedly, but the point stands.

WillyNelson · 29 Mar 2011 at 20:28

No way. We'd either take her with us (sleeping kids are easy to move without waking) or one of us would stay in the car.

I'd have probably informed the store manager and if they didn't look like they were going to do anything about it (page the car reg, etc) call the police.

Castiel · 29 Mar 2011 at 20:30

vonhelmet said:
A challenger appears.

Me?

I haven't read the thread tbh, I was just replying to the OP and leaving an 18 month in the Car whilst shopping.

I can't really see that a responsible person would answer anything else. (I might read the thread to see what I am missing though)

[FnG]magnolia · 29 Mar 2011 at 20:36

vonhelmet said:
Still waiting for someone to point out the risk of leaving children in a locked car in a public car park.

The handbrake on the car could fail.
The child could overheat.
Someone could break in to the car.
They could choke.
The car could be involved in an accident as someone else tries to park.
The child could panic, causing undue stress.

It is seriously troubling that you're ignoring the law but more importantly ignoring common sense and responsibility.

dannyjo22 · 29 Mar 2011 at 20:38

I wouldn't have done anything but then I'm not living by some double standard where I look down my nose at other parents when I nip in to pay for petrol while my son is strapped in a locked car.

Of course if they left them in there for a full shop at that age it's not on but they may have been a couple of minutes.

So all the people in the thread have always taken the kid out the car when they pay for petrol?

But the handbrake could come off, the car could catch fire and the kid could choke.

SexyGreyFox · 29 Mar 2011 at 20:43

dannyjo22 · 29 Mar 2011 at 20:48

dmpoole said:
Calculated risk and a risk I would never take but who am I to judge?

So you always took your 18 month out the car when you filled up?

I bet they never even sat in car seats all that time ago

Raumarik · 29 Mar 2011 at 20:48

There's more risk leaving a child with Vonhelmet when he's got his She-Ra outfit on and his keyboard of power raised in the air.

I wouldn't leave my daughter in the car, but then there are risks in everything we do. It's not like it's a baking hot day and there's a pedobear convention happening nearby.

eddiemcgarrigle · 29 Mar 2011 at 20:53

I do leave my son in the car if I'm at the local shop (really nice area, non-existant crime rate and very quiet) and I know I'm only going to be 30 seconds or so. Supermarkets are another thing though and I would never leave my son alone for any period of time.

Heliospherez · 29 Mar 2011 at 20:53

At our sons school - one of the grandmothers left a child (around 3-4) years old in it's car seat and proceeded to walk into the school from the car park around the back of the school to pick up his/her brother.

Unfortunately the dozy bint forgot to pull the handbrake up, and the car rolled forward (with the kid in the back)

Luckily, the slope that the car park was built on, was surrounded by a raised mound of dirt that took the impact of the car (and stopped not only someone getting hit by it, but the child in the back basically getting thrown forward) - the granny was completely oblivious to what happened until she reappeared from round the back of the school with the other child - and a group of a dozen or so paretns stood around her car.

I also wonder what would happen if a parent maybe had a heart attack - or maybe got knocked down whilst a kid is left in a car (which seems to happen a lot around here)

I fail to see any situation when a parent needs to leave a kid on it's own in a car ( I've never done it in 5 years with my first son, and don't plan on doing it with my other son either)

SexyGreyFox · 29 Mar 2011 at 20:54

dannyjo22 said:
So you always took your 18 month out the car when you filled up?

How can you quote me without reading my post?

Originally Posted by dmpoole
Calculated risk and a risk I would never take but who am I to judge?

dannyjo22 · 29 Mar 2011 at 20:58

dmpoole said:
How can you quote me without reading my post?

How did I know whether you were refering to my post or the original question of leaving them while shopping. I'm calling BS that at no time in your life you filled up and paid and always took your children out the car.

All the time over the years I've filled up I've never once seen people take their kids out the car. I can understand people saying they wouldn't do it at a supermarket but people saying they don't do it at a petrol station are frankly liars.

When was the last time you saw someone trying to pay with a baby/small child in their arms. Compared to the number of kids in cars, it's very rare in my view.

Of course people have spouted off from their high horse forgetting about what they do at a pretrol stattion and the double standards involved.

Vonhelmet · 29 Mar 2011 at 21:00

lttlejoe said:
If you really need to ask that question, then perhaps you need to attend parenting classes!

So tell me the risk.

Morba said:
My poInt is that even in a very low risk scenario things can happen. That is on the drastic end of the scale admittedly, but the point stands.

If you take that sort of massively terrified view of utterly mundane scenarios, where do you draw the line? How do you justify the risk of stepping out of your house?

[FnG]magnolia;18784644 said:
The handbrake on the car could fail.

Tiny risk, and all but irrelevant in a flat car park.

[FnG]magnolia;18784644 said:
The child could overheat.

I did mention at points that I wouldn't consider it on a hot day.

[FnG]magnolia;18784644 said:
Someone could break in to the car.

In full view of everyone? Improbable.

[FnG]magnolia;18784644 said:
They could choke.

On what?

[FnG]magnolia;18784644 said:
The car could be involved in an accident as someone else tries to park.

A meteor could land on the store while my child was in it. Then I'd wish I'd left them in the car.

[FnG]magnolia;18784644 said:
The child could panic, causing undue stress.

Judgement call. If I'm not leaving my child for a long period of time, and they have something to keep them amused, this is not a risk.

[FnG]magnolia;18784644 said:
It is seriously troubling that you're ignoring the law but more importantly ignoring common sense and responsibility.

Leaving a child in a locked stationary car is not illegal. I'm also exercising common sense and responsibility in determining the level of risk in a given scenario.

Halfmad said:
There's more risk leaving a child with Vonhelmet when he's got his She-Ra outfit on and his keyboard of power raised in the air.

Finally, some sense in this thread.

Halfmad said:
I wouldn't leave my daughter in the car, but then there are risks in everything we do. It's not like it's a baking hot day and there's a pedobear convention happening nearby.

Quite.

[FnG]magnolia · 29 Mar 2011 at 21:03

Well, they're your kids so do what you feel is best, I guess.

Stolly · 29 Mar 2011 at 21:05

Meh we've left our kids in the car asleep when we got home, keeping an eye on them from the house.

Wouldn't do it in a public car park like.