Mother & Baby/Mother & Toddler Parking Spaces

[Charlie:-)]

At what age do you think it is still acceptable to park in the mother & baby/parent & toddler parking spaces at supermarkets?

Discuss

It really p***es me off when I see people parking in these spaces and the children are not what I call toddler or baby. I think when your children are big enough to walk quite comfortably and confidently and have some road sense then this is the time to stop using these spaces and park in the normal areas, so I would say around 4 or 5 years old. Also it really annoys me when people who obviously dont have any children at all use these spaces, a few times I have had to park in the normal areas then to walk into the store past the baby spaces to see someone getting into their car with no baby

I think putting these spaces at the front of the car park near the entrance is a bad idea, im not bothered about being close to the door, but I am bothered about having enough space to be able to get my baby in and out without scratching my car door or the car parked next to me. if supermarkets put baby spaces at the back of the car park then every tom dick and harry wouldnt want to park there.

 

[daftscotslass]

I'm with you. An older couple parked in one the other week, right in front of us. There were plenty disabled spaces but they didn't have a badge. Couldn't be bothered saying anything, I should aim to be more vocal about it next time!

 

[Bloom]

I agree its a pain in the backside however on the subject of the age thing the reason we like the bigger spaces is because of the door room to get the child in and out so i would say once you are able to get your child in the car and strapped in easily then thats time to stop so i agree about 5.

I always want to say something but i worry that once im out of site my car will get damaged

 

[Jen & Her Men]

My biggest pet hate is people who park in baby and toddler spaces who have no kids in the car..grrrrr...

seriously it really gets my goat. Lazy f*ckers. Nine times out of ten its always young boy racers too.

I really have to bite my tongue but one of these days the old preggo hormones will get the better of me and im gonna sarcastically congratulate them on their amazing medical anomaly of having an INVISIBLE BABY!!!!!

 

[lisa&alex]

i think 5 is an acceptable age.. i would like to see spaces for parents with children up to around 8.. just incase.. people dont look when they are driving around carparks.. any child could accidently walk out infront of a passing car.. thats what frightens me..

 

[Charlie:-)]

I really have to bite my tongue but one of these days the old preggo hormones will get the better of me and im gonna sarcastically congratulate them on their amazing medical anomaly of having an INVISIBLE BABY!!!!!

I tell em, but one of these days im sure im going to regret opening my big mouth

 

[Sherlock]

Well considering the past few times we've not been able to get a space because they were taken up with

1) Woman with 2 child seats, no children. One GS dog which she then took for a walk away from the store
2) Family parked in car in which only the passenger (guessing Mum) got out to nip in while rest stayed in car
3) Family in car, older kids. Left one kid in car (must have been about 9-10) and rest went into store
4) Disabled sticker car. Disabled parking spaces across the way free
5) Woman with car seats but no kids
6) Car with no car seats at all. And no kids in sight

We have a 15 week old baby. I've been able to use the baby/toddler parking once in all that time

I think up to school age is fine. 4, 5 years old. Anything over that and people need to stop using them.

 

[LilysMummy]

I think until they arent using carseats anymore, because the parent doesnt need to get in and fasten the chair up.


Me and OH always shout at the bumholes who park in them when theyre not supposed too lol maybe Im too vocal

 

[*Star*]

the sign at our asda says that the spaces are for parents with children up to the age of 11 who use a fitted car seat.

so mum's with a 10 year old in a booster seat are allowed to use them

 

[MattM]

Oh god, this seriously winds both Debbie and I up.

On average, we can spot maybe 50-60% of the people parked in the parent and child spaces that don't have kids. I could reel off a dozen instances from just the past few days.

We went to Tesco and all the spaces were taken and as we were looking one car was just reversing out of the space. All adults no children. Thankfully they were leaving...

Tesco, again; as we were getting Luke out of the car someone pulled up a few spaces down and got out with her partner and headed towards the shop. I think I did shout something about "spaces for parents with babies only" to which they turned to shout something unfavourable back.

I think we actually scared an older lady in Morrisons the other day. She was on her own parked in a baby space loading her car with plants. Again, I said loudly to Debbie something about people using the spaces without children and she sat in the car and didn't move until we were out of sight. She even left her little trolley with a pound still in it behind!

It really gets my goat. Honestly, the inconsideration, the laziness, the sheer bloody annoyance!

 

[Sylvie]

In a few months we only managed to park on the parents & children spaces ONCE There are very few dedicated parking spaces and when there are some they are always taken by people who most of the time don't even have children with them

 

[Lola's Mummy]

This really annoys me

I agree maybe if the spaces wasn't so close to the front of the shops maybe it wouldn't be such a problem.
I only use them for the extra space. Both of our cars are 3 door so we need to open the doors quite wide to be able to fasten Lola in her car seat.

 

[DebbieM]

OMG, don't even get me started on this at this time of night LMAO.

I challenged a bloke in a 2 seater sporty BMW about a month ago in our local shopping centre multi-story about parking in those spaces.

I saw what he was doing and he knew I was watching, so I waited til he got out and I got out too and said "You do realise these spaces are for people with children?" and he replied with "Yes, i am going to collect a child".

I just looked and said "Of course you are!!!!" and he walked off. I was fuming.

What I should have done is challenged him as to where the car seat or booster seat was for this child or followed him in to the centre lol.

Fact is.. he didn't want his nice shiny sporty car to get scratched, did he?

Oh I have so much more to say on this but don't want to wind myself up before bedtime LMAO.

 

[LilysMummy]

Oh did I mention my MIL has an old tatty carseat that lily has NEVER used or will NEVER use, strapped into her back seat so she can park in mother and baby spaces because "they are handy!"

 

[DebbieM]

Oh did I mention my MIL has an old tatty carseat that lily has NEVER used or will NEVER use, strapped into her back seat so she can park in mother and baby spaces because "they are handy!"

 

[kelsey]

Its disgusting, those spaces are there for a reason. Whenever i see somebody parking in the mother and baby spaces that havent got children i immeditely take their reg no and go in to the shop with all my brood with me and inform them. i also tell them i would like them moved froom the space lol.

luckily there's only been about 3 incidents where i've seen people parking there.

 

[chickadee1976]

We still use the parent and child spaces if there are any.

My boys at 10 and 8 are often in a world of there own and have just as much likely hood of getting hit by a car as a 5 year old.

What did pee me off this morning was at my local ASDA.
The store is pretty much surrouded by disabled spaces. Even the Parent and child spaces are a bit of a walk.
Im all for disabled saces but really what is the likely hood of 30 disabled badge holders shopping in Asda at the same time

 

[LisaJ1986]

It bothers me when no one have kids and park in them! I was in Asda the other day, and Angel wanted feeding. So i went back to the car and could sit and feed her freely with the door open so i obviously don't have to worry about scratching the car next to me. But then this couple come and get in the car next to us. Yet they had no kid and the bloke in the drivers seat was sat watching me feed while on the phone. He wasn't discreetly looking, he sat there staring! Made me feel really uncomfortable! Don't think he drove off for a good 10mins!
Also i noticed in ours, whoever uses parent/toddler spaces never, ever take their trolly back! There is somewhere for them right in the middle of this area, so you need to walk passed a max of 6 cars, yet they will not walk that far!!! Makes me mad and i'm dying to say something! Hate lazy people. I walk with Angel still strapped in then carry her back so she's not left in the car on her own.

 

[beanie]

Also i noticed in ours, whoever uses parent/toddler spaces never, ever take their trolly back! There is somewhere for them right in the middle of this area, so you need to walk passed a max of 6 cars, yet they will not walk that far!!! Makes me mad and i'm dying to say something! Hate lazy people. I walk with Angel still strapped in then carry her back so she's not left in the car on her own.

ooh that would be me. But I'd rather be lazy then take a baby and toddler across a busy car park then try and get back safely, and there is no way I am leaving them in the car by themselves. There is a path in between the spaces and I leave it there with the brake on, its not obstructing anyone or a danger to anyones car.

I love the way some people get so het up about m&p spaces, saw a woman giving an elderly woman a mouthful about parking in one (we only have a few m&p spaces in our car parks, and even few disabled spaces) even though she had a blue badge displayed - and this was in front of her children. Lovely. They need to put them away from the store.

 

[LisaJ1986]

Lol. Sorry. We have only about 12 spaces. And it's generally the people with little kids that take their trolly back and the one's with 7 or 8 year olds that don't. It's like an assault course at our supermarket!
We witnessed a really bad row over spaces at Tesco once as one person was waiting but didn't really give the people getting their kids in the car much time. And didn't give them much room to back out. There were threats of beating each other up and calling the police. Dragging the poor thick trolly boys into it. We just giggled and walked off! If there are no spaces i'm not bothered. They're just easier for me as i'm the one that has a tendency to clip the car next to us while i try and get her out.