Leaving baby in car?

Little My

Had our first baby 4 weeks ago and myself and my husband were debating what to do with him if one of us ends up having to get petrol when out with the baby on our own?

It doesn't seem right to leave him locked in a car when you nip in to pay, even if it only takes a second.

So do people generally take their baby in the carseat in with them to the shop? Its just not really something I have thought about, until now, but havent really seen people getting petrol getting babies out of cars to go in and pay.

Moonbeam

I always took her in to the shop with me.

chucken1

Never...ever leave baby in the car alone!

Wibbles19

op, its amazing how you never notice things until your in the situation. I never ever left mine in the car the peace of mind is worth the incovenience. Plus as you get the hang of your new routine the likelyhood of you or your partner having to fill the car up with baby on board will be alot less.

Zambia

I have to keep her car full of petrol so she never has to go for it.

Forward planning if the car goes under half full send hubby one night to fill it.

dark crystal

Once the keys are out of the igntion, the car doors are locked and the car is in view, I don't see a problem.

Personally, I have never seen any parent take a newborn out of the car to pay for petrol and I have never done it myself. It takes a good few minutes to unfasten and take out the carseat and seems pointless, given the short length of time you'll be away from the car.

It's only normal to be vigilant about these things, but logically, there's much more chance of an accident occuring whist driving, than there is whilst popping in to the kiosk to pay for petrol, whilst he car is locked and stationary outside in full view.

If you're that worried, a lot of petrol pumps have the option of paying by credit card at the actual pump, so you don't have to visit the kiosk at all. Perhaps you could use those type of pumps instead?

RoyalMarine

dark crystal wrote: »

Once the keys are out of the igntion, the car doors are locked and the car is in view, I don't see a problem.

Personally, I have never seen any parent take a newborn out of the car to pay for petrol and I have never done it myself. It takes a good few minutes to unfasten and take out the carseat and seems pointless, given the short length of time you'll be away from the car.

It's only normal to be vigilant about these things, but logically, there's much more chance of an accident occuring whist driving, than there is whilst popping in to the kiosk to pay for petrol, whilst he car is locked and stationary outside in full view.

If you're that worried, a lot of petrol pumps have the option of paying by credit card at the actual pump, so you don't have to visit the kiosk at all. Perhaps you could use those type of pumps instead?

I wouldnt leave my kid in the car.

not for the reason i fear someone would take him, but for reasons such as this.

http://articles.centralkynews.com/2011-04-30/amnews/29492321_1_fire-helmet-fire-department-car

also, once i was working in dungarvan, lady was packing her car with her shopping, usual saturday busy carpark etc, and someone reversed out, accelerated hard, and smashed right into the lady's car. the fire brigade had to cut her kids out of the car as it was pushed against a wall.

honestly, it might take a few mins to unbuckle seat belts and all that, but its worth it for peace of mind.

IMO.

Swampy

Woa. As chucken1 said. Never ever. Imagine their head was leaning forward in the car seat and their airway was blocked.... It's thoughts like that that never let me leave them alone. New borns are not worth any risk. Way too fragile IMO.

Rasmus

chucken1 wrote: »

Never...ever leave baby in the car alone!

especially in a petrol station. Why take any kind of risk just to save three minutes?

Zambia

Lets say you slip and fall in the shop, you are knocked for a bit. Ambulance called for you. How long before someone realises there is a bub in the car?

I would never criticise anyone for doing this but it does have its risks.

dark crystal

RoyalMarine wrote: »

I wouldnt leave my kid in the car.

not for the reason i fear someone would take him, but for reasons such as this.

http://articles.centralkynews.com/2011-04-30/amnews/29492321_1_fire-helmet-fire-department-car

also, once i was working in dungarvan, lady was packing her car with her shopping, usual saturday busy carpark etc, and someone reversed out, accelerated hard, and smashed right into the lady's car. the fire brigade had to cut her kids out of the car as it was pushed against a wall.

honestly, it might take a few mins to unbuckle seat belts and all that, but its worth it for peace of mind.

IMO.

I fairness, stories like these are really pretty rare!

If we were afraid of every accident that might happen, we'd never leave the house at all!!

Like I said, there's a much higher chance of accidents happening to moving cars than stationary ones.

Of course I understand new parents being protective - I am a mum four times over myself - but my honest answer to the OP is that I don't see any harm at all in popping in to the kiosk to pay for petrol, whilst the little one sleeps soundly in the locked car for a minute. The chance of anything untoward happening to the baby in that situation is almost negligable, imo.

However OP, if it puts your mind at rest to do so, by all means bring him with you. Speaking personally, I've never brought mine into the kiosk in such situations and they're all still here to tell the tale

Zambia

I would tend to agree in all cases you are doing the best you can. In my scenario above the same thing could happen while your at home. If we live imagining the worst we will do nothing.

wmpdd3

When she was in a the carry car seat, I always took her in. But I started to jump at the chance of getting petrol when I had a passenger and I have 2 'pay at pump' stations near me so I can use them.

I work near a very busy petrol station and the incidents that have happened with kids left in cars are pretty unbelievable but really common. It is usually a problem with kids of about 3 or 4 as they can open their belts or take the hand break off or just get out of the car!!

I just wouldn't dream of leaving a child belong to me or anyone else in the car for a few minutes.

LashingLady

I try to avoid getting petrol when my kids are in the car as much as possible. However it's not always possible, and when I need to it's not possible to bring a 3 year old and a one year old in with me. I park at the pump nearest to the shop or drive closer after putting in the petrol. I always put an amout in that i have in exact cash and then I run in and usually run to the top of the queue and leave the cash on the counter saying that my kids are in the car.

I have to say I find it quite stressful it has to be done. It's for 30 seconds at the most and the kids are in view at all times. For the people who say never ever you've got to think what do single parents do? You have to make decisions based on your situation but I don't think this is the worst thing you can do.

Anyone else from Dublin remember the Dunnes on North Earl St around 25 years ago? The supermarket was in the basement and there used to be loads of babies asleep in buggies at the top of the stairs inside the front door while their mams were downstairs doing their shopping :eek:

LegacyUser

I would leave my kids for a moment if they were safely strapped in & couldn't get out, in my view, and the car was locked. The chances of anything happening them are probably lower than the chances of them having an accident crossing the forecourt. That link is of no relevance to this discussion... it is about a car going on fire when the family were driving. I suppose to be super safe, we should never bring our kids in cars with us (or planes or boats), but normal life gets in the way and I think you have to take tiny risks occasionally for the sake of sanity.

Someone mentioned what if you fell & needed to get an ambulance called, how long would it take to realise there was a baby in the car. Well, if I had a choice of having a serious fall with a baby in my arms, or with my baby in the car, I would definitely choose in the car. The baby would most likely be safe and noticed very quickly. If you have a fall that requires and ambulance, with a baby in your arms, well that could be extremely serious for the baby.

I am always weighing up the risks involved in any activity, and while people assume that leaving your child out of arms reach is highly dangerous, statistically it isn't. The highest rates of admissions to A & E for children are due to lifestyle & diet problems, like diabetes & asthma. Statistically you are probably putting your child at greater risk by giving them an ice cream than leaving them for a moment while you pay for petrol.

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

ted1

Zambia wrote: »

Lets say you slip and fall in the shop, you are knocked for a bit. Ambulance called for you. How long before someone realises there is a bub in the car?

I would never criticise anyone for doing this but it does have its risks.

So you carrying the baby and slip. That's very dangerous ,I'd rather leave her in the car.

zuroph

baby would be fine to leave IMO, strapped in and safe, all those "car on fire" or "crashed into" things are more likely to happen while you're also in the car driving it. IMO baby is more at risk by being taken out of car, into a public area, with little protection around it.
A child is a different matter, they can wriggle free and get up to all sorts of mischief. My sister once stood on the handbrake and almost sent us through a set of sliding doors at a showroom while my mam was inside. luckily 6 year old me managed to pull the handbrake back up in time.

chucken1

I suppose my point would be,you wouldnt leave your bag with wallet etc in the car while you went in to pay for petrol..so it follows that you wouldnt leave the most precious thing you can have,in the car either.:)
Forward planning is the answer.

Zambia

ted1 wrote: »

So you carrying the baby and slip. That's very dangerous ,I'd rather leave her in the car.

It was more just an example of you getting misdirected while away from a locked car with a baby in it only you know about.

You are right chances are it will never happen, as I said in that very same post I would not criticise anyone for doing it.

What would be more likely is the driver getting side tracked for longer than expected and leaving the baby in the car to long.

Remember folks I do live in Oz

On a typical Australian summer day, the
temperature inside a parked car can be as
much as 30-40 degrees hotter than the
outside temperature i.e. on a 30-degree
day the temperature inside the car could
be as high as 70 degrees.
• 75% of the temperature rise occurs within
five minutes of closing the car and leaving
it i.e. on a 36-degree day, within five
minutes the car will have reached 55
degrees.

littlemissfixit

No chance of temperature hazard in Ireland thats for sure

I never left my newborn in car alone, just out of overprotective paranoïa. Then when she was few months old, I think its fine, so long as I can keep an eye on the car at all time. I cant see anymore risks in it than carrying her with me.
And then once she will be able to undo seatbelts and move about, I will take her with me again, as the risks will become greater in the car than walking to the kiosk with me I believe.

Its amazing when you think what people were doing just a couple decades ago, leaving the pushchairs with babies at front door of Dunnes, kids in the car with no seatbelts or car seat...

upinthesky

ahhh here the op said to run in and pay for petrol not do the weekly shopping!

how do you all have baths cook dinner clean your house strap the kids to ye's?

upinthesky

i mean 0-12 months and if they cant get out of there seat when they can id take them with me

Mountainsandh

I leave my kids in, and lock the car. I pick the petrol stations where I know I can park right in front of the door, in full view of the cash register, and I go when there wouldn't be a queue, so I just pop in and out.
If it was a large petrol station and the pump too far or not in view of the pay point, I wouldn't do it, simple.

Like others have said, one doesn't always have the luxury to forward plan. I'm happily married but happen to spend a lot of time on my own with the kids, so sometimes I have no choice, and have to do these things with them.

I've always been more afraid of someone snatching my babies than accidents, somehow. But finding the right petrol station where you can "do the deed" quickly and in full view is the answer (worth driving a bit further to find it !).

edit : actually, I've often thought there was a fantastic entrepreneurial opportunity in that regard : think of all the mums like you and me, who would love to pick their milk, bread, nappies, or other essentials at a drive in "corner shop". When you don't live in town, supermarkets don't always deliver !

Little My

Thanks for all the replies... I think we will try and plan to always fill the car when there are two of us in it, and if it happens I imagine I'd decide on a case by case basis.

If I see there is no queue, if I have the cash with me, and if I can keep the car in view I'd probably chance it, but otherwise not.

catch me if you can

i never left my child in the car even for a minute. always took her into the shop. i would never even leave her in the car asleep with the window open in our garden. I see parents doing this all the time and its beyond me how they can do it.
I fired a childminder who i caught doing this when my little one was 6 months and asleep in her car on a hot day. and she was sat in the kitchen drinking tea. my husband flipped out at her and rightly so and i fired her on the spot. luckily it was only my childs second day in her so called care.

implausible

I would never get anything done if I had to bring the wee buck everywhere! He's 15 months now and is quite happy sitting in his car seat looking around. He doesn't shout if I get out of the car and if he wakes up in it, he doesn't panic. When he gets big enough to "want out" or is able to get out, then I'll take him in with me.

The rule we had when he was smaller was "don't poke the bear", so when he was happy out asleep in the car, there was no way in hell I was going to wake him up to bring him into a shop for 5 minutes! I never park at the pumps (bad manners anyway) and can usually see him from the shop.

Tayla

dark crystal wrote: »

Once the keys are out of the igntion, the car doors are locked and the car is in view, I don't see a problem.

Personally, I have never seen any parent take a newborn out of the car to pay for petrol and I have never done it myself. It takes a good few minutes to unfasten and take out the carseat and seems pointless, given the short length of time you'll be away from the car.

I see it all the time, I just used to bring in the car seat with me and nearly everyone I know with a baby does the same, takes a second to do.

People with Isofix can just click the seat on and off, couldn't be quicker, I don't have isofix but still had a base for my maxi cosi which meant I could click it on and off.

On top of all the other reasons given my people here I wouldn't leave a small baby in the car for any length of time at all because young babies can get sick at any time and I would be worried about them choking.

deemark wrote: »

The rule we had when he was smaller was "don't poke the bear", so when he was happy out asleep in the car, there was no way in hell I was going to wake him up to bring him into a shop for 5 minutes! I never park at the pumps (bad manners anyway) and can usually see him from the shop.

I was walking by a restaurant one day which had parking outside it (on the road)....anyway there was a toddler in it and an upturned infant seat with a tiny baby in it, the poor toddler was trying to turn the seat up the right way around, my dad went into the restaurant to find the parents and it happened to be the parents sitting at the window.........so the could see the car fine but they couldn't actually see what was going on in the car.....

Anyway the mother came out, fixed the seat and went to go back into the restaurant leaving her children in the car once again, my dad literally lost the plot with her and told her he'd ring the guards on her unless she brought them in.

Some people are just disgraceful

implausible

Tayla wrote: »

I was walking by a restaurant one day which had parking outside it (on the road)....anyway there was a toddler in it and an upturned infant seat with a tiny baby in it, the poor toddler was trying to turn the seat up the right way around, my dad went into the restaurant to find the parents and it happened to be the parents sitting at the window.........so the could see the car fine but they couldn't actually see what was going on in the car.....

Anyway the mother came out, fixed the seat and went to go back into the restaurant leaving her children in the car once again, my dad literally lost the plot with her and told her he'd ring the guards on her unless she brought them in.

Some people are just disgraceful

+1

Leaving a toddler and a baby in a car on their own for the length of time it takes the parents to have a meal is disgraceful. I think I would've done the same as your dad. How the hell did the car seat get upside down though?

Tayla

deemark wrote: »

+1

Leaving a toddler and a baby in a car on their own for the length of time it takes the parents to have a meal is disgraceful. I think I would've done the same as your dad. How the hell did the car seat get upside down though?

I have no idea but my heart skipped a beat when I walked by the car, had to do a double take and then I tried to open the door but it was locked (just goes to show that the parents weren't paying too much attention to the car when they didn't seem to notice that there were strangers trying to open it)

I thought the parents must have left the baby strapped in the seat but not strapped into the car and maybe the toddler accidentally knocked it over.

Mountainsandh

That's disgraceful allright, but there is a difference between that and popping in to drop a banknote on the counter of a petrol station when there is no queue. There is no way I would do the restaurant thing, but I do leave them in there for less than a minute when I go throw the money on the counter at the petrol station, and I can clearly see them.

How about when you have to wheel back a trolley after doing the shopping ? Bloody hell, I have abandonned a few in my time when the trolley bay was at the front of the shop and my car was just too far. :mad:
You learn to avoid those spots after a while, just like now I only frequent places with handy toilets (just potty trained #2 !).