Leaving Infant in the car.....

[minniebride]

Today when I was shopping, I saw a woman run into the pizza place we were eating at to pick up take out. She was parked right up front, steps from the store. I noticed her child still buckled in the carseat in the car-the child was sleeping. The lady was gone from her car all of 5 minutes to pick up her food.

I am a new mom and I am so paranoid about leaving my baby even for a minute so I can use the bathroom & I bring my video monitor with me!!

Is it typical for people to do what this mom did?

 

[design_mom]

There have been several threads of this nature during my time on the DIS, and general consensus is that some people would. Some people would not. Some people would call the police if they saw someone else do it.

I don't think it's "typical behavior," but I also don't think taking the video monitor in while you pee to monitor a newborn is "typical behavior" either... but everyone does what they feel comfortable with.

As for whether or not I'd do it, probably not. But if I knew I'd only be a few minutes, could see the car/child from where I'd be and could leave immediately if my child needed me (all of which sound possible in the scenario you mentioned), I might. I would always lock the car and turn the motor off though.

 

[Princess on the Run]

I would not leave a child in the car unattended for any length of time. The most I do is get out to pump gas and my kids are significantly older than an infant. I don't even go into a gas station to pay with the kids left in the car (I pay at the pump only). I found out a former nanny left my 2 younger kids in the car while parked in a fire lane to take my oldest into preschool (this was a few years ago) and I fired her because I consider that totally unacceptable.

 

[HM]

My son is 19 now. I did that once that i remember when he was a baby. Same thing...take out. I stood next to the window while they got my order ready to go and watched him. Not typical behavior for me, but I did do it.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Didn't ever do that with either of ours. Just recently started to leave the 12 year old in the car in charge of the 7 year old under those circumstances. Still won't for a trip inside where they'd be out of view.

 

[westjones]

I had twins and it was a big hassle deal to get them in and out of the car. So I usually ran my errands at night when DH was home. I did one time stop at a yard sale to look at something and they were in the car (toddlers at the time, so sitting up) and I left them in the car with the windows down just a few yards from where I was at (parked on the street, and I was on the driveway looking at something). Some woman came over to the car poked her head in and starting saying poor babies! (It wasn't hot that day either, and I was only on the drive way for about a minute before she did that). When I saw her do that, I went right back to the car and left with my twins. I never did that again.

 

[MIGrandma]

When I was a child it was common for parents to leave their kids in the car to run inside a store, post office, bank, etc.

But nowdays, not so much. I would never leave an infant in the car while I ran inside to pick up a pizza. I would either leave the baby home with Dad or another relative, friend, etc. or I would go to a drive-up window to pick up fast food, or I would cook at home. I just wouldn't feel comfortable leaving a baby alone in a car, even for a minute. But, I wouldn't call the police if I saw someone else do it.

 

[scrapquitler]

Today when I was shopping, I saw a woman run into the pizza place we were eating at to pick up take out. She was parked right up front, steps from the store. I noticed her child still buckled in the carseat in the car-the child was sleeping. The lady was gone from her car all of 5 minutes to pick up her food.

I am a new mom and I am so paranoid about leaving my baby even for a minute so I can use the bathroom & I bring my video monitor with me!!

Is it typical for people to do what this mom did?

Personally, I would NOT do it. In many places it is, in fact, illegal to do so. It is illegal here in CT to leave a child unattended in a car. Last Friday, in Hartford CT, a Dad left his two year old son in the car with the car running while Dad ran into the convenience store. He was out of the car less than two minutes, when the car was stolen with the child in it. An amber alert was issued and the child was found safe several hours later. The guy who stole the car was high at the time, and left the child with a friend of his in a not-so nearby town and then went to the Civic Center for a holiday concert, where he was apprehended. Since then, the guy has told the police he stole the car to teach the parents a lesson that they shouldn't leave the baby in the car. Nobody knows if he really thought that or not, but it's an interesting defense argument (LOL). But can you imagine being the parent of the child while they were searching for him? I would NEVER want to be in that position of having that worry and fear, not knowing where your child was.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Personally, I would NOT do it. In many places it is, in fact, illegal to do so. It is illegal here in CT to leave a child unattended in a car. Last Friday, in Hartford CT, a Dad left his two year old son in the car with the car running while Dad ran into the convenience store. He was out of the car less than two minutes, when the car was stolen with the child in it. An amber alert was issued and the child was found safe several hours later. The guy who stole the car was high at the time, and left the child with a friend of his in a not-so nearby town and then went to the Civic Center for a holiday concert, where he was apprehended. Since then, the guy has told the police he stole the car to teach the parents a lesson that they shouldn't leave the baby in the car. Nobody knows if he really thought that or not, but it's an interesting defense argument (LOL). But can you imagine being the parent of the child while they were searching for him? I would NEVER want to be in that position of having that worry and fear, not knowing where your child was.

It's illegal here as well. We had an incident where small kids left alone in a van knocked it out of gear. The van rolled down the hill, over a park bench, and ended up in the Missouri River. The kids in the van were saved, but a toddler on the park bench was killed and his mother severely injured

 

[momof1princess]

i will admit, when DD15 was a baby, she ALWAYS fell asleep in the car, and i did this a couple of times, just to run in a store and get something real fast; however, if i had a baby now, i definitely wouldn't, and i cringe when i think about the one or two times i did it. if something had happened to her, i never would've forgiven myself.

 

[crz4mm2]

I have done it. Would probably do it again, but my kids are grown.

 

[goodeats]

I do it at the ATM and the Dry Cleaner. I'm in view of the car, literally steps away the whole time, and don't do it in hot/sunny conditions. I do feel it's safe, and it is legal here, but I generally refrain because of nosy bodies.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I do it at the ATM and the Dry Cleaner. I'm in view of the car, literally steps away the whole time, and don't do it in hot/sunny conditions. I do feel it's safe, and it is legal here, but I generally refrain because of nosy bodies.

You have to get out to use the ATM? That stinks. They are all drive up here.

 

[HelenePA]

I have done it. Would probably do it again, but my kids are grown.

I do it all the time to get cash out of the ATM with my 4 yr old, when I need to run in for milk at a gas station he also stays, yeah I do it a lot. After 4 you're not to paranoid about these kinds of things.

eta no drive up atm at my bank either..

 

[luvmy3]

In certain circumstances I've done it, and I'd do it again.

 

[shoney]

There have been several threads of this nature during my time on the DIS, and general consensus is that some people would. Some people would not. Some people would call the police if they saw someone else do it.

I don't think it's "typical behavior," but I also don't think taking the video monitor in while you pee to monitor a newborn is "typical behavior" either... but everyone does what they feel comfortable with.

As for whether or not I'd do it, probably not. But if I knew I'd only be a few minutes, could see the car/child from where I'd be and could leave immediately if my child needed me (all of which sound possible in the scenario you mentioned), I might. I would always lock the car and turn the motor off though.

Well said!

If parenting has taught me one thing, it is to not be so judgemental of other parents.

I know I've had wonderful days and some pretty crappy ones. My kids have had good days and bad. I've had compliments on their behavior and glaring looks on other days.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

A guy just did that here in CT last week, ran into the store to grab chips and a drink and his car and child were gone.
Thankfully the thief brought the baby to a friends house and the friend took him to the police station.

I never left my kids in the car, I will now if DS16 is with them but he locks the doors as soon as I shut my door. I won't even leave them in the driveway if I need to run back in the house for something.

ETA: I did rip apart a lady once for leaving her kids in the car with it on to run into our local Starbucks. The kids were sleeping was her reason for leaving them. Wanna know the kicker? The Starbucks had a flippin' drive-thru!!

 

[luvmy3]

A guy just did that here in CT last week, ran into the store to grab chips and a drink and his car and child were gone.
Thankfully the thief brought the baby to a friends house and the friend took him to the police station.

I never left my kids in the car, I will now if DS16 is with them but he locks the doors as soon as I shut my door. I won't even leave them in the driveway if I need to run back in the house for something.

ETA: I did rip apart a lady once for leaving her kids in the car with it on to run into our local Starbucks. The kids were sleeping was her reason for leaving them. Wanna know the kicker? The Starbucks had a flippin' drive-thru!!

So you moderate parking lots too

 

[mjkacmom]

I'm sure I've done it before, in a similar circumstance (car in my vision, locked, quick in and out). However, I've never felt the need to monitor my kids while peeing. Honestly, I don't get how new parents can't shower. Put the baby in the crib - worst case scenario is the baby cries a bit. I'm glad I had my twins last - I don't even think I owned a baby monitor by that point!

I probably put my kids in more harm's way dragging them through parking lots when they were little!

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

So you moderate parking lots too

LOL yep!!! I'm a hard core moderator!