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My children were babies in a hot climate and a big city. I didn't even leave them in the car in my own drive way. But now living in a cold climate (and a safe small city) I wonder...
I was sitting in a grocery store parking lot waiting for someone. It was about 20 degrees, breezy and snowing. I noticed a woman speed walking towards me with a couple plastic grocery bags...10 items or less. She unlocked the car next to me, opened the back door (closest to me) and there was an infant carseat/carrier in there. And I thought there was no way a baby was in it. Then this little fist shot up in the air. All I saw was the fist, and the woman obviously checking on the baby. Just from the fist, the baby looked quite small...well under 3 months. There was no one else in the car.
At first I couldn't believe it, really. Who does that? Then I thought, maybe in cold climates people might do that time to time? I mean, bringing a newborn out in this weather wouldn't be ideal. But I couldn't have ever done it because my mind would go into crazy lady mode thinking of all the things that could potentially happen (no matter how far fetched).
So would you ever leave a baby in a car, even for 10 minutes under these conditions? I know when I was a kid, we were left in the car a lot, but I think it was just another time. There weren't functional car seats and people drove and breast fed at the same time...so very much a different time.
Oh, dear lord, not this again. Brace yourself for some rabid responses because people are not always rational about this question.
To speak for myself, no, I never left my infant in a car while I bought groceries. However, I did leave my infant in the car while I got cash from an ATM, paid for gas, and returned a shopping cart to the corral. There are people who see child abuse and deadly potential in all of those scenarios. There are people who actually believe it is safer to carry your infant through the parking lot while you return the cart. There are people who believe that it not only possible but even likely that a stranger will smash your car window and steal your infant while you are 8 feet away using an ATM. There are people who believe that it is dangerous and risky parenting to leave anyone under 18 alone in a car for any length of time.
My own sister was scared to turn her back on a grocery cart while her son was sitting in it in the supermarket, because someone might sneak up behind her and snatch him. As I said, not always rational.
I have never lived where it gets cold, so I can't address that question at all.
Oh, dear lord, not this again. Brace yourself for some rabid responses because people are not always rational about this question.
To speak for myself, no, I never left my infant in a car while I bought groceries. However, I did leave my infant in the car while I got cash from an ATM, paid for gas, and returned a shopping cart to the corral. There are people who see child abuse and deadly potential in all of those scenarios. There are people who actually believe it is safer to carry your infant through the parking lot while you return the cart. There are people who believe that it not only possible but even likely that a stranger will smash your car window and steal your infant while you are 8 feet away using an ATM. There are people who believe that it is dangerous and risky parenting to leave anyone under 18 alone in a car for any length of time.
My own sister was scared to turn her back on a grocery cart while her son was sitting in it in the supermarket, because someone might sneak up behind her and snatch him. As I said, not always rational.
I have never lived where it gets cold, so I can't address that question at all.
LOL I never returned the carts when I had infants or even toddlers. I know, I am the devil.
P.s> never saw this type of post before, sorry if I am beating a dead horse. I am trying to acclimate to a new part of the world.
I don't know, I've only ever been a parent in the deep south where it's a REALLY bad idea to do something like that. ATM or returning a cart is okay, but 10 minutes can get rather hot, even in the colder months. It was 80 degrees outside just two weeks ago here.
I was left in the car tons of times and I survived. In cold Germany. Use common sense. The car is heated up and if you are in the store for a few minutes, what is the point of opening the back door, letting the cold air in, get the child out, maybe unfold the stroller, drag it through the cold, into the warm store, it overheats, back in the cold, wind, then back into the car, door open for a while, take it out of jacket ...
A lot of people leave the baby in the car with the engine running, while they go in to pick up dry cleaning or pay for gas or other very quick errands. Sometimes the car gets stolen with the baby in it, because the thief didn't realize there was a baby in the car. It doesn't happen that often but at least once a year I hear about it happening where I live or in a city nearby.
A lot of people leave the baby in the car with the engine running, while they go in to pick up dry cleaning or pay for gas or other very quick errands. Sometimes the car gets stolen with the baby in it, because the thief didn't realize there was a baby in the car. It doesn't happen that often but at least once a year I hear about it happening where I live or in a city nearby.
Wow, around my area, I bet that cars being stolen with a baby inside happens once every couple of weeks in the winter. It happens so often that it does not usually make the evening news unless something happens like the car is missing for hours or the car is involved in an accident. Usually the car thief notices the baby when they are only a block or two away and the abandon the car.
P.s> never saw this type of post before, sorry if I am beating a dead horse. I am trying to acclimate to a new part of the world.
No problem! I just remember an old thread that went on and on over this topic...everything from the people who laid out in great detail which situations made it OK to leave a child in the car briefly and when it was absolutely not okay (I tend to fall in to this category ) to those posters who pop in, write "It's illegal to leave a child in the car. I would never do it" and then pop out without specifying where they live, the ages at which it is illegal, and what qualifies as "leaving a child in the car" (is it okay to get out and pump gas?)
I personally think there are some gray areas, but one thing that is absolutely not ever okay is to leave a child in the car while the car is running. In fact, it's always stupid to walk away from your car while it is running. Very few people want to kidnap your baby, but lots of people want to steal your car.
Nope, I was totally paranoid. Even when I stopped at the mail kiosk, I would leave the doors wide open so that if I slipped and fell or had a heart attack and dropped dead, someone would see the car with the door open and hear my kid crying and come over to help. Once he was able to get out of the car seat and open the door on his own, I calmed down a bit.
But I never left him in the car while I went shopping - not sure if it's true in my area or not, or not but one of his daycares had a big sign up saying that it was illegal to leave a child unattended in the car. I only have the one kid so less of an issue but I still never left him in the car to run an errand, until very recently (he's now 12). I actually still don't like to do that, because he looks young for his age and I worry that some busybody could call the cops even though he's perfectly fine and pleads to be allowed to stay in the car.
Also agree that I've heard many, many instances of running vehicles being stolen with a child/baby inside - it happened recently to someone in my neighborhood, out of her own garage! Thankfully, as is often the case, the thief abandoned the vehicle as soon as they realized there was a baby in it, not too far from the house.
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) to those posters who pop in, write "It's illegal to leave a child in the car. I would never do it" and then pop out without specifying where they live, the ages at which it is illegal, and what qualifies as "leaving a child in the car" (is it okay to get out and pump gas?) 
