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Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months
MrsMommyQ
member
When will you...
MrsMommyQ
member
leave your kid in the car alone, to run into a store?
I was running errands without DD today and marveling at how much more I can get done without her. I started thinking about what age its "ok" to leave your kid in the car if you are only running in for 1 or 2 minutes.
What say you?
This discussion has been closed.
Re: When will you...
DS is almost 13 months and my answer is not for a LONG LONG time...
Umm...never?
Umm 13ish when I child is old enough to draw attention if there was some sort of emergency.
Uggghhhhh I truly hate when I am out on a weekend and I need to run in a store for literally one minute to drop off cleaning or run into mini mart for milk and my son just fell asleep. I have been temped to double park, leave air running and lock car so many times. I will never do it but it is really, really tempting. Shopping centers should have babysitters you can hire to sit in your car for five minute intervals- ha ha. I would totally pay for that service.
I would be afraid my kids would touch something. Like hit the gear with their feet and the car would go rolling away.
When we were kids, my mom used to leave my sisters and I in the car alone all the time- with the motor running. I would stress out that someone would kidnap us and drive away in the car. Oh and my sisters would always jump into the front seat and play pretend driving. I was always afraid they'd accidently put the car in drive and we'd roll away into traffic.
This!
Same here. I actually burnt my finger playing w/ the cigarette lighter while waiting on my mom. Nowadays, she won't be left until she's driving her own car.
Never.
A kiss he will never forget- Disney World 2014
When she's old enough to stay home by herself while I run errands.... so like 14?
Do you live in a small town or rural area? I find that this is a huge cultural difference between rural areas and bigger areas. Where I grew up this is still common practice, but obviously very risky.
I know it is really tempting, though, especially when they are newborns and you know they are going to sleep anyway and taking them out in the rain or snow or whatever is going to wake them up.
DD (5 years old) from IUI in 2012
TTC 3rd and final!: IUI #1 in progress!
This.
It's extremely common practice where I live. Hell, most people don't even lock their cars. They leave them running in this heat obviously, but most of the time its just windows down. I see it particularly at the gas station up town will the big glass windows so you can see out.
Im not sure about other states, but in Texas the legal age is 12.
My mother started leaving me home by myself when I was ten, but she knew what kind of kid I was and that I could handle it.
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12 or 13? It will depend on the kids' personalities, but I would need to know that they understand consequences of messing with things in the car and would be able to call for help if needed.
That being said, my mom did this all the time when we were kids. We were wild children in the car while our parents ran into the grocery store. I started watching my brother and sister after school or when my parents went on overnight trips when I was 11. Even though I was a very responsible kid, I can't see myself allowing this in any circumstance.
this
Although my mom used to leave me in the car when I was like 6, I would never leave LO in the car. Even when she is of legal age to be left there. I know when I was 15 and stayed behind in the car, I was sometimes tempted to drive off lol! I had bad judgement at that age.
I'll always remember one time when I was probably 6 or 7 and mom left me in the car "Just to get a few things." It pissed me off because she took forever and came out with all kinds of bags. I was afraid that something happened to her, but was also afraid to leave the car. Now, I love my mom and all... but how the hell do you leave your young child out in the car for that long without worrying? I remember sometimes bums used to hang out by that store. What if one came and tried to get me? Or who knows what.
Honestly, I get kind of upset when parents say things like "I wish I could just leave them in the car." One you have a kid, the word "convenience" no longer exsists. Either leave them with DH or a responsible sitter... or get the heck over it.
This!!! I bet you there would be SEVERAL teenage kids who would do this for some $$. I'd pay $5 for someone to sit in my car for the 5 minutes I'm running into a store, you figure if they did those 5 minute intervals back to back for an hour, that's 60 minutes of sitting and they made $60 bucks.....wait, *I* want this job, LOL.
Prob this.
Eleanor Noelle - 18/05/12 Claire Elisabeth - 16/-5/10
Probably somewhere around 11-12.
Depends on the personality of the kid though (and where I was) - I was babysitting at 12 years old, but I've known some 12 year olds I wouldn't leave alone at all.
Yeah this. I live in backwoods BFE Missouri and we have plenty of crazy creepers around here. There's been one pair of guys riding around the county in a ford ranger trying to kidnap kids for the past few weeks and they've yet to be caught. I don't let my kids out of my sight.
This.