There is always the danger that a parent might start leaving older kids in running cars and the older kid might put a car into gear thereby endangering everyone in the parking lot.

There is also a risk that the running car might stall and the parent could be delayed getting back to their child (maybe an unexpected conversation comes up).

I personally don't feel at all comfortable leaving kids alone in running cars. But that is just me.

When my youngest was an infant and my oldest in preschool, other parents always offered to walk the older one out for me. What's wrong with OP that she can't offer a little human decency?

Anonymous wrote:As the director of a childcare center, I'm not sure I can do anything about it. It's a decision the praent is making, outside the childcare center. If the child who attended the center shows up with bruises, I'm a mandated reporter. If the child doesn't show up with food day in and day out, I'm a mandated reporter.

But if a child who isn't enrolled in my center is doing something outside the center that I can't see or have proof of, then what can Ii do? I guess if I were told this I'd have to speak with a police officer or someone to see what I could do.

Because speaking with the parent saying "you know that's really not safe" isn't going to change her - she knows it's not 100% safe but is playing the odds.

But I sure wouldn't like what was happening!

Why is this not safe? If the climate is OK, the only two risks I see are:

1) someone breaking into the car and kidnapping the child or
2) the child waking up and being scared about being alone.

It seems to me like #1 is very unlikely, assuming the car is locked (if it's not, well then yes, this is absolutely too risky). This is in broad daylight. There are other people around. The parent is gone for only a few minutes. The odds of a car jacking or kidnapping seem very, very low. Walking my child to daycare every day (which entails crossing several intersections) seems more risky to me than this. Life is not 100% safe. It's scary, but I can't dwell on it or I'd drive myself crazy.
I'd be worried about #2, but the parent knows the child better than me and can better the cost/benefit of leaving the child versus waking and taking him/her into the daycare.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I would not say anything about this.

Ask the center director to put out a flyer to all parents that leaving kids in cars is not allowed.

I would not get into specifics, just say that you're pretty sure that you've seen a child left unattended in a car and wanted to make sure that everyone knew that it isn't allowed.

I had a 12:30 pick up at my pre-school. My baby would always fall asleep in the car and nothing I could do, play sing, would keep her up. Other moms had the exact same issue. So what we did was one mom would watch the cars while the other mom picked up her kid. It took about 1.5-2 minutes. When she came back, and while she was buckling up, the other mom would pick up their kid. It was really no problem at all. Nobody called CPS, or the cops, or complained to the pre-school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My friend is a MoCo police officer and also a Dad who has lost a DD to cancer. Parents who do anything that stress or put a child at a preventable risk, including those leave their children in their cars are a particular trigger for him and I promise you if he saw this, this large, fierce looking AA man (totally teddy bear in reality) would have zero sympathy for your excusing yourself for all the reasons stated above for why its OK to do this. He's told us how at least three times when off duty he's come upon kids in cars in Giant parking lots and stands there until parents return and reads them riot act. He has called in once but it mostly breaks his heart that anyone thinks that they are immune from the luck lottery and take the risk. He isn't looking to punish parents (which would punish the kids) but I don't think he'd hesitate if he thought his concerns were dismissed.

Just because your friend is a police officer and a parent himself does NOT give him the right to tell me how to parent. Or...as you imply above....punish me because I dismiss his concerns. That's BS.

Umm except its against the law so he would have EVERY right to do so.

Anonymous wrote:My friend is a MoCo police officer and also a Dad who has lost a DD to cancer. Parents who do anything that stress or put a child at a preventable risk, including those leave their children in their cars are a particular trigger for him and I promise you if he saw this, this large, fierce looking AA man (totally teddy bear in reality) would have zero sympathy for your excusing yourself for all the reasons stated above for why its OK to do this. He's told us how at least three times when off duty he's come upon kids in cars in Giant parking lots and stands there until parents return and reads them riot act. He has called in once but it mostly breaks his heart that anyone thinks that they are immune from the luck lottery and take the risk. He isn't looking to punish parents (which would punish the kids) but I don't think he'd hesitate if he thought his concerns were dismissed.

Driving anywhere with a child where you may get into an auto accident is a preventable risk. Removing them from the car, where there are other moving cars around a parking lot who might hit you, is a preventable risk. Carrying a baby while wrangling a toddler in and out of a building where you may drop the baby, is a preventable risk. You prevent those risks by leaving the baby at home...or in the car. I'm sorry that your friend lost his dd to cancer, but that simply does not equate to leaving a sleeping baby in a climate controlled car. He's letting his personal experience cloud his professional judgment.

Anonymous wrote:Ask the mom iif she wants me to stand by her car for the two minutes she is gone.

This

Anonymous wrote:My friend is a MoCo police officer and also a Dad who has lost a DD to cancer. Parents who do anything that stress or put a child at a preventable risk, including those leave their children in their cars are a particular trigger for him and I promise you if he saw this, this large, fierce looking AA man (totally teddy bear in reality) would have zero sympathy for your excusing yourself for all the reasons stated above for why its OK to do this. He's told us how at least three times when off duty he's come upon kids in cars in Giant parking lots and stands there until parents return and reads them riot act. He has called in once but it mostly breaks his heart that anyone thinks that they are immune from the luck lottery and take the risk. He isn't looking to punish parents (which would punish the kids) but I don't think he'd hesitate if he thought his concerns were dismissed.

Just because your friend is a police officer and a parent himself does NOT give him the right to tell me how to parent. Or...as you imply above....punish me because I dismiss his concerns. That's BS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hell, I called the non-emergency police for a dog sitting in a car in the daycare parking lot. The car was off and it was over 80 degrees outside. I definitely wouldn't myob about a baby left unattended in a car.

I would do the same, but not if the dog was in the car for 2 minutes with the car running.

+1

I would break the window on a really hot day. But sleeping kid in a/c? Nope.

I used to leave my baby in car for preschool drop off. School had its own parking lot. I would walk child a few steps in and to classroom and out. Then when my older child went to elementary, I would leave bigger kid in car while I walked younger child to door. Really no big deal. Car always in sight.

People really need to MYOB.

My friend is a MoCo police officer and also a Dad who has lost a DD to cancer. Parents who do anything that stress or put a child at a preventable risk, including those leave their children in their cars are a particular trigger for him and I promise you if he saw this, this large, fierce looking AA man (totally teddy bear in reality) would have zero sympathy for your excusing yourself for all the reasons stated above for why its OK to do this. He's told us how at least three times when off duty he's come upon kids in cars in Giant parking lots and stands there until parents return and reads them riot act. He has called in once but it mostly breaks his heart that anyone thinks that they are immune from the luck lottery and take the risk. He isn't looking to punish parents (which would punish the kids) but I don't think he'd hesitate if he thought his concerns were dismissed.

Anonymous wrote:As the director of a childcare center, I'm not sure I can do anything about it. It's a decision the praent is making, outside the childcare center. If the child who attended the center shows up with bruises, I'm a mandated reporter. If the child doesn't show up with food day in and day out, I'm a mandated reporter.

But if a child who isn't enrolled in my center is doing something outside the center that I can't see or have proof of, then what can Ii do? I guess if I were told this I'd have to speak with a police officer or someone to see what I could do.

Because speaking with the parent saying "you know that's really not safe" isn't going to change her - she knows it's not 100% safe but is playing the odds.

But I sure wouldn't like what was happening!

So basically you're saying that you wouldn't necessarily be aware of a parent leaving a child in their car during pick up/drop off but if another parent brought it to your attention you would feel obligated to report it to the police, CPS or whatever?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op I don't necessarily think you are trying to get her into trouble but this is something you should let go. I wouldn't let my kid sit like this woman but it's only because I am afraid of other moms doing exactly what you are doing, not because someone might carjack me.

Exactly! I'm more afraid of other moms calling the cops and then me having to deal with CPS than having my car and child stolen. I'm dead serious about that. What does that say about our society?!

Yep. And based on some of the responses in this thread, there are local busybodies who will ruin your life under the guise of "protecting" your child. Your child who is sitting in a running car, with the door locked, sleeping, for two minutes. Way to save the world, meddlers.

Anonymous wrote:Hell, I called the non-emergency police for a dog sitting in a car in the daycare parking lot. The car was off and it was over 80 degrees outside. I definitely wouldn't myob about a baby left unattended in a car.

I would do the same, but not if the dog was in the car for 2 minutes with the car running.