As I said - say what you like about the parents, grandparents or whoever, if it makes you feel better about reading of a dog mauling a toddler.

But to say the CHILD was 'trespassing' is RIDICULOUS.

I suggest you look up the definition of trespass.

The dismissive way this poor child's horrific injuries were described as 'a shame but' is, to my mind, heartless.

I've seen more sympathy expressed on here for a small dog that got mauled by a bigger dog.

am i the only person that couldn't care any less about M+C parking?!

I'm pretty indifferent to them - if they're there I'll use them (cos let's face it - a covered space in the pouring rain is nice and they're wide and I'm still crap at parking our new car), if they're filled with works vans and BMWs like usual - so be it - I'll park elsewhere.

But I never take the infant carrier seat out of the car - it's huge, it's heavy and it bruises the living daylights out of my shins (and it's brown and I hate it)... and it's rare I even take a pushchair out with me - so I can manage in a relatively small gap if I have to.

I find the apocalyptic levels of rage some women get into about them utterly amusing though - hubby's under orders to take me to task if I ever start ranting totally randomly at strangers I percieve to have used them incorrectly... someone tried that with me a few weeks ago as I got out of the car - yelling that I didn't have a child with me. I walked around to the other side of the car and proceeded to get the baby out - think I muttered some comment along the lines of "should have gone to specsavers" on that one.

They only started out as a marketing tool and seem to have become enshrined as some fundamental birthright!

What gets me REALLY annoyed while we're ranting is when supermarkets put the P+C spaces nearer the store entrance than the disabled bays!

See I find people who abuse the spaces (such as yourself apparently) thoroughly irritating. When I have two babies to get out I need that extra space both sides of the car to be able to lift my children out of their car seats and lift out a pushchair but there you go. Watch where you do it thoug, plenty of car parks fine if these spaces are misused.

I think you'll find it's more to do with car seat laws requiring we all use these huge car seats and cars in general have become wider over the years to accommodate child seats etc

I'm long past the years of getting little ones out of their car seats, but yes, when you have a babe and toddler or two AND a stroller to get out space is needed. We don't have M&C spaces so that often meant parking at the far end of the lot and finding a double space. Didn't do that once too often and my 34 month old bruiser opened the door on his own and dinted the car beside.

I think it only considerate to have spaces for moms with toddlers . . . and having cared for my own disabled mom and getting her out (with wheelchair) for shopping over the last five years of her life, I wouldn't resent at all the spaces being similarly located. I found the work of it all similar to having a couple of toddlers.



For infants often the seat is taken out with the child in it and fitted into a stroller that is meant for this very thing . . . thus the infant isn't fussed around too much. You can see one here - http://www.squidoo.com/BabyCarSeatStrollers

Ruby