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I stopped at the gas station today so I could run in for an energy drink. My fussy newborn was finally asleep in the car seat. I knew I'd only be in the store for under five minutes, and had a parking space directly in front of the store. I took him out of the car seat and carried him in with me. I honestly can't imagine leaving him in the car while doing a return at target.

@birdofafeather: I hear you. It's better to stand guard and wait for mom so baby is safe.

I can see leaving your kid in the car for a few minutes, especially if they are sleeping, if you are just running to do something real quick, assuming it's not the heat of summer or the dead of winter or something. But doing a return can take FOREVER depending on how busy the store is that day! I wouldn't do that.

Also, I agree with @birdofafeather: that guy was an asshole trying to shame her into being the kind of parent he thinks she should be. Lame. If you're so concerned, then stick around and watch out for the kid yourself until she comes back. It's not necessary to whip out your phone and film her.

This is something I struggle with every time I take our car out. We live in an urban area with street parking only. We park our car in a garage 4 blocks away. Say I go to target and the grocery store. Despite having the stroller in my trunk I can't carry everything back from the garage safely in the stroller. So I typically park in the fire hydrant spot with my flashers on and run groceries into my small 4 unit building. If I have a lot I leave it in the vestibule (briefly out of sight of LO). If I have high value items or something huge I have to run it up the one flight of stairs.
My only other option would be to unload LO, put her in her crib, unload the car, go get LO , put her back in her car seat, and then finally return the car to the garage.
Sometimes (rarely) I can find close street parking.
Of course I wouldn't leave her out in the car with it unlocked or for more than 2 or 3 minutes but I am scared of someone reporting me. NJ is bonkers with reporting and honestly in today's atmosphere people automatically assume the worst (immediately call the police) instead of just assessing the full situation (watching the car for a few minutes).

Eta: the target thing is an entirely different animal. I mean, sometimes a return can take 15 minutes if the cashier is new or slow or the line is unpredictable

@Littlebit7: Same here. We're on a 4th floor walk up and park our car a 5 minute walk away. I usually schedule errands when DH can help afterwards. But tonight, for example, we want to get some firewood from a nearby gas station. I can either let DH go when he gets home from work at 7:45, cutting into his time with DD. Or I could stop on my way home from daycare. But then what do I do with DD? Leave her in the car out front while I run into the gas station to pay? It's literally just to buy it, not even to bring it inside at home.

I don't think it is ever okay to leave a LO in the car alone. Thought that was a golden rule, even on your property, for a million reasons, least of all in case someone forgets, which I have read on here happens.

@T.H.O.U.: Yup. To me it is a golden rule. We have underground parking, so YES! I am pretty intense with safety, and maybe partly it is different because we live in a city.

Wow, that's crazy...there have been times when I've waited like 20 min to return something at Target!

I will leave LO in our car in our garage (connected to our single family home) with the door to the garage to the house open if I need to run back in and get something. But that's about it. I've been tempted before to leave them in the car (especially when they are sleeping) when I drop off dry cleaning (the parking spot is literally right in front of the door, excellent line of sight) but I always chicken out and just haul both of them out. I figure the ONE time I leave them in there someone's going to report me or somethings going to happen.

Yeah, I am with those of you who said that this guy who made the video (who is not even a parent) is a total jerk.

We can all agree that it was unwise but I don't think we all need to virtually crowd around to point fingers and shame someone. Better things to do.

I am just curious, though, how much of everyone's opinion hinges on the outcome? Meaning, if the child hadn't been fine, would everyone feel the same way?

I do think the guy didn't need to whip out his phone, but at the same time, we're putting cameras on cops, everyone's being watched.

I don't think this was a great parenting decision and it's not one that I would make. I don't see that it's that hard to grab your stroller and throw the bucket seat in it. I'd imagine a return at Target could take about 10 minutes, that would be a little more than I'm comfortable with my child being out of my sight for.

But I do think the guy over reacted and was a serious dick to be filming her. It wasn't hot, it wasn't cold, she was only gone a few minutes and she didn't do anything that's illegal. I see people make parenting choices all the time that I wouldn't do (hello carseats perched precariously on shopping carts) but I don't shame them about their choices.

I don't think it's right this person left their baby in the car but I also do not agree with public shaming. If he cared that much about the child he should have stood by the car or tried to stop the woman.

@Mrs Spoon: so is it also ok to give random parents a "slap in the face" about their legal decisions to circumcise, vaccinate or not, forward face before 2, etc? Why does someone else get to judge what is the "error in her ways" when she's doing something perfectly legal? Every parenting decision is a balance of risks and benefits. Some are more risk averse than others. Just because we disagree doesn't make another decision wrong or worthy of being yelled at and shamed by someone else.

I'm surprised it's legal to leave to leave your child in the car like this.

Hmmm. I generally think that people are way too overprotective about kids in cars alone. Most kids that die in cars alone have parents that left them alone accidentally because they forgot they were in the car. Not kids whose parents have run into the house or a store for a couple minutes.

If the weather is mild and it's a baby sleeping in a car seat that they can't get out of, I see no realistic danger from leaving them alone in the locked car for a few minutes. Especially if you can keep them in sight, like at a gas station.

A return at Target is a bit questionable as it could take more than a few minutes. Don't know how long she was gone. But the guy who yelled at her and recorded it was a complete asshole. If you're worried, check on the baby and if they look fine, just stand by the car for a few minutes to see if the parent shows up. Obviously if the kid looks to be in distress, do what you need to do, but don't jump to reporting people.

I have a friend whose 7 month old baby had been sleeping horribly and she'd just fallen asleep in the car. She had to pick something up at Home Depot. She called ahead and had them pull her item and paid by CC, so all she had to do was walk in, grab her bag and sign the receipt. So she parked in the shade on a mild fall day, locked the car and ran in. Baby was sleeping in a car seat that he couldn't get out of and didn't have any blankets or any suffocation risks within reach. She was gone all of 2-3 minutes. But in that time, someone saw the baby and called the police. Like immediately called the police. She came out and this lady was on the phone with the police and yelling at her and wouldn't let her leave until the police showed up. She thinks the lady saw her check on the baby and shut the door and head inside and instead of calling out to her, she just called the police. They took her baby and wouldn't wait until her husband could get there. Kept the baby overnight and fed the baby formula (she was breastfeeding). It was an absolute nightmare. I truly believe her baby wasn't in any real danger, except from the lady that reported her and the system that pulled the baby from her care.

So I don't leave my baby in the car, more from fear of people reporting me than actual fear over harm for the baby. Which is a sad state of affairs.

@JenGirl: holy shit. That's crazy! What state is that?

I am so sick of people shaming others for parenting choices. Would I leave my child while making a return at Target? No. But this woman doesn't deserve to be publicly shamed for making a different choice where her child was in little to no danger.