We don't do it, and I've never seen it in a parking space. But our daycare is in a federal building, and there are only 5 spots that daycare parents can use for dropoff/pickup. There's often a line of idling cars waiting for them. So frequently I go in to drop off and Calvin sits in the car in line. Sometimes I get back and he's still idling in line. Other times I find the car in a spot (off and locked, I bring my keys), and he has left to walk to work. Then I move the car to my parking garage a couple blocks away and walk to work.
Post by ellipses84 on Aug 25, 2016 23:08:27 GMT -5
No. Other people do it, and I'm sure it's to keep the car cool in the hot weather. At our old DC, what looked like the dropoff area was actually a fire lane with signs warning a $1,000 fine if you parked there. I was one of the few parents who parked in the further away parking spaces. It was a big center where you had to take the kid to their room, so it was hard to be in and out quickly.
Post by wanderingenough on Aug 25, 2016 23:27:45 GMT -5
No, but I see people doing it all the time. The first few times I assumed there was a spouse or older child inside, and then I realized it's just a thing certain people do.
Considering someone stole the hitch off our bike trailer, and there's no playstructure on the "playground" because someone would steal it, I'm not going to do this in our neighborhood. But if I lived in a bucolic suburb of somewhere with sweltering heat, I might do it in the summer.
When I drive, if there's no other spot, I'll park in the disabled spot at dropoff/pickup, and I'm not the only parent at our daycare who does it. Come at us.
Only like twice in memory, both always at our old town when it was under -20 degrees out. Because come on, that's fucking cold and fuck global warming at that point.
In our. Here t town the winter lows rarely dip below 20 and people left their vehicles running in DD's first parking lot allllll the time. Drove me NUTS. Actually, the haphazard, motor-running in her first daycare here is a reason we moved her.
Post by cricketwife on Aug 26, 2016 0:57:22 GMT -5
So many cars do this at my daycare but I always assumed they were locked. I don't have the kinc of car where I can do that and it be locked so I don't, but to be honest I'm always jealous of the other cars that can. DS always complains how jot his seat is when he gets in.
Considering someone stole the hitch off our bike trailer, and there's no playstructure on the "playground" because someone would steal it, I'm not going to do this in our neighborhood. But if I lived in a bucolic suburb of somewhere with sweltering heat, I might do it in the summer.
When I drive, if there's no other spot, I'll park in the disabled spot at dropoff/pickup, and I'm not the only parent at our daycare who does it. Come at us.
Ok, that is clearly against the law. Inconvenience is not a reason for lawlessness people!
Considering someone stole the hitch off our bike trailer, and there's no playstructure on the "playground" because someone would steal it, I'm not going to do this in our neighborhood. But if I lived in a bucolic suburb of somewhere with sweltering heat, I might do it in the summer.
When I drive, if there's no other spot, I'll park in the disabled spot at dropoff/pickup, and I'm not the only parent at our daycare who does it. Come at us.
You should never park in that space. I don't care if every other parent does it, it doesn't make it right. Do not do this.
Post by jeaniebueller on Aug 26, 2016 5:51:31 GMT -5
At after school care I do regularly in the winter. Usually my car isn't even warmed up from leaving work yet and when temps are freezing and it's blowing snow, etc., I take my chances.
Almost everyone does. Takes about 2 min for me to get in and out.
At daycare I do every day because it's an in home and the door is about 5 feet from where we park.
I'm confused that this is even a thing. It would never ever cross my mind. I don't even really see the benefit. Ok, so the car gets a little hot/cold? Just like when you got into it at home? And walking away from a car with the keys in it seems insane. Maybe that's my urban living talking. What do I know, we walk to daycare most days.
But I do sit in a idling car all the time when my kids are still asleep from a car nap, so clearly I hate the environment.
Post by sierramist03 on Aug 26, 2016 6:56:09 GMT -5
I usually shut my car off and lock it but then use the remote start to turn it on. It helps continue to cool it down while I get dd. My drive from work to daycare isn't very far so the car usually doesn't cool down much and I don't like putting dd into a hot car. I don't do it everyday though
I'm confused that this is even a thing. It would never ever cross my mind. I don't even really see the benefit. Ok, so the car gets a little hot/cold? Just like when you got into it at home? And walking away from a car with the keys in it seems insane. Maybe that's my urban living talking. What do I know, we walk to daycare most days.
But I do sit in a idling car all the time when my kids are still asleep from a car nap, so clearly I hate the environment.
Where do you live? I mean...you know that many areas of the country deal with extreme heat and extreme cold part of the year?
I'm confused that this is even a thing. It would never ever cross my mind. I don't even really see the benefit. Ok, so the car gets a little hot/cold? Just like when you got into it at home? And walking away from a car with the keys in it seems insane. Maybe that's my urban living talking. What do I know, we walk to daycare most days.
But I do sit in a idling car all the time when my kids are still asleep from a car nap, so clearly I hate the environment.
Where do you live? I mean...you know that many areas of the country deal with extreme heat and extreme cold part of the year?
NYC area. But I lived in Minnesota for the first 18 years of my life and also spent 4 years way in upstate NY. I just don't see how getting in the car after a daycare stop is any different than getting In the car in the first place.
I paid attention this morning at drop off and there weren't any cars left running that I saw. I have never done this for drop off.
If DH or I are running in somewhere (not daycare, cause we both aren't there together) and someone is staying in the car with S in the summer though, we totally leave the car running. If she's napping turning the car off would wake her up.
The ppl who park in the handicapped spaces at daycare or anywhere though, those ppl are assholes. You don't know who could need that space, sometimes the people who need them might not LOOK like it to you. It is illegal for a reason.
I left it running once because Biscuit was in the car :-# I actually felt really awkward about it because no one normally does this, but we were headed OOT for the weekend (I was picking up H from work after DC) and home was in the opposite direction.
Post by penguingrrl on Aug 26, 2016 8:29:42 GMT -5
I never did it at his old school because we were out of sight of the parking lot from the second we entered the building and it took a few minutes to gather him and his stuff. I also wouldn't let the girls stay in the car there because the parking lot was out of sight inside the building. I noticed tons of people did, though, even in perfectly mild weather, and it made no sense. Some of them might have been using remote start, others had vehicles that looked too old to assume that. One was always idling with the windows down and purse and phone sitting out, which struck me as just so careless.
At his new school I leave it on for drop off/pick up if the girls are with me, which is only a summer thing because otherwise their school day is longer than his. We park up against a fence, walk to the gate and say hi to the teacher and hand over his stuff and leave. It's less than 30 seconds. But I won't leave the girls sweltering in case it takes me an extra few minutes because the teacher needs to chat or Drew gets sad and I won't make them get out since I'm so close to the car.
I have never done this and don't think I've seen it at our DC.
But if H and I were doing a joint drop off for some reason and had one of us take DD in while the other waited with DS in the car? Of course we would leave it running with the AC on. It would get so hot as to be dangerous very quickly otherwise. And no we are not both going in because the whole point is not to have to drag the baby out of the car.
I do it only when my dog is in the car (he goes to a daycare sometimes too!) and it could get hot. I see other people doing it all the time- so stupid!