As a new mum, I use the parent and child car parking spaces provided by Irish retailers and supermarkets on an almost daily basis.

These spaces are not a mere convenience for most parents or guardians, they are a necessity when getting a baby or small children in and out of car seats, as well as prams, changing bags and of course shopping. All of this is practically impossible to do in a regular sized space, which is why the larger parent & child spaces are so invaluable.  

However, these spaces are not respected by the general public. On a daily basis, drivers with no children on board thoughtlessly park in these spaces often leaving a parent or guardian with a baby or small children in the car left with no option but to park in a regular sized space further away from the door. Shopping with babies and small children is hard enough without having to try and manoeuvre them, their prams, equipment and the shopping in a car in a tiny parking space. 

Many retailers are not enforcing these spaces adequately. I've asked all the major Irish retailers to address this, however they tell me that because these spaces are not a legal requirement there is nothing they can do. In short, it is not a 'legal offence' to park there so they claim to be powerless to do anything constructive.

I believe this is a cop out. Many of these same stores would happily clamp a car that flagrantly parked on its premises all day while the owner took the bus into town for example. So why can they not start to police the parent and child spaces? All it would take is for a few notices to be issued for people to start to get the message.

I feel it’s a lack of will on their part, but as parents we need to stand up and demand action. If every parent voted with their feet and told retailers they would not shop in their stores until they started taking this issue seriously, you can bet they would take note.

So why are you putting up with it? 

Sign this petition and ask the big Irish supermarkets and retailers to do something about it now.

Follow the debate and keep updated on the campaign over on my blog www.themammyblog.ie