This idea is inspired by the inflatable "friends" used in the US by lonely people wanting to use the multiple-occupancy lanes on Motorways (or perhaps selfish people wanting to avoid congestion)
It's simply a fake baby seat (possibly inflatable) for your car, allowing you to park in the Mother & Baby spaces at your local supermarket and appear to be entitled to.
Of course, as you leave and return to your car the lack of a baby will become obvious, but you'll just have to pretend the other parent has the baby today and you parked there "out of habit."
There would have to be very large "NOT A REAL BABY SEAT!" and "DO NOT USE AS AN INFANT CARRIER" all over the instruction manual, to make sure some idiot doesn't get it confused with a real one.
Just as with the inflatable dummies for HOV lanes, this is a very anti-social idea. Just thought I'd share!-- the_knights_of_ni, Jul 19 2004 Inflatable child seat http://www.rbfab.co...ponder-products.cfmIt's a child seat you can inflate. [oneoffdave, Oct 04 2004] Do you not need a window sticker to park in those spaces?-- MikeOliver, Jul 19 2004 Not over here. Perhaps this would only work in the UK!-- the_knights_of_ni, Jul 19 2004 Pack an inflatable wheelchair and you might get that little bit closer. Here's that fishbone you've been waiting for.-- st3f, Jul 19 2004 Inflatable wheelchair? Sounds like an idea on its own... not for getting parking spaces of course, that would be irresponsible!-- the_knights_of_ni, Jul 19 2004 [oneoffdave] I suppose the assumption is that children are unlikely to be smokers so there's no danger of rapid deflation.-- the_knights_of_ni, Jul 19 2004 It's primarily meant for law enforcement and emergency services personnel so I think smoking is a low risk.-- oneoffdave, Jul 19 2004 It's to do with the rise in juevenile crime in the UK. They have got steps so that kids in the dock can see the proceedings in court too.-- oneoffdave, Jul 19 2004 I might just have to go and bake "Tow all those childless idiots who park in the parent and baby spaces while I try to lift two year old screamer out of back door which I can only open five inches" along with "Tow and crush all cars without disabled stickers taking up the disabled bays while my mum with rheumatoid arthritis has to park five streets away from the shops". Or maybe I'll just buy a tow-truck ;-)-- wagster, Jul 19 2004 I don't get this. Why not just put a real baby seat in your car? Why is the "fake" one "fake"? Just because there's no baby in it?-- lostdog, Jul 19 2004 [lostdog] Primarily for cost - a real car seat is fairly pricey because it needs to be high spec and safety tested.
[oneoffdave] That is very scary, are you having us on? But I find the idea of a police car racing along residential street at high speeds with a "Baby on Board" sign swinging manically in the back suitably pythonesque :-)
Do they have high chairs for when the child is in the dock?-- the_knights_of_ni, Jul 19 2004 [knights], it would be much easier to go out and have a baby . . . and then, you would be able to use those spaces. Better still, get yourself into a horribly disfiguring accident so you can use the handicap spots. No, really . . . go get yourself into a horribly disfiguring accident. [-]-- contracts, Jul 19 2004 [contracts] "it would be much easier to go out and have a baby"
Don't know why I get this feeling, but I'm guessing you're male.-- the_knights_of_ni, Jul 20 2004 I'm only partly kidding. The seat is intented for the instance where a parent is taken into custody and the child has to be transported to the police station at the same time as there is no alternative carer.-- oneoffdave, Jul 20 2004 I think anybody who wants to post things that are knowingly deceptive should be forced to post in a special section called "The real Halfbakery " -But really it isn't and nobody else would read it - That would teach them to be honest !!!!-- tasman, Jul 20 2004 This is it. This is the real bakery. The real world.-- neelandan, Jul 20 2004 OK then I suppose it would be also OK for the real world drivers to carry fake "Mother & Baby" or "Disabled" signs to put over the real ones thus preventing able bodied, childless drivers their rightful parking spaces.-- tasman, Jul 20 2004 Even having a fake seat like this wouldn't get you a parking space. I've never seen an empty space when I've been looking. We always have to park further away.-- WYBloke, Jul 20 2004 I'm with the [Wagster] on this one. My next vehicle will be http://www.brickset.com/search.aspx?Set=6423-1 or something like it.... Might I suggest that you just turn on your hazards and pull up anywhere you like and do your shopping. Thats what most of the [tkoNi] do round where I live. Grrrr..-- PainOCommonSense, Jul 20 2004 random, halfbakery