Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To leave a five month old sleeping unsupervised on a bed

58 replies

Throwaway2025555 · 28/12/2024 16:10

The situation: a five month old baby is put down for a nap in the middle of a double bed, in a bedroom, and left unsupervised (door closed), but parents check in every so often (realistically every 3-5 minutes or so). The baby is placed in the middle of the bed. The duvet is folded down, away from the baby, a loose blanket is placed on the baby, from chest down. Two pillows are placed on either side of the baby, at the side edges of bed, in case baby rolls off bed.

YABU - this is fine, I would be happy with this situation

YANBU - this isn’t OK, I wouldn’t do this.

OP posts:
SparklingJoyous · 28/12/2024 16:46

Not safe and increased risk of SIDS.

Squeezetheday · 28/12/2024 16:37

Not a chance I would do that, they need to be in a crib or pram. Or just let them nap on you!

Parker231 · 28/12/2024 16:29

No - babies nap in their cot

lightsandtunnels · 28/12/2024 16:28

No from me. If we were at friends or family, I'd let them nap on me or DP if we didn't have the pram with us. Just not worth the risk.

YellowHatt · 28/12/2024 16:25

OldFish · 28/12/2024 16:23

Eek yes I would but without the pillows and blankets! I would've put the pillows on the floor in case they rolled off.

This is what we did but they bumped their head on the headboard wall going down. Plus it’s a still a long way to fall for a tiny baby, even if there are pillows at the landing!

hagchic · 28/12/2024 16:25

Babies and children have this amazing ability to get themselves into unsafe situations in a very short space of time.

One minute they could appear to be fast asleep, the next, you hear a bang and they've managed to fall off the bed, hitting their head on the edge of the bedside table and there's blood everywhere.

It's just safer for them to sleep where you can see them.

OldFish · 28/12/2024 16:23

Eek yes I would but without the pillows and blankets! I would've put the pillows on the floor in case they rolled off.

AhBiscuits · 28/12/2024 16:23

It's a no from me. If we were visiting somewhere I'd let them nap in the pram.

YellowHatt · 28/12/2024 16:23

Nope. This is how we ended up in A&E. Thankfully fine apart from a bumped head but terrifying and I felt awful. Got a bit of a lecture from the dr too.

Elphamouche · 28/12/2024 16:22

This is horrendous!!!

pinksheetss · 28/12/2024 16:22

Not a chance on their own absolutely not

Also probably just as annoying for whoever is checking to do it every 3-5 mins than just be in the room with them anyway...

Dandylione · 28/12/2024 16:21

Checking every three minutes is nonsense why would you leave the room to return (and possibly wake them by coming in and out) every three minutes. Thats 30 checks in a 90 minute nap.

Whoever did this no way were they checking this often.

Esdale · 28/12/2024 16:21

Erm, no. Just put them in a crib with the door open/baby monitor on, and then you can relax instead of going in every 3 minutes to check that they haven't rolled off the bed/suffocated?!

verycloakanddaggers · 28/12/2024 16:20

GogAndMagog · 28/12/2024 16:16

Put the pillows under the sheet and it's ok.

No, this is not safe either. Suffocation risk.

TomatoSandwiches · 28/12/2024 16:19

I did this, not to nap but placed my 5 month old eldest on the middle of the bed from the bath and nipped to the bathroom quickly for something I'd forgotten ans he had rolled off onto the hard wood flooring.

Not worth it, from experience.

SouthLondonMum22 · 28/12/2024 16:18

No. Checking every 5 minutes means you can’t be doing anything else which is why I’d never put a baby to sleep in a bed anyway.

I’d just put baby in their cot.

Livinginadream · 28/12/2024 16:18

realistically every 3-5 minutes or so).

Why would you even want to do that? Sounds really irritating.

I'd transfer baby to cot once asleep.

quoque · 28/12/2024 16:18

DC1 was so astonishingly slow to roll that you could have set them on the mantelpiece for a nap with no qualms.

DC2 could roll from a couple of weeks and could - and did - throw themselves off the side of a king size bed at just a few weeks old, having started off sound asleep in the middle.

So I’d have to err on the side of caution here.

xyz111 · 28/12/2024 16:18

Nope!!!!

Mrsttcno1 · 28/12/2024 16:17

Santaisinbedalready · 28/12/2024 16:15

Even weeks old dc can roll.. At 5 months my dgc was crawling...

This, and even if you’ve not seen them roll yet, there’s always a first! My daughter was rolling really quickly at 5 months as well as using her arms to sort of pull round in a circle, in 5 minutes she could have easily rolled off the bed or got herself wedged under a pillow or duvet.

JadedVeryJaded · 28/12/2024 16:16

Don’t do this. I did it with one of mine thinking they couldn’t roll..and they did. Thankfully onto a thick carpet but it was really upsetting. Please don’t do it.

GogAndMagog · 28/12/2024 16:16

Put the pillows under the sheet and it's ok.

DazedAndConfused321 · 28/12/2024 16:16

Yanbu. Totally unsafe and huge risk of death. Inappropriate mattress, pillows as suffocation risk and being unattended on top of all that.

doodleschnoodle · 28/12/2024 16:16

Seems a bit pointless if you're having to go check every 3 mins anyway. I'd just stick headphones on and watch something on phone or read a book while lying/sitting beside them.

DD2 was crawling at 5 months so she'd have been away Grin

Santaisinbedalready · 28/12/2024 16:15

Even weeks old dc can roll.. At 5 months my dgc was crawling...