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Original poster

Would you leave an exclusively breastfed 7 month old for two nights?

101 replies

ukaway · 19/06/2025 10:46

I booked a weekend away for DP & I a while ago. DD will be 7 months old, she’s breastfed & I’ve only been away from her once for around 12 hours, where I left her with DP and she was fine.

She’s 4 months old at the moment & whilst I’ve been looking forward to it, as it’s getting closer I’m starting to dread being away from her. She’s very cautious around anyone who is not me or DP & often works herself up crying if either of our families even try to interact with her.

I could really do with getting away and I’ve paid quite a bit but the thought of her being unsettled has left me feeling it would be selfish of me to go. We’d be leaving around lunchtime on the Friday & returning on the Sunday afternoon, it’s a 3 hour drive each way.

I’m could change the dates, although I’d have to pay an additional £300 I believe. I’m not even sure if she’d be a bit more settled in 3 months time & on solids too. I think if I knew that she was happy being looked after, I’d be able to relax myself.

Would you go in these circumstances?

OP posts:

Seeline · 19/06/2025 10:48

Will she take a bottle?
I wouldn't rely too much on being on solids - they're often not eating much at 7 months.

housesellin · 19/06/2025 10:49

Mine is 11 months and I’ve not yet left him overnight for my own sanity. He doesn’t settle without boob at night. But now he sleeps through, eats solids and drinks water I would.

Would I have left baby at 7mo? No. But should a mother? Absolutely yes. I’m jealous of those who have the courage to!

Snoodley · 19/06/2025 10:50

Only if they reliably take a bottle and are happy with the person they'd be left with.

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Pomegranatemum · 19/06/2025 10:51

Personally, with my DC, no I definitely wouldn’t go. My DP and I have only had one night away in over 3 years, which was when DC1 was over 2 years old. But I know this would be weird for lots of people! You have to choose what’s right for your family.
But agree with PP - you cannot rely on solids for a 7 month old at all.

rwalker · 19/06/2025 10:52

I’d say yes but you need to start now with odd bottle and getting her used to other people

WhatNoRaisins · 19/06/2025 10:53

I personally wouldn't have at that age. You'd still have to pump and I'd worry that mine wouldn't settle for whoever they were left with.

Original poster

ukaway · 19/06/2025 10:53

She’s always taken a bottle if offered, formula & expressed milk but aware this could change closer to the time.

@SeelineThats a good point, thank you!

OP posts:

Todaystoast · 19/06/2025 10:54

I wouldn't have wanted to at that stage. I wouldn't have enjoyed it. I had two nights away at 18 months and that was right for me. Do you have to decide now? I'd find when the latest time you can switch the booking is and decide nearer the time. Or could you bring baby with you?

THEP0PE · 19/06/2025 10:56

I think you would be better to start with one night. You won’t be able to relax. My dd wouldn’t take a bottle either, it took ages to get her to that point. Sorry OP but that’s my opinion. It’s just not relaxing if you’re worrying about them all the time. I would say 14-18m is a better time to do this, when they can talk a little to express their needs

babystarsandmoon · 19/06/2025 10:57

You’ll have to get her used to bottle feeding now or she will be miserable and unsettled. Plus she may have started weaning by that point.

Radra · 19/06/2025 10:57

No, I wouldn't.

And I don't think it's fair on whoever is looking after her if she gets worked up and cries when someone else looks after her

PurpleChrayn · 19/06/2025 11:00

I wouldn’t.

Cjsguie5 · 19/06/2025 11:01

Honestly, no. Not for such a long time and so far away.

I think you'll either need to rearrange or as PP say, get her very used to spending time apart by building up some hours of separation e.g. start with a night and then 24 hrs, etc.

petsarebetterfriends · 19/06/2025 11:02

I would never have left a child that young.

ExtensivelyDecluttering · 19/06/2025 11:02

I went back to work at 9 months (she was drinking from a cup by then, never took a bottle) and I was leaking and felt like I was going to explode by the time I got home from work and fed her in the early days. So on that basis, if still EBF, no. Whereas DC1 was fully bottle fed by that stage so that wouldn’t have been an issue. Emotionally though I wasn’t ready to leave them overnight till they were about 2.

Restingpotato · 19/06/2025 11:02

In my (completely unprofessional) opinion you’ll need to reliably keep up giving her a bottle as they can start to refuse a bottle if it’s just the occasional one. It sounds like she isn’t exclusively bf if she’s had some bottles of formula. You’ll need to take your pump with you if you’re still feeding by then, for comfort. It’s possible if she’s on a bottle all weekend then she may go on a nursing strike when you’re back and it could be the end of breastfeeding, or it could all go fine and you’ll have a great time, come back refreshed and everything will be normal. It’s pretty hard to predict!

Pinty · 19/06/2025 11:06

No I wouldn't go, it will be an extremely stressful time for the baby and for the person looking after her. Also at 7 months she will still begetting most of her calories from milk. It takes a long time for the balance to tip at 7 months the amount of solids she will actually be eating will be minimal

Fupoffyagrasshole · 19/06/2025 11:06

no i wouldn't! i left mine at 12 months and he was a bottle refuser - it wasn't great tbh - i was gone 2 nights and my husband had 2 awful nights and I felt awful about it!

But here I am literally a month later and he's pretty much having 1 feed and I can totally leave him now no bother! haha

Things change so quickly this age - id give yourself another few months if you can change the date

Nannyfannybanny · 19/06/2025 11:08

slightly different circumstances but I had to return to work nights,bf,my youngest ds for 14 months. There was no pumps then, I expressed by hand, and left breast milk for DH. Course I was there in the day though. But you will have to get baby used to someone else feeding and taking breast milk from the bottle.

Original poster

ukaway · 19/06/2025 11:09

Todaystoast · 19/06/2025 10:54

The latest I can change the dates is 8 weeks prior to arrival so I do have a few weeks to decide.

I could bring the baby. There’s a spa on site but we could definitely take turns going. The plan was to walk & explore the local village in the day & relax of an evening with nice dinners in the lodge. There’s a hot tub too but Mumsnet hates those

I presume the baby will still be having a few naps a day at that point, so would still have time to relax hopefully.

However I also have a stepson aged 5. The lodge allows two adults & one infant but if we were to bring DSS I’d have to speak to them about changing accommodation which I’m not sure I’ll be able to afford.

OP posts:

TwelvePercent · 19/06/2025 11:12

I wouldn't have in my situation because neither of mine would take a bottle.

I think we finally went away for a weekend when the youngest was about 2.

raysan · 19/06/2025 11:12

Exclusively BF? Don't think you could.
Mixed? Yes, I did, and I never recovered milk production capacity, tho did continue mixed feeding till around 24 months.

When you're away you dont want to spend as long pumping as you would've spent feeding.

sleepandcoffee · 19/06/2025 11:12

I wouldnt be able to leave but I know plenty of people that would without hesitation . I know that at that age no one would of been able to settle either pf my children . My youngest is nearly 2 and I know he still wouldn’t be able to be left with out a parent but it does depend on the child

Peacepleaselouise · 19/06/2025 11:14

I did for for 24 hours at 4months old, 7months and 12months (different children). All breastfed but would take a bottle. The one at 4months was with my husband but the other two were grandparents.
My personal situation was that I rarely left my children as was a SAHM at the time and I was really anxious about doing it but my DH talked me into it. Looking back Im really glad I did and my anxiety was more about feeling it made me a bad mother somehow rather than anything negative as a result of the children. They were happy and well taken care of by people who loved them. They continued feeding until 16months when I chose to stop so no impact on breastfeeding at all - I did express milk whilst I was away (pumped and dumped for ease) and would have to, to avoid mastitis but I always had a generous supply! Others may not need to.

Original poster

ukaway · 19/06/2025 11:16

@RestingpotatoShe had one bottle of ready made kendamil last month when I was out for 12 hours as I didn’t feel comfortable feeding her the next morning after having had a few wines (and the expressed milk had ran out) but completely understand what you mean! I suppose she’s mainly breastfed as in she doesn’t have a bottle day to day, but has taken one when necessary. DP was giving a bottle of expressed milk a day for a few days when she was tiny so I could catch up on sleep but other than that it’s only been when I was out on a hendo.

id also be worried about a dip in my supply being away for that long. I would hate for it to be the end of our breastfeeding journey.

OP posts:

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