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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To run to the post box while the baby was sleeping??

78 replies

susieshrinking · 04/03/2011 00:37

I live in a culdisac... The postbox is at the top of the culdisac plus about 4 houses (semi's, So 2 full size houses)

Today my baby (5 months) was fast asleep in her cot, and I had a pile of post (insurance, birth certificate for passport etc) that had to be sent off, so shut (bit didn't lock) the door and ran to the postbox and back. I was 2 minutes.

To wake her up and get to the box for last post would have been ridiculous??

DH went mad when I mentioned this when he got in... I reason that it's the same as having a huge garden and leaving your baby asleep while gardening.

He's very annoyed. Spare room annoyed.

AIBU? Or rather... WIBU to have done this???

OP posts:
LilQueenie · 04/03/2011 00:41

could you not have posted the next day?

madhattershouse · 04/03/2011 00:41

YANBU...however if you do this always take key in case door closes behind you. It's not like you had naffed off for a drink or anything!

Original poster
susieshrinking · 04/03/2011 00:43

LilQueenie... Some yes, but one was a birthday card... I really thought it would be fine!

OP posts:
Morloth · 04/03/2011 00:45

Sounds fine to me, as long as you had your keys.

I often stand at the bottom of my drive chatting to the neighbour when the baby is napping, we are on a 1/2 acre here.

MavisEnderby · 04/03/2011 01:01

Oh ffs no you are not.I m a newish lp(dp died) and the other night i popped to shops for milk.I ran.Ususally I ask one or other of my neighbours to babysit but they were both away.The shop is 5 mins away.I felt so guilty,but it was all ok.

howlonguntiltheweekend · 04/03/2011 01:04

No, YANBU at all in my opinion.

LilQueenie · 04/03/2011 01:05

Im not sure on this tbh. Why bother with baby intercoms if you are going to run out the house? I just dont get it.

TwoIfBySea · 04/03/2011 01:06

YANBU, you are simply feeling the guilt laid upon mothers by the molly-coddling sticky beak crowd who would shop you to the social services before looking at the imperfections in their own lives.

Taking two minutes to run to the post box. Well, you weren't available for two whole minutes. Wow, how could a dc survive!

Don't sweat it and trust your instincts.

MrsRhettButler · 04/03/2011 01:06

the only thing is, had something happened to you i.e heart attack, run over by car, spontaneous combustion etc would people have known the baby was in the house alone?

i used to go to the shops over the road and leave dd sleeping but my downstairs neighbour would watch me out of his window and so i felt safe in the knowledge that had i got run over someone would know dd was alone and could call dp

i have ran to the shops once last yr when she was 5 but i felt terrible the whole time

in your case i dont think yabu

Morloth · 04/03/2011 01:07

I don't bother with baby intercoms, he yells when he wants us.

Sometimes I am out of earshot, so he yells for a bit and then I go get him when I am in earshot. Neither of my DSs appear traumatised by this, but I am confident I can afford the therapy.

MavisEnderby · 04/03/2011 01:07

Easy to say lil.She was mins away.

coinoperatedgirl · 04/03/2011 01:20

YANBU, I don't get this whole, "house will combust, you will be struck down by God" doodah if you leave your sleeping children alone for a few minutes.

Lets face it any one of my children could vomit and choke on it in their sleep, if I was downstairs or asleep I would be unaware.

You cannot control life just by being constantly present, unless you constantly run from room to room observing your child.

TheSkiingGardener · 04/03/2011 02:45

YANBU, especially because you knew you should be quick. Nobody wants to be out of earshot of their DC's for long at that age and you weren't. Yes, you could have keeled over, but at least then somebOdy would notice. They wouldn't notice if you keeled over in the house would they?

Don't understand why your DH is so upset by it.

rightpissedoff · 04/03/2011 02:52

No, it's fine, yanbu, and very normal indeed.

Wry smile at: "I left but I felt terrible the whole time".

This has to stop. Guilt should not be the default mode of the mum.

If you were going to die of a heart attack, it's better to do it on the way to the post box; because if it was in the house, it could be hours before anyone knew about it. Whereas this way there's a good chance the neighbours will clock on. Similarly if you spontaneously combust I would recommend doing this outside the house too, or the house will burn down with the children inside. Also if you were going to be run over by a car it would be a good idea not to have your baby in your arms. Actually you're probably BU to stay in the house at all. Much safer to be out and about.

Cease, desist from this terrible pernicious guilt. Yanbu.

veritythebrave · 04/03/2011 03:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Livinginoz · 04/03/2011 04:24

We had the same thing when we moved over here and into an apartment. I would wait until DS had his nap, then go down the 3 flights of stairs to do the washing/peg it on the line. DH found out and was furious! And I had lied and said I took the monitor!

He soon changed his tune when he became a SAHD and realise there is no other way! Is this an option! Wink

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 04/03/2011 06:23

Personally I think YANBU.

But, I wouldn't make a habit of it, in case you have a nosey bored neighbour who reported you to SS who might over-react,.

aPixieMomma · 04/03/2011 07:16

Sometimes, needs must. I live in a lower ground floor flat and have to go up two flights of stairs and out the building to put the rubbish out.

I wait until both babies are napping then run up with the rubbish.

Dp works away Monday to Friday so if I didn't leave them alone for this 2 minute trip, I would have stinking rubbish bags sat in my kitchen all week. [boak]

pommedeterre · 04/03/2011 07:30

I was going to say same as putting the bins out aPixieMomma. Same as going to the garage really too. I am paranoid about having key with me!

EricNorthmansMistress · 04/03/2011 07:33

YANBU

Honeybee79 · 04/03/2011 08:44

YANBU.

Have popped to corner shop for milk before. Took me 5 mins.

Flisspaps · 04/03/2011 08:59

I must the the only MNer who thinks YWBU Confused

squeakytoy · 04/03/2011 09:00

the only thing is, had something happened to you i.e heart attack, run over by car, spontaneous combustion etc would people have known the baby was in the house alone?

you could have a heart attack in your own home, and the baby would still be alone in the house..

Deciduousblonde · 04/03/2011 09:34

No you aren't being unreasonable.

My mother left me outside Co-Op in the pram and walked home..forgetting she had just had a baby.

I was fine :)

CharlotteBronteSaurus · 04/03/2011 09:40

i wouldn't
dd1's nursery is 10 houses down from us.
dd2 always comes, even if this means waking her from a nap.
i know there is the same chance of a freak accident happening to me in the home rather than out of it, but i'd rather not be explaining this statistical analysis to an over eager social worker in the event that one of those freak occurrences did happen.

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