to leave my baby in the garden to sleep?

[SashaFierce99]

With three older siblings, it's difficult for baby to nap uninterrupted at the weekend/in holidays. She's just over a year old so still needs at least one long or two short naps per day. When her siblings are off we tend to walk/scoot/skate/bike to the park before her nap and she falls asleep in the pushchair on the way home. I then leave her in the front garden in front of the kitchen window and DCs and I paint/bake/draw in the kitchen so she's in sight at all times.

Today we did the above but there was a knock at the door ten minutes after we arrived home. It was a neighbour advising me that it's too cold and too dangerous to leave her unsupervised outside. I explained that I can see her and she's well wrapped up (full body vest, outfit on top plus jumper, double socks and full snow suit and hat) so she's fine but the neighbour kept saying I should take her inside. I politely declined and said I needed to get back to the other DC. She muttered about how I'll end up 'getting reported to someone'...!

AIBU to leave her outside?

I wouldn't leave my baby sleeping in the cold .... How is that good for them?

Yeah I have heard the advice re fog and my mum is a nurse and says the same. I am asthmatic and find the fog isn't great, though saying thst I can't remember the last time we had proper foggy weather, but it makes everything damp so I wouldn't leave baby outside in it for that reason.

Have to say the risk of abduction of my sleeping baby is just not on my radar as something to worry about, I can see them where they are sleeping and we don't have many people just passing by as it's a cul De sac.

I would just teach my older children that sometimes they need to play quietly

Lottie have you not taken your babies out for a walk on a cold day, well wrapped up in a pram?

I'm from the generation of mothers whose babies were put outside to sleep in their prams all through the year. This was when most people had large prams not buggies. the only time your baby wasn't outside was during foggy weather.

Of course I have. But I've never left them outside while I'm sat inside in a warm house.

So he rest of the family are having a riot indoors and the little one is literally left out in the cold.

That really made me laugh. It should win the award for the most over dramatic comment on mumsnet today.

As long as the baby isn't cold within the pram, to me it isn't an issue.

God bless the snowsuit, blankets ,cosytoes, hat and mittens. .

Babies are wrapped up warm and happily sleeping, they are not exactly poor neglected things shivering in their prams in the howling wind, looking through the window how the rest of the family is drinking hot chocolate in front of fire.

"I would no sooner leave a baby in the front garden, than I would leave my bag with purse and phone there"
With respect, that is just daft. For two reasons. In this case the OP said her garden was enclosed. And secondly, the world is full of opportunist purse snatchers. Anyone might be one in the right circumstances. The world is not full of opportunist baby snatchers.

God who would want to steal a baby? Can't imagine anything worse. I remember it being a bit of a thing in the 80s though. That's when people did used to leave their prams outside shops as they didn't fit through the doors.

A quick google shows you can still buy cat nets. As I said before they were common in the 70s 80s, however the internet wasn't Invented so not sure that googling for stories of cats suffocating babies proves anything ;)

It's frequently said on here that social workers HAVE to investigate EVERY SINGLE call they get so not sure why so many people are sure they would take a judgement this time And not follow up?

The OPs child is 1 year old - so not a vulnerable new born
Wrapped up warm leaving a 1 year old in a secure garden where it is sheltered and within eyesight of OP is fine - I did this with my son but usually in a back garden.
the only proviso is that front gardens if on a busy road when it is foggy may not be good for any child prone to asthma/chest problems.

Lottie - you'd best tell all those Scandinavian parents that they are wrong then

Fresh air is good for babies and I'll echo what someone else mentioned - why is a baby sleeping outside in a pram any different to a baby sleeping in a pram on a walk or in the park?

They're both sleeping and they are both outside after all.

Because your leaving your child outside on their own. We are not on Scandinavia

Being scandanavian doesn't make you right about everything either

Lottie they're asleep in a pram, presumably they've gone to sleep because they are warm and comfortable.

As long as they're safe and can be monitored it isn't a problem.

Nobody is leaving their child in the middle of a field miles from home.

We're talking about in a garden next to a window.

And the OPs neighbour said it was too cold to leave the baby outside. Which is rubbish, as plenty of people on here have pointed out.

Do you sit by your baby when it's having a nap in another room then? So it's not on its own?

I would at my parents house in the country, not mine in the city. That would probably end very badly. I've also nipped in shops before with her asleep in car. I see no risk, but obviously others disagree.

Does anyone not think it would before beneficial to teach the older children to respect their sibling while its sleeping?
Wouldn't that be better than leaving a child outside alone( being 'watched' through a window or not)?

I never said Scandinavians are right about everything.

But clearly they are putting their babies outside in cold weather to nap without fearing that the baby will be coming to any harm.

But lottie plenty of people (myself included) put their babies outside, in the pram, to sleep because they feel/felt it was beneficial.

Nothing to do with sibling respecting a sleeping baby!