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AIBU?

Leaving baby asleep with...

118 replies

0hCrepe · 14/03/2017 08:51

There have been a few situations where I've had to wake the baby to pop out for something and it has felt like it would be so easy to leave her. For example I pick ds up from school occasionally after a club, could I leave her with dd (10 and very sensible). I'd be back 10 minutes later.
Can I leave her asleep while builders are working in a different room while I pop and buy milk to make them a brew?
I've never done it but WIBU to?

OP posts:

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Afreshstartplease · 14/03/2017 10:41

I'm sorry but I wasn't going to leave him like that

I actually am trained in paediatric first aid and just did what came naturally and treated as though he was choking

babybat · 14/03/2017 10:41

IMO it's less the risk of something happening to the baby if they're asleep and more the risk of something happening to you while you're out of the house. If you were hit by a car while crossing the road, would anyone know your baby is at home alone?

brasty · 14/03/2017 10:54

Sounds frightening, but it isn't choking.
A baby lying asleep with nothing in their cot can't choke. They would be fine with a 10 year old for 10 minutes.

Whatthefreakinwhatnow · 14/03/2017 11:04

AFresh, I know it sounds alarming it's actually a good thing your baby does this. Babies are designed to deal with excess saliva, mucous etc in the throat by coughing and gagging so as to protect the airway, thus stopping them choking or being unable to breathe.

Try not to worry when it happens, your baby will be fine and you don't need to do anything. It won't distress them

0hCrepe · 14/03/2017 11:06

Babybat if I hadn't come back for a while dd would ring me and that would let people know. If worst came to worst and I was kidnapped between home and the shop and she couldn't get me she'd ring her dad or my mum or failing that the police or whoever I'd left instructions about. Thinking about it she's actually more intelligent calm and capable than many adults!
''Tis all theory though too many have confirmed my thoughts it's unwise.

OP posts:

acquiescence · 14/03/2017 11:08

Of course not.

Afreshstartplease · 14/03/2017 11:10

He was very distressed

It woke him up and he was bright red in the face clearly struggling!

It's only happened once but if it happens again I'm not just going to leave him to it!

ClarkWGriswold · 14/03/2017 11:25

When my DD2 was a few weeks old (maybe 6 at most) she was sleeping in the Moses basket upstairs. I was in the kitchen and I heard her muffled crying. I went upstairs and found her with the blanket over her head, bright red and sweaty. She was a real wriggler from newborn and so completely different to DD1.

theonlygeorgie · 14/03/2017 12:04

YABVU

Please don't do this

Tillypup2013 · 14/03/2017 12:10

Crikey, no. Your baby is more important than the builders having a brew with milk.

Mrscog · 14/03/2017 12:23

Like others - yes to 10 year old for a few minutes, no to the builders - just because it seems unfair on them if nothing else.

MrsPeacockDidIt · 14/03/2017 12:28

Until my son was 6 months old he did all his day time sleeping in his pram as we co-slept and didnt need another sleeping place. This meant of course that I never had to wake him if I needed to pop out as I just wheeled him out with me.

euromorris · 14/03/2017 12:36

No to either.

Is this really serious?

SeriouslySomething · 14/03/2017 12:39

No. As mature or capable as a 10 year old is, they would never be able to handle a very adults situation. Some adults can't deal with some adult situations. It's not fair to leave her just in case. As for leaving you baby with builders.... Would you walk on to a sight hand you baby to someone and walk away for 10 minutes. No.
Do you have someone that might work as an on call baby sitter. Say a student who might be around alot or an older oerson. Who would be happy to earn a few Euro so sit for 10 20 minutes ever so often

Tessabelle74 · 14/03/2017 12:41

I've left my 9 year old "in charge" of my 6 month old when Daddy is upstairs but no way on earth would leave her without an adult in the house. It's not her responsibility and if anything happened whilst I was out how would she ever forgive herself or me fir leaving her in that position? And if the child is 3 then that's just a whole ball game more dangerous imo

HeteronormativeHaybales · 14/03/2017 12:44

I have an 11yo and a 9yo and no way would I leave my 1yo with either of them, although they love her and would be very attentive. It just wouldn't be fair on any of the children.

nanatoob · 14/03/2017 12:48

No way! So much could go wrong especially with the builders

Crunchymum · 14/03/2017 12:50

Send the builder to the shop.

Why is your 10yo not at school?

Natsku · 14/03/2017 12:58

No to the builders unless they're friends/relatives of yours that you would otherwise trust to babysit.

Yes to the 10 year old if they are sensible and know how to look after baby. There's really not much that can happen to a baby while they are sleeping so long as they are in a safe sleeping position/place.

doingmybestneverenough · 14/03/2017 13:01

Definite no from me. You dont know these people from adam. What if one was a paedophile?

Does
not
bare
thinking
about.

Just NO.

0hCrepe · 14/03/2017 13:04

For the posters who seem to be quite panicky I've said I'm not going to and it was more the thing that when I'm getting her up and out asleep it disrupts her nap for literally 10 minutes. I often leave her with my dog though, that's ok right?

Can't do the push chair thing we live up lots of steps so it stays in car.
No it's not like handing my baby to a stranger at a building site I don't really get the comparison! It's maybe like asking someone to watch the baby while she's asleep in a pushchair while I look at something upstairs in a big shop perhaps. Haven't done this either by the way!
I thought the same about the 3 yo, they're more of a loose cannon!

OP posts:

0hCrepe · 14/03/2017 13:05

Crunchy she is at school?

OP posts:

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zoemaguire · 14/03/2017 13:09

Builders, no probably not (though I did once leave the builder holding my baby while I re-parked my car to leave room for the skip - they were both quite happy:)). Though paedophiles, really? If you genuinely thought that was even a remote possibility, you wouldn't have them in the house at all, surely.

10 year old, yes. Honestly, what are the chances of a sleeping baby randomly choking?! Using that logic you'd have to stay awake 24/7 yourself to monitor them continuously!!! If she's sensible and happy to do it, I'd go for it myself.

zoemaguire · 14/03/2017 13:12

You do know that by asking this question, you'll get the whole 'but aliens might land while you are out' brigade out in force? It's not really the best place to ask for a measured response!

The one that always gets me on here, usually when talking about a child who is borderline ready to be left alone, is 'take your child with you because you might be in a car accident while you are out'. Because obviously it'd be far more sensible for your child to also be involved in the car accident .

MummyTheGregor · 14/03/2017 13:15

OP this is one of the things that everyone thinks about doing, isn't sure if you should really do, is posted about on MN and MNers go mental about...

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