To have cancelled the appointment - I am not BU am I?

[snoopypoodle]

Had a dentist appt booked for this afternoon. DP was going to finish work earlier and go with me and look after DS (2).
Spoken to DP and a few things have been delayed at his work today so he cannot make it. I have no alternative childcare arrangements or anyone that could have him.
DP said I should just take him and give him my phone or tablet to play with but I don't want to do that, he's only 2 , I'm having treatment which will last 30-40mins and there's a chance he could get bored and start wondering around the room etc which would probably be getting in the way of my dentist not to mention any potential h&s risks.
I have told DP I won't do that as it just won't work - he said its up to me and they're my teeth/my health and he would just take him in my place and that the dentist won't be able to get me in for ages (she is in v high demand). He sounded like I was being U for cancelling as DS would be 'fine'.

I've cancelled and rearranged the appt for next available date which is mid Sept. I'm not in any pain so this shouldn't be a problem.

AIBU for not wanting to take DS on my own?

I wouldn't take him unless he was sleeping in the pram. A check up is different to 30 minutes plus however long you spend waiting to be called in.

You are not being unreasonable at all. You should be concentrating on yourself, the dentist should be concentrating on their work. Neither of you should be worrying about a 2 year old who I doubt will sit there amusing themselves for 40 minutes.

YANBU. I wouldn't do it either. Unsupervised 2 year olds are a timebomb! I have a 2 year old and wouldn't dream of handing him a tablet in a dentist surgery and saying wait there for mummy....5 minutes in the tablet would be discarded and he'd be on the rampage!

Totally reasonable of you.

No way! Dentist treatment room is no place for a 2 year old to wait

Yanbu, you and the dentist would both be more stressed with a toddler in the room than with a toddler occupied in the waiting room or elsewhere by his dad.

I used to take mine to the dentist when they were that age. I had one of those booster seat things that you put on a chair for eating. I would put the youngest in that with some toys and hope for the best, whilst the older one would be sat on the floor with a comic/ whatever would keep him occupied.

However that was because DH would long hours, so could not take them, I have no family nearby and I didn't want to waste precious babysitters on a trip to the dentist. If you have an option, then use it !

My DD can't take my GC to a 10 minute appointment, she gets upset at not being allowed on her knee whilst a stranger is prodding her Mum.

My DH would come out with stuff like that, he had no idea what being out with a toddler on your own could entail (he worked away from home).

You can't dictate to them for as long as that, without them wanting a cuddle, to sit on your knee etc.

I was a lone parent hundreds of miles away from family when dd was that age so to get childcare for her was very difficult but no way in hell would I have taken her to an half hour dentist appointment!

Weirdly, I too have cancelled a dentist appointment today for very similar reasons (DS is 15 months). I think we both did the right thing!

@missmapp any attempt at strapping him into a booster chair would probably induce a meltdown unfortunately. He doesn't even go in the pram anymore he prefers to walk.

As much as there's a chance he would sit nicely on the tablet putting his fav show on there's also a chance he will get too interested in everything else. Also I think it would be v unfair on the nice dentist lady and her assistant to have to worry about a toddler in the corner of the room.

I always took mine. One of my sons was totally fascinated and said he wanted to be a dentist (he isn't) and dentist used to let him stand on a chair and watch what he was doing. I don't think H & S was such a big thing 40 years ago.

I am having to take dd aged 1 on wed as there is no one who can look after her. If i had someone who could look after her i would. Dh isnt able to take time off. I wouldnt cancel as it has taken 4 months to get an appt to check that my filling had fallen out and another month from there to get my filling done. Roll on wed!!!

Not in the least. I had a checkup with ds2 in tow when he was around 18 months, and he screamed like all the devils in hell were after him through the entire thing.

There wasn't even any work done, no drill, nothing.
They weren't too happy with me, actually, although I genuinely didn't foresee it happening (obviously!)
Never again.

Dentist is aware. Dd been in to see dentist. Am slightly nervous about dd...but needs must!

Before cancelling the appointment I would have explained the situation hoping they'd say, just bring him along, but I would have 99% expected them to have cancelled the appointment as most businesses don't have spare staff to child mind toddlers. To allow a 2 year old to roam around unsupervised is highly unrealistic and usually downright dangerous. You were definitely not BU.

I rearranged mine last week for the same reasons. I was having a root canal that would have taken 45 minutes. No way would Dd sit nicely for that long.

I took mine when she was 2 and I needed a filling. She sat on my lap while it went on and watched it all, totally absorbed in the process. At the end she asked if it was her turn! I had to be really brave when the needle went in and show no fear, but my toes were waggling like crazy in my boots I've no family anywhere near and if I didn't take her I'd have still needed a filling. She loves going to the dentist now though!

Don't take him. There will likely be blood and you might be a bit out of it I'm guessing?

Drop your son at your husbands work seeing as he thinks it's so easy to mind him. (Joke!)

@Littlepleasures I did say that my childcare arrangement fell through, the chances are the dentist herself might've said to bring him depending on staff etc but I spoke to the lady on reception who advised me dentist is going away and booked next available date.

DP will probably tell me I should've just gone but tbh I've never driven there myself before as I've only recently changed to this dentist so the whole family would have the same one ( it's 45mins as going through a city) so not 100% of all directions, I didn't want to risk turning up with DS and "hoping for the best" as it could leave a bad impression and I would just be stressed out anyway, I'm not in immediate pain or risk of my teeth getting worse over the next month until my next appt.

And I have stuff to do at home too.

My dentist when l had my dc was the same one l had in childhood. So a different generation from nowadays (dentists all look very young these days - Mr E would be 90 by now). He said the best way to get children used to the dentist was for them to accompany their parents. So l took them along for checkups, but l drew a line at fillings as l felt l'd cope better on my own. They've all grown up confident at the dentist's, no fears etc. You did the right thing, OP.

Tbh my DP would've probably taken him as he has been seeing the same dentist since he was 10 so he knows her very well and he's cheeky/talkative enough to pull it off -the introvert I am would not do that.

I had to have an internal exam when pregnant with dd. I ended up with ds, then around 20 months, sitting on my chest singing "Wheels on the Bus" at me.

I managed a dentist appt with my then 2to DT, both in the buggy with an ipad playing a favourite video propped up next to them.
Worked very well
But if you can reschedule with no fees, why not.

If it was just a routine appointment I'd have taken my 2 year old ds (and plied him with snacks), but NO WAY would he stay put ANYWHERE for up to 40 minutes (!!!) before becoming completely feral. Even less so somewhere new with loads of interesting dangerous looking electrical equipment and exciting doors to who-knows-where...