Friend just bailed on me...

[Driana555]

I have an 8 week old daughter. Spent all week preparing mentally to leave him to go on my work do which is tomorrow night. My friend who was meant to have my daughter for me has just bailed, at 19:45 the night before saying she has a cold. Fair enough I can't argue with or be annoyed at that... AIBU though to be really gutted that I can't go? I've paid £40 for it which is a lot to lose at the moment and was just looking forward to my first adult meal in weeks. Even bought a lovely outfit to cover my postpartum wobbly bits. Why am I so upset? I could genuinely cry. It's pathetic. Literally have nobody else to have her this short notice.

Gutted... :(

Oh what a shame. I'd sit in the pub with your baby for you. We'd wear a cunning disguise, oh wait that's daft, just the baby would wear a cunning disguise they don't know me from Adam

Could your colleague's DH take yours too just for the lunch? You could offer them a free night's babysitting in return for theirs.

It’s disappointing as you were looking forward to bit baby free time but it’s hard for anyone with responsibiliies and no family back up for whatever reason. Ive had to cancel my work night out - same as you lunch into eve and £40 becaus of family illness. It’s crap but it’s just one of those things. When OH gets back from work or in xmas holidays when he’s off see if you can get couple hours out with friends

I agree with those saying no babies. People want to let hair down and pubs at Christmas not necessarily best place for little ones

That's what I was going to say, ask whether your colleague's DH could look after your baby too? You deserve a lunch out to yourself! If I was the DH, I wouldn't mind

I can't believe people routinely mind eight week old babies they don't know. Is this a thing? I was absolutely terrified of my own at 8 weeks, the thought of flinging in a strange one seeing as I was busy anyway makes my veins run cold.

I would just take bubs too if you have a pram with a bassinet, he will just sleep most of the time anyway.

Also I actually think that your friend did the right thing in avoiding giving your bub a cold. At 8 weeks they can't breathe through their mouth yet so having a cold can actually be a very big deal. My son ended up in hospital at about that age with a cold, he was having so much trouble breathing that he would actually go through stages of not taking his next breath unless he was stimulated to do so.

Can you message the group explaining your predicament and asking if anyone has objections to you bringing baby? One of my colleagues brought their two yr old to our Xmas lunch this week. Didn’t even tell anyone beforehand. It turned out fine.

Such a shame if you were really looking forward to it...

It would also be a shame for OP's colleagues to spend an afternoon next to a squalling baby when they were looking forward to a boozy, adult lunch.

Ah yes the famous 'mostly sleeping' baby. I've never met one like that.

I don't know why so much focus is on me taking my baby. That was never going to happen! I'm not taking DC. I'm not even going myself. Just going to stay home and sleep probably!

“Ah yes the famous 'mostly sleeping' baby. I've never met one like that.“

Really? Mine slept 20 of the 24 hours a day up until 3 months old. She only woke up when wet or hungry. Stayed awake for the bottle and then fell back asleep.

Take the baby. Leave him sleeping in a pram in the corner and if things go wrong just leave. It’s silly to waste your money and new outfit. I took baby DD to a work do without feeling I had to ask permission, that would never have occurred to me. How can anyone object to a baby sleeping in a pram?

Baby DD also went to work meetings 😊

Astonished at the number of people who would leave an eight week old with someone they didn’t know. Is that just me?!