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Original poster

Can I leave my baby alone?

13 replies

VodkaCranberry2 · 27/05/2020 11:42

DP back at work today so I’m with my 6 week old. Sounds dumb but do I need to be in the same room as him at all times? Can I leave him to sleep in his crib while I clean his bottles? I have inflammatory bowel disease so spend a little longer on the loo than normal.. last time I mentioned on here I had sat in the garden for 5 while baby was sleeping I got told it was bad and that baby can stop breathing if they can’t hear me breathe and now I have anxiety about it... ?!

OP posts:
12stepCAKE · 27/05/2020 11:43

Ofcourse you can leave the room. How would you get anything done! Or go to the toilet or shower! It eat. I have 4 DC and co slept with them all safely ofcourse. But for naps yes I was with them but if I needed to any of the above you just do it

RedHelenB · 27/05/2020 11:47

I was fast on asleep when my babies napped. And of course you dont need to be in the same room. Baby is moses basket asleep, me in the kitchen washing up or me in the bathroom having a shower.

needsahouseboy · 27/05/2020 11:47

Yes of course it’s fine, it’s also fine to leave your child sleeping while you sit in the garden!
People on here are bloody weird about shit so ignore the hysterical ones.

MrsMonkeyBear · 27/05/2020 11:49

It will fine if you leave them for 5-10 minutes. The only time I got to do anything was when my 2 were sleeping. When they napped, I showered, made dinner, hung the washing out in the garden and had a cuppa in peace. My DH went back to work when DD1 was 2 days old.

Just as long as you follow safe sleep practices for DC, then you will be fine.

NotExactlyHappyToHelp · 27/05/2020 11:49

It’s completely fine.

For peace of mind you could always get a video monitor if you have the spare funds? It’s just for reassurance really.

heartbrokenfool · 27/05/2020 11:51

Hi vodka cranberry. I've got a feeling it was me that told you not to leave baby asleep in other room. I'm sorry if this has given you anxiety.
It's best practice to be in the same room as babies under 6 months whilst they sleep so that they are near you and regulate their breathing. This is on the sids lullaby advice.
Leaving the room for a quick chore or loo break is fine and normal. I meant it in the sense it's not good to put a sleeping newborn / under 6 months in their own room.

TheMandalorian · 27/05/2020 11:51

Of course it's fine. As long as you have a baby monitor and are not going for a walk to the shop. How do you think parents with more than one child manage?

PumpkinP · 27/05/2020 11:52

Huh? I’m a single parent and have been on my own since my youngest was a newborn (I have 4) how would you ever get anything done Confused

GrumpyHoonMain · 27/05/2020 11:54

In my opinion only if you use a portable sensor mat type alarm. I have IBD too and could easily spend 40mins on the loo - I would go to the loo nearest to wear baby was sleeping and take the monitor with me. He did stop breathing a few times (had a habit of forgetting when he was in deep sleep) and so I basically bolted out to shake him and pinch his ears. Even with the monitor I would take his carrycot with me to the kitchen / garden to ensure I could keep an eye on him.

mightybuzz · 27/05/2020 11:57

It is the SIDS advice not to leave your baby alone when they are napping, ever. However, no one does this. If there aren't other major SIDS risk factors (you smoked when you are pregnant, you/your partner smoke now, your baby was premature, they are unsleeping in an unsafe place) the risks are so minuscule that they are almost not worth worrying about. Keep a (video) monitor on, and make normal levels of noise.
I think when I looked at the actual statistics behind some of the SIDS advice occurrences of SIDS during daytime naps were extremely extremely rare. I may be corrected on this; have a look yourself if you want some reassurance.

Pinkblueberry · 27/05/2020 11:57

I got told it was bad and that baby can stop breathing if they can’t hear me breathe

This gets banded about a lot, I’ve never seen anything official stating that this is the reason why sleeping in the same room as you is safer. It makes little sense to me - if you’re sat in the living room watching tv or listening to the radio the sleeping baby in the Moses basket across from you won’t hear you breathing. The guideline is sleep in the same room, not within baby’s hearing distance... the safety aspect from what I know is simply you being around to notice if anything was wrong.
Of course you can get on with everyday stuff while baby is asleep - generally in hearing distance (your hearing distance, not the baby’s Grin) and not for too long but certainly a couple of minutes to go to the toilet or chores in another room.

Fluffybutter · 27/05/2020 11:58

Yes ,perfectly fine.
MN has an abnormally high number of shrieking over-reactors who like to scare parents

TheOrigBrave · 27/05/2020 12:50

From International Journal of Epidemiology

The majority of SIDS deaths (83%) occurred during night-time sleep, although this was often after midnight and at least four SIDS deaths occurred during every hour of the day. The length of time from last observed alive until the discovery of death ranged from

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