To let our baby sleep in a guesthouse in the garden

[Zipfer]

We are in between moves and staying with family. Our family has a guesthouse (a kind of extended shed with a bedroom kitchenette and bathroom) in the garden about twenty metres at the end of the garden. The guesthouse is visible from the house.

In the evenings we have taken to putting our baby (6 months) to sleep in the guesthouse while we stay in the mainhouse. We have a baby monitor and the house is door is locked. We know the area. We are also sleeping on the guesthouse.

DW and I both agree that this is safe as the risk is low. However, thinking about other famous cases (not drawing a parallel), we think it might be odd to let our baby sleep in a different building for part of the evening. Would you consider this sufficiently safe to allow your baby sleep in this situation?

Damn, the op title should be “sleep in a guesthouse in the garden”

I think you have to go with your gut. I wouldn't be able to do it personally, but I'm a bit over attached to my babies.

Absolutely not!

Nope.

It might be safe, but I couldn't.

I wouldn't do it.

Nope, no way.

I'm sure it is low risk, but my maternal instinct would override that.

If it’s a secure garden, a building that you can see, with a monitor, how is it different to being in a different part of the house.

I would not go to bed at the same time as the baby. I’m the most risk adverse person ever and I’d do it OP.

No way

I think it's fine, from a rational "what are the chances" point of view. But I know I never would have done this with my babies.

Your baby is sleeping at the bottom of the garden in a locked, extended shed and you think it’s ok? What about the risk of a fire?

Not a chance no. There's no need to do this to the baby. Why not have the baby sleep in the main house wherever you are spending the evening?

I’d do it. I’d probably stay in a room where the garden house was visible. To me it’s like being in the garden whilst baby is asleep in the house.

No, I would never do this. I’m shocked that anyone would do so. Sorry.

No way.

No. Not a chance. And I'm ridiculously relaxed.

What if there was a fire?

Absolutely not. No way.

In theory/on paper of course it’s fine, but I absolutely wouldn’t do it.

Genuinely interested to hear this is so unanimous. We both (and our family) feel very comfortable with this. The guesthouse has a fire alarm by the way.

If we were sitting in the garden I would do it. I wouldn’t go back into the main house though. DH and I would just take it in turns to go and read a book whilst baby slept and just secretly really enjoy the peace and quiet 🤣🤣 in fact we’d probably argue about who got to do that rather than have to make polite conversation with other people.

We stayed in a family guesthouse in the garden over the weekend. We didn't take the monitor. On Saturday evening we did have around an hour about 100yards away having drinks outside with family. I went to check on DC three times.

But I don't think I'd have gone inside the main house, even with a monitor. I could see the door of the guesthouse the whole time and the window was open so I'd hear any crying. And the door wasn't locked. But if inside you rely on technology and can't see/hear things for yourself. I think that's the clincher for me. Not that I'd necessarily worry about them being taken, just other things like fire.

No way would I do this.

No I wouldn’t , can’t you settle them in the pram and just wheel them with you and then lift back into the cot at the other end if your pram isn’t safe for overnight sleeping

You can't be serious. Ffs! My dd is 5 month, she's my third child so I'm pretty relaxed, but I don't even really like her being in the bedroom alone while we are in the livingroom and that's about 10 meters away. Terrible parenting!

No, at 6 months you're still at risk of SIDS. I'd want them in the same room ideally.

We used to just eat an early dinner and go up to bed and watch TV in bed with baby in a next to me cot.