To leave 2 under 2 in the house while I walk to get dc no 3 from childminder 5 doors down the road

[threeisacharm18]

Quick pulse - as the title says I have 2 under 2 at home with me now. Dc No 1 is school age and gets picked up by the childminder who lives 5 doors from us.

Should I pack up the 2 babies in a pushchair to walk 2 mins up the road to get dc 1 or risk it and leave them in the bouncer while I run up the road to get dc no 3?

I can't believe you're even asking this. Absolutely not. You cannot leave them in the house alone. I wouldn't even leave them downstairs alone for longer than it takes to do a wee!

@Wiluli - Common sense isn’t that common, clearly!

It only takes a second for something to happen and you could get delayed....what if you have a problem when out and no one knows you've left them in the house, it's just not worth risking, you would never forgive yourself

"What if they'd run out of the bedroom? What if they'd jumped on the bed and fell, cracked open their heads? What if you'd slipped in the shower and broken your skull?"

Wouldn't happen as I watched them from the shower, really good view, door shut, baby gates on and they couldn't get out, it's common sense alot of people are missing isn't it?!

Difference is supervision

Op's would be unsupervised which is crazy.

Oh and if you're likely to slip in the shower than you need to get grips down

what if one choked or anything

This is an extremely valid point. Although I expect a lot people have a child upstairs in their cot while they are in the kitchen or putting something in the outside bin or feeding the chickens or sorting the dog or dealing with an older child, so this can happen anyway - some people's gardens are so long they would be further away than the childminder's house although not saying either of those scenarios are 'okay'.

Sue20 - I hope you were both ok. Just shows how quickly things can happen

This xx

I find it strange you have to come online to ask this question.

Yes exactly! I think you did/do the right thing, plus as you say get grips in the shower.

It's the totally OTT, I won't shower unless my DH is about, I take the children into the loo with me.

That's where you're getting over anxious parents and subsequently children.

Of course it's safe to shower when alone with your children, of course it's safe to visit the loo with taking them with you.

A two-year-old in a bouncer? I call bullshit. This is a fake post from someone who has no knowledge of two-year-olds 🙄

How on earth is this a question?

You're extreme rude and aggressive @Chasingclouds100, it's you who is insisting that you "care more" than other parents, you don't!

I think the facts speak for themselves……

If your DC1 is school age, and the childminder lives 5 door up, can't the childminder walk DC1 down to you before they go to their house? Or if it is 5 doors up a normal pavement residential road, stand at the gate and have the childminder send them down the pavement to you.

Don't leave them. The risk is low, but the unexpected could happen. Find another solution.

I've been swinging back and forth on this one... I really understand both sides of the argument.

But I've thought of something you could try - when you duck out to pick up the older kid, make sure the babies are secure and safe in bed or the bouncy thingy or wherever... and get a really good nanny camera (or several) that covers the room and links to your phone! You can literally watch them sleeping or whatever on your phone the ENTIRE time you are walking a few metres up the street to collect the little ones.

If you notice something - like a little one climbing from the cot and running to open the bedroom door - well, you're close enough to bolt back within seconds... which makes it no different to leaving your baby asleep whilst you go out to the clothesline and hang out the washing (which takes a few minutes).

My mum left my tiny baby brother sleeping at home one time... because little 3 year old me had gotten out and gone up the street to the corner store for lollies! One of her friends recognized me and drove to get my mum... she knew I'd never come with her without mum. She didn't have a baby car seat, so my mum had no choice but to leave my baby brother for a few minutes to go back with her friend to get me!

Obviously I don't remember that - nor does my brother - but apparently no harm came to either of us in 2 or 3 minutes! So... talk to your spouse and see what they think. It could work - you're only a few houses away for one or two minutes... not running off for hours to go drinking! :p

But do remember if anything does happen you will find yourself answering to the police and/or social services as to why you left not 1 but 2 underage children home alone.

@Slv199... yes, that's a good point.

However, as I said, I don't see it as any different than leaving your children in the bed when you go outside to hang up the clothes... the chores HAVE to be done, right? If something happens in that moment, then are you a negligent parent?

I don't think so - I'm just thinking of my brother's house, where you have to walk around the side and up a long flight of stairs to get between the door and the clothesline, so if the children shrieked, you'd hear it from the clothesline... but it would still take several seconds to run around and up the stairs to get inside. My uncle's house when his kids were little had the clothesline right at the back of a HUGE yard - so it would take several seconds to get back to the house and again up the internal stairs to get to the children if they shrieked.

And would my brother or uncle (or their wives) be a negligent parent because they left the house to do a chore that has to be done?

A good nanny cam would tell you if the babies are in need... and a few doors down is close enough that you can be home very quickly. Although how often are children left alone in their bedroom to nap (or whatever), and the parent is in another room... but with no nanny camera, the kid gets hurt anyways and no one knows until they go check on the kid! Is THAT person a negligent parent?

I just don't think that things like this are as black and white as something you NEVER EVER DO because it's super high risk, or something that's 100% safe to do. It's somewhere in the middle, I think.

In situations such as these, I think about the newspaper headlines if something goes wrong. It's all down to how people will judge you and if people in general think you are doing something irresponsible or not. Also, could you live with yourself if a child died however because you weren't with them.

Exactly this

The difference with being in your garden / shower is the bigger risk of being delayed due to shit happening to other people. For instance if you were the only witness to someone collapsing in the street.

Exactly. Or a car mounts the pavement and knocks you over. Or a malfunctioning lock on your front door which means you can't get back inside your house...

Yes these are extreme examples, but not impossible. When you leave the house you increase the risks to both yourself and your children left behind, it's really not hard to understand this.