Pram in street while grabbing phone

[Overthinker89]

Hello, feeling the Mum guilt BIG TIME today but am a massive overthinker. Thoughts please? Yesterday I got my son 16mo in pram and out of house. As soon as I got the pram out of the door I realised I'd left my phone in the kitchen which is about 5 metres away from the front door. I parked pram right in the doorway outside in front garden and left front door wide open then ran down the hall to get my phone. There was a clear line of sight to door but I did turn my back to walk in so for about 15 seconds he was not in my full sight but within hearing distance. Has anyone ever parked pram outside front door on street/garden realised theyve forgotten something inside and gone in for a sec? Not sure if I'm overthinking. It was the few seconds I had my back turned I'm worried about. In total it must of taken 15 seconds to grab phone and be out again. I live in a street of terraced houses. There is a small front garden for bins and big enough for the pram but it's small.

It's fine. You're overthjnking.

Completely fine

You need a coffee. Chill out.

Did anything happen? No. Let it go.

The reality is here, your brain did an immediate unconscious risk assessment. You saw nothing and no one of concern in the street.

I used to leave my babies asleep in their prams outside the front door. Admittedly in a (literally, used correctly!) crime free area.

Don’t worry about it. I once left newborn DS in the car when I went to the shop to buy a washing machine 😬 Worst part is that I only remembered he was there when I got back in and drove about 5 minutes down the road. I felt terrible for weeks after that.

I have 2 children (had 2 under 2) I didn’t really have a choice but to leave one in the house while putting one in the car and then go back and get the other. Now my toddler will frequently say ‘need the toilet’ just as your getting her in the car so I have to take her back in. No way am I getting the other one out the car again.

Thanks guys. It's because he was in the street/front garden alone for about 15 seconds. I know it's not long but my brain was suddenly like well what if someone had grabbed him from the small front garden while you grabbed phone. I'm a first time Mum and not got family around or a partner to bounce these ideas off only friends and Mumsnet. He is my first. Thanks all.

I probably would t leave a child on the pavement as it's close to the road and I don't trust the brake .... however, left the kids in the garden plenty of times to grab things, or on the car parked on the driveway

He was in his pram...not running around in traffic. It's absolutely fine.
DC2 is due this summer. I plan to have the baby nap in the pram in the front garden. It's where it's nice and cool during the afternoons. I'll be pottering around the house and the rest of the garden (which goes around the house).

When I was a child, it was common to leave prams (with the baby in) outside shops. So, in context, in your own garden for a few seconds is fine.

Perfectly fine OP

Thanks guys. The front garden is tiny it's more just for the bins so his pram was in the front garden but within a stones throw of the street. He was as close to the front door as I could get the pram, with front door wide open when I ran to get phone. I just feel bad as afterwards my brain was like "well what if a stranger had grabbed him" it only takes a second. Sometimes you just need to ask other Mums. I know it seems silly - if my Mum was still around (my sons gran she'd laugh and tell me I was being silly but you know she's not so thought I'd ask the hivemind.

You are totally over thinking.

You seriously need to chill out ! What you did was 100%OK .My children were left unattended for much longer numerous times and have never given it any head space .

Me too!! 50 years ago I went to the shops with my daughter in a ( full sized) pram and left her outside the shop ( as everyone did then). The shop was in a shopping centre and was on 2 floors. I entered on one floor and left from the higher floor. I was almost home ( 10 minutes or so away) when I realised I had left her outside the shop. Queue a mad dash back to the store to get her. She was still asleep and was absolutely fine.

I wouldn't have recommended doing that to anyone - even then. Although I did discover, later, that I wasn't alone in doing that or something similar!

The baby is fine and your mum would be right!
I was about 10, playing outside with friends when a neighbour parked up her pram and told us to watch the baby. she'd forgotten her shoes and made it halfway up the street in her burgundy slippers before realising.

Usually even if there's an opportunity for a predator to strike, nothing will happen. Most people aren't intending to abduct a child and most of the time even if there is a predator lurking there will also be a normal civilian nearby which will put the predator off.

"Stranger danger" is grossly over-estimated, a child is much more likely to come to harm at home, at the hands of someone who is related to them, than they are by a random opportunist.

My Gran once left my newborn auntie in a pram outside a shop (was very normal to do this then, small shop, no space for a big pram), did her shopping and then walked home. Only remembered the baby when she got home... Apparently she'd never run so fast to get back to the shop!

When I was a baby it was the done thing to put your baby outside in the garden for a sleep. Also my mother would leave the pram outside a shop with me in it - mind you they were bigger prams.

I did this many times when my kids were in prams. You judged the situation and your surroundings and thought it was safe or else you wouldn’t have done it.

But, mum guilt likes to make us overthink everything and beat ourselves up. You did nothing wrong though, so I hope this thread gives you the comfort and reassurance you need. 🙂

I think you are guilt tripping yourself for no reason OP. I think what you did was perfectly reasonable. Its not like you went back in to get something out the loft that would take an age. Give yourself a break from feeling so bad.

You're over-thinking. I used to shove pram outside front door - admittedly a 3 car length longer garden - and then hoover the hall before going out out.

My mum left me outside boots in my pram, came out of the shop and got on the bus home... without me.

Don't worry 😀