To leave dd (3 weeks) to sleep in the garden?

[raisingrrrl]

In her pram, obviously. And well wrapped up.

Have just had really mad conversation with MIL who said, "What if someone steals her?" Um, I'm sat by the open back door, so I can hear her cry and unless my neigbours have a sudden desire to steal my baby (unlikely) then the risk's fairly small, tbh.

Am I mad? Or is she??

I left mine out and he was my first.

I think fresh air is the cure for all ails.

Same here, we left DS out regularly provided we could see him, just make sure she is out of the sun if you are lucky enough to have some!

No no no don't do this unless is is warm (not hot). She is so little and chills can kill at this age. I do know of a baby (close relative) who died from the cold air when left outside in his pram...

Bonsoiranna - sorry to hear about your relative. But if the baby is wrapped up and checked he willbe fine.

In Poland (where I have a lot of family) babies usually have their nap outside even in the winter. (where it gets way colder than here)

NO NO NO I repeat : DON'T do this. It used to be common practice in the UK too. But it is now considered a pointless risk.

I have never heard of it being a pointless risk, have lots of things happened to babies outside recently?

I used to let mine sleep in the garden in a pram/buggy, more so my eldest one.

Everyone did it years and years ago didn't they, i think they used to wrap them up and leave them out there for hours!!

Anna - its been very warm today though. I wouldn't leave baby outside if it was cold though no matter how well wrapped up.

DS2 slept outside in his pushchair as he fell asleep on walk and so stayed in pushchair whilst DH and I sat and drank coffee in the garden and pretended it was summer already.

Jeez I used to leave my twins outside for days No risk of someone stealing them.......one of them was usually crying

I always get a bit when people frown on things like this. I mean, the roof might fall down if they were inside

Sorry, I don't mean to be flippant. I've had a very stressful weekend and it just makes me a little overly filled with perspective.

My mil was fanatical about babies sleeping in the garden. When ever she babysat ds1 I could absolutely guarantee he would be down the end of the garden when I went to pick him up. It's a good job he was a summer baby as I'm sure this would have been an all year round thing. Thank goodness we had moved before ds2 was born in December!!!
She did this with dh and sil when they were babies and as toddlers they were sent out "to play" come rain or shine (and they had a stream at the bottom of the garden). She very much believed that fresh air was good for them. I tend to agree but I'm very glad she no longer lives in the house with the stream in the garden.

I think the 'pointless risk' thing more refers to the practice of bundling baby up and putting them in the pram at the end of the garden to wail for an hour. that is generally not seen as recommended practice these days...

IMO sleeping outside is lovely for babies - and what they would have done when they were cave-babies. DS sleeps brilliantly on the grass next to my allotment while I toil away. Much more natural than being inside with no fresh air. I also think he sleeps better with the gentle noise of outside - birds singing, trees rustling, planes going overhead, cats falling off the fence etc.

Nickymorris - Not sure cave babies would have been left outside, even if swaddled in woolly mammoth-hide, because they'd attract the Scary Beasts with Teeth.

I hadn't heard that leaving a baby sleeping happily in the garden was a 'risk' now either. Obviously leaving a baby to cry itself hoarse behind the shrubbery, a la Claire Verity, is different.

DS often has a long nap outside if he actually drops asleep in his pushchair (I left him outside the back door the other day and didn't notice when it started spitting but got him in and he was only mildly damp and still happily snoring!).

NOBODY IS GOING TO STEAL YOUR BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!

THERE ARE NO ALIENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fresh air is good for them - they will sleep well and you can have half an hour with a cup of tea and a book. Which you are entitled to, even if you are a mother.

We've foxes in our garden, so no I wouldn't risk it tbh.

OK, I'm going to buck the trend. I'd say by all means have your baby asleep with you while you sit outside with them, especially in summer, but no I would never leave a 3 week old sleeping in the garden nearby, warm, happy or not. It's a newborn, cuddle your baby close, this isn't the 1950s.

Grendle - this was the first time shed been in a pram, she's cuddled up in the sling the rest of the time! Yesterday was different as she fell asleep in the sling and then I put her in the pram to sleep. I'd never leave her to cry herself to sleep outside, or anywhere else, for that matter!

A nursery near me puts (older) children outside for naps on warm days ? in old-style prams, with insect nets. It?s got an Outstanding ofsted rating.

well having done this with both children I cant see the harm. as long as they are wrapped up and safe (we used our daschund who loves sitting in the basket underneath the pram/pushchair as a warning guard) and windows/doors always kept open its fine.