Would you leave your child on their own in hospital overnight?

[anchovies]

Long term conditions aside, would you take your child to the hospital assessment unit, them get admitted and then you go home?

DS was admitted with pneumonia (he's now home and recovering other than having to go back for IV antibiotics) and I was surprised by the number of parents who went home and left their poorly children in hospital. The wards were massively understaffed but mainly due to the fact that nursing staff were all feeding, changing, bathing babies etc. One mum left her 8 month old dd who had had a convulsion at 4pm (no-one knew she'd gone) and came back at 11 am the next day. The staff had to give her her tea (discussing whether she was on solids), bath her, find her some pjs and nappies, get her to sleep, feed her breakfast etc. Her mum turned up and was complaining that she had been left watching cbeebies!

Found the whole thing very traumatic but maybe I'm missing something?

NO never!! Can't believe the mother of the 8 month old!

Depending on aege of the child then yes - but not an 8 month for that lngth of time.

the e from length seems to have been added to age

No, but I only have one dc. Can't imagine leaving him but he's only 9 months. It would be difficult if you had other children and no one to look after them though.

I wouldn't (and haven't when ds was in hospital). There might be reason's for others absences (eg they are a carer for a disabled partner/child) where they HAVE to get home. I'd put your judgey pants away I think.

Depends on their age I suppose and how poorly they were. When DS was in getting a nasty cut stitched when he was two, there were some kids who were around 8-10ish in age who were there overnight by themselves, but most of the younger kiddies had a parent with them.

I certainly wouldn't leave an 8mo old baby, although she may have had other DC at home with no-one to look after them. She should have told the staff she was going though.

No I couldn't leave my child there by themselves! When my dd was a small baby, she had a 5 night stay, I didn't even like going to shower/toilet in the hospital as it was time away from her, but always made sure the nurse knew where I was and was only ever 10 mins at most. If I needed something from home, dh or mum would be with her while I nipped home for 10 mins

No. DD is nearly 7y and I can't imagine having to do that. No way could I have done it when she was a baby.

Blimey, I wouldn't leave my kids in alone overnight until they were teenagers, and even then, I'd stay with them if they asked me too

to not too!

No I wouldn't.

My mum never once left me and I spent a looooot of time in hospital when I was younger and a teenager.

I have, but being fair he is nearly ten(years not months), someone stayed the first night and he was more than happy to be left for the second.

There are lots of reasons why someone wouldn't stay, no excuse in the world for not mentioning it to a nurse before hand!

I left dd when she was unconscious, it was that or stay in the ronald macdonald house(she was in intensive care) as I lived in town, I thought it was better to let an out of towner have the room.

Completely understand there may be exceptional circumstances (had a logistical nightmare myself, 2 younger dc's one who is 5 months and breastfed and dh with a chest infection himself.) Just suprised it seemed to be possibly more the rule rather than the exception.

but to say when I had 2 separate admitances to hospital 9 and 10 - I only saw my parents at visiting times - then when I left I stayed at my great aunt/uncles for a week without seeing them

No-I stayed for a week with my 6 yr old when he had pneumonia. If I went home in the day DH stayed with him. Lots of DCs were left, I particularly remember one 3 yr old waking up in the morning, not knowing where he was and me having to explain and tell him to stay in bed and breakfast would be coming!

I wouldnt if I could help it, but have stayed over night with DS1 a couple of times in the last year and wouldnt have been able to do that if I didnt have a DH to look after DS2 at home. Can imagine that a lot of people dont have an option.

No! I always stay with DS1, he is 4 and reguarly in hospital. I know there are lots of reasons to leave children but i always get a bit sad when i see a tiny baby or toddler who has been left in a room by themselves for hours on end.

Actually i have left DS once but he was asleep and i got called to the next town away becuase my mum's heart operation had gone really badly and they needed me to be there as they thought she wasn't going to last the night, i was a bloody state tbh but i was back before he woke up in the morning.

Not at that age no. Poor little mite

I'm not sure I'd want to leave my hulking great 12yr old TBH

2pt4kids - regarding the option ie you could only stay because of having someone at home - do you think parent's would go for having a trained nanny stay with the child during the times they couldn't ie important bussiness meeting or other children at home?

My db and sil left their weeks old ds1 in hospital when he was very ill with a viral infection

Neither of them felt "comfortable" sleeping in a strange roo where staff might come in to do obs etc

I stayed in every night with ds1 when he was 8 after an operation (for 13 nights)

Could not and would not have left him. Dh had to take 2 weeks unpaid leave and i didn't get paid either (am a CM),was horrific financially afterwards but i needed to be there and he would have hated being eft.

I stayed with DS1 - 2 yrs - when he was admited recently, even though it was complicated, what with his 10 wk old fully breast fed younger brother......... but we managed and it never entered Dh's or my head to leave him alone.