Would you leave your baby...

[emkana]

... asleep in the pram in a dark room which is down a corridor, about 200 yards from where you are spending the evening at a wedding reception? There is no babyphone. The room is completely accessible to everybody who is going in and out of the hotel. You check on your baby every 30 minutes or so, she is normally an excellent sleeper.

I just told a friend about this, I said "They weren't checking that often, maybe every half hour"
and she said "but that's checking a lot, isn't it?"
I don't think it is in these circumstances.
The friend then said that it sounded "liberating" to be like this.
She doesn't have any children and i think she thinks I'm paranoid.

I would think twice about leaving a baby anywhere.

We went to Cornwall (to one of 'the' family resorts) when DS was 11 weeks old. He was already sleeping through and the hotel offered a baby listening service.

We merrily went off to have dinner and watch 'The Office' in the bar and came back to discover that the heating which previously hadn't been working (we didn't know this, just thought the room was cool) had been fixed and the radiators were full on! It was absolutely boiling in our room and DS was lying on a matress on the floor near one of them.

We had to spend the rest of the night with the windows open and kept checking on DS to make sure he cooled down.

We complained to the hotel who were apologetic but didn't really 'get' the problem.

no.
i'd rather miss the event.

no way not ever leave your child unattended in a public place... that is neglect..

Message withdrawn

Rhubarb to that mum leaving a 6mo home alone. That really is dreadful and if I'm honest, should be reported to social services. Poor little kid - what if there was a fire? Or someone broke in?

Emkana, no way would I do that either!

nonononono. NO WAY, i would not go to the reception if this was the case.

What gets me the most is not that this couple would do this - there are always people who are different. What really gets me is how all my friends at the wedding made it clear how wonderful they thought they were for doing it like this, making me feel like a hysterical cow because they all know that I would never ever do something like that.
They mostly don't have children yet.

No, no, no. Never.

Rhubarb - I am utterly shocked at your neighbour. Is there not some law against this? I'd be tempted to report it tbh. Anything could happen.

CaptainCavemansMummy it surprised me that she had done it, she clearly dotes on her little girl and they are both fantastic people, her son is my dd's best friend. Sometimes she goes to another neighbour's house but she always has the baby alarm and usually checks too. I don't know what went wrong today!

I do understand though how frustrating it can be when you need to nip out and your baby is fast asleep. I've often been tempted to just pop out and buy the pint of milk or loaf of bread I desperately need without waking dd up when she was a baby. I never did though. Once when I badly needed something from the shops, it was peeing it down and she was fast asleep in her cot, I asked the next door neighbour to come in and sit whilst I ran to the shop!

But saying that, popping out to do a quick errand is one thing, and in my opinion, having been tempted myself, is forgivable as a one-off. But leaving your child in a public place, unattended, whilst you get pissed, well that's altogether different.

No.

I know a few people like that. They have unrealistic expectations about babies sleeping in 18-hour stretches while you get pissed while giving you time for a lie-in to sleep off your hangover. I think they're just a bit daft really.

Message withdrawn

my friend works with parents and babies (don't want to say too much as don't want to land her in any shit) and she met someone who left her baby in a stroller in her stable, whilst she went out horse riding!!

No

I put my sleeping DD aged 2 months in front room of BIL house whilst at a BBQ. OK with that, but not at hotel. I would have put the pram in a corner of reception room I reckon. But my DD would have slept through a rock concert.

I just dragged my 10yr old DS out to collect DD who has been babysitting as DH is not home yet. Was only out 10mins but didn't want to leave him alone at night at all.

No I wouldn't, I get paranoid leaving DD to hang out the washing.

Another big no..Although tempted sometimes(as it is a pain in the arse having to wake a baby up and take them with you to playschool), I wouldn't dream of ever leaving a child alone without supervision.What if something happened ?

No.

Dd1 started playgroup recently and the start time nicely matches dd2's naps grrrrr. So I just juggle a bit, either put her down earlier or keep her awake to nap in the pram.

No.

Absolutely not. I get worried leaving the room where dd is asleep with a window open! I can't believe some of the things I've read in this thread. I'd worry about someone taking the baby from the pram. IMHO they should have either left early or arranged for a baby sitter - you shouldn't have kids if your social life is more important and there's a chance they could 'ruin your evening'.

No. At the last wedding we went to DD was 5 months and I put her to sleep next to us at the disco whilst her big brother (then 2.5) danced the night away. I was tempted to put them in our room (and DP and his family saw absolutely nothing wrong with it) but it was in another wing and although the baby monitor had reception i thought it was too far for me to run if a fire broke out... (I am paranoid about fires!)

Have no idea how she managed to sleep though!