My partner and I sometimes sleep with our 6 month old in bed, in the mornings, after he initially stirs. This morning, we had a disagreement about something that happened, and I would like to get a "sanity check" on what other parents think.
This morning, my partner got up out of bed and left me and our son asleep, he in his sleeping bag, on the bed. Our son woke before me and started to roll around, and he ended up playing with a small clip-on book lamp that my partner had left nearby. Apparently, he got into it, and the batteries had come out. When I woke, our son was no longer doing this, and I woke because he rolled over and touched my face (very sweet!). I didn't even notice the lamp lying beyond him. While playing with him, my partner arrived and saw the book lamp in the distance, and was terrified that he might have swallowed the battery (which was temporarily missing). The battery was found and all was well.
My partner was furious with me for not monitoring him closely enough, which was all the worse due to the temporary distress of thinking that he swallowed the battery. Naturally, I was equally upset about the situation (and relieved), but I found myself being berated for something that I couldn't have helped. When I pointed out that there was no way that I could have monitored him because I was asleep, my partner was furious that I was not accepting responsibility for something they said was 100% my fault.
I am upset by what happened this morning, and the fear I felt about our son and the possibility that he could have swallowed a battery. But am I right to think that the blame is on both of us for this incident? I didn't have anything to do with the lamp being there, or leaving him with me asleep. I need a sanity check here--am I being irresponsible in trying to avoid blame that I truly deserve? Or was it just an unavoidable accident and nobody was to blame?
Opinions would be gratefully received!