Leaving sleeping toddler to take dog out for a wee

[Denbie]

We have always worked the dogs routine around when both of us are home so that our toddler is never left alone

However I am due to be away for 2 days next weekend and me and my partner are at an impasse RE what is acceptable

We live in a second floor flat, (no lift, stairs only) and cannot get locked out as the communal door magnet lock has never worked … I think it will be fine to run the dogs down for a wee outside of the main communal door while our toddler is sleeping in his crib and taking a monitor with us

This will take a couple of minutes and our bedroom window is directly above the communal door so you can hear everything even without the monitor anyway

I feel it’s not too different to being in your garden and baby asleep upstairs in a house, not ideal obviously but workable on this very temporary basis … partner feels this isn’t acceptable

Obviously this won’t be to go for walkies, strictly just for a toilet break directly outside the door … what do you guys think?

@StrictlyComeback my dogs are house trained so wouldn’t use a puppy pad, and they would hold their toilet to the point of being ill before they would go inside which I think is cruel 😞

You're away. So what' his solution?

It's completely fine. I'm sure if in the very unlikely event your dog ran away, that you would go get your toddler and wrap them up and take with you.

If it's not for work or a funeral I think you should cancel

@EachPeachPearNectarine not a bad shout, I had an infant one which he has now outgrown but will get on Amazon and have a look for toddler ones

OP as you say this is a similar set up to many people's houses. As long as you take precautions like having keys, that if the toddler wakes up they will be safe for the few minutes you're not there etc than I think it's fine.
Anyone saying not to do it, have they really never put the bins out or watered the garden with a sleeping toddler in the house?

Honestly it's fine. You'll only be downstairs and you'll have the monitor.

It's one or two flights of stairs and he can hear the child both on the monitor and through the window.

And she has to cancel? No.

🙄

@TeenagersAngst because of all the what if’s and maybe’s, which are obviously a thing … but none of his examples he has given couldn’t also happen while we were just in another room 🤷🏼‍♀️

@StrictlyComeback that's not a good idea to be honest, presumably they're fully grown.

Mumsnet hysteria is ridiculous 🙄Just take the dog out !!

This …it’s called common sense 🤷‍♀️

How is it any different to going out into your garden with a dog and leaving your toddler asleep upstairs!?

He's full of scenarios. What's his solution?

I think this is ok to do. Does toddlers room have a stairgate on though so if they did wake they couldn't leave their room? To be honest if my partner is out or vice versa the one left at home has to run up the garden 20metres or so to put our poultry in and can't see or hear DD. Takes about 5 minutes or so to do but DD has a stairgate on the door so in the very unlikely event she wakes wouldn't be able to come to harm. I don't feel great about it and always hurry back in but it's rare we have to do it and DD is a reliable sleeper. Depends on lots of factors I think to be able to risk assess.

@MrsTerryPratchett his solution is that I don’t go 🤷🏼‍♀️

Can’t you just explain the situation to a neighbour and ask them to take the dog down? I’d do it for my neighbour.
If this really isn’t an option then it’s most likely fine, but if something unexpected were to happen, is it worth the risk? Not trying to catastrophise what seems like a very straightforward thing, but bad things do happen and when it comes to a toddler I’d much rather not have that hanging over me.

@chenilleblanket baby is still in a crib and hasn’t as of yet got himself out of it, but if he did, the room has a baby gate also

I don't see the problem with this, I know it's not ideal but I don't think there is any real alternative. I take my dog for a walk down the street when my 4 year old is asleep. My house is in view at all times and my 11 year old is in the house too. I would prefer not to do it but it's fine as an occasional one off.

Then surely the worst that can happen is they wake and are upset no one has come to them straight away, which isn't always possible anyway if you were in the house? Really don't see what your partner's issue is with this.

Good god, it's fine. What do you think people with ginormous houses do? Never go down the stairs and sit in the room next door to the children? Just leave him to it OP and let him solve the problem however he thinks best. Taking the dogs out the front sounds entirely reasonable.

Thought so. Does he actually want you to go?

Because he's attitude smells a bit.

@HalbusHumbledore if it was just one time then probably, but they dogs will need to go down 3 times throughout the day (morning, lunchtime, nighttime) for 2 days and my neighbours are a mixture of old, disabled, at work or also have young babies

This is exactly the same as anyone is a house sitting in their garden… of course it’s fine