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Parenting

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Original poster

Would you pop out to the shop whilst your child was in bed?

121 replies

AliciaJohns · 08/03/2008 20:32

Not that I am thinking of doing it, it's just that I was in on my own last night (ds (14 months) tucked up in bed) and had major chocolate craving and there was none in the house. Anyway, as one who has said some pretty harsh things about the McCanns, of course I did the decent thing and just ate everything else in the house instead.

However, I happened to mention this to a friend today who also has kids - she looked surprised and said she nips out all the time (she is a single parent), only to the bottom of the street and only once she is sure her 2 are asleep.

Does anyone else do this??? Be honest now!

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Monkeybird · 08/03/2008 21:06

nope. under no circs.

Mumcentreplus · 08/03/2008 21:07

brb...Off to the shop!

Original poster

AliciaJohns · 08/03/2008 21:08

Get me a Twirl whilst you're there Mumcentreplus....

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Mumcentreplus · 08/03/2008 21:09

lmao...Liberties!!

DoubleBluff · 08/03/2008 21:12

If the shop was at the end of my street or across the road, and my kids were fast asleeep I would. Yes I might get run over by a bus on the way, but at the same time I might collpase from a rare genetic illness in front of pop idol.

gemmummy · 08/03/2008 21:14

no, never. i would never run out of chocolate anyway.

Honeymum · 08/03/2008 21:27

I have when kids are fast asleep. Shop is 10 seconds away, on same side of road. If it was any further then I wouldn't. But I don't worry about being hit by falling masonry/run over by runaway car mounting the pavement/being shot by mad gunman holding up the corner shop. I don't have a paranoid nature and let's face it, none of those eventualities are likely are they? But like I said, if there were (busy) roads to cross and the shop was further I wouldn't (Runs to take cover.....)

Blu · 08/03/2008 21:30

yes - if I were run over outside my house neighbours / shop lady would know who I was and that there was a baby...and where to find DP. If I had collapased in front of TV with a rare genetic illness it could have been hours and hours before anyone looked after DS

elkiedee · 08/03/2008 21:31

It would probably be hard for me to have shops closer - the nearest is just three houses away (though that closes at teatime) and there's another round the other street corner, no need to cross a road even, before 9 pm.

Even so, no. The baby wakes up too much. If he was awake and I was desperate, I'd probalby take him out in the buggy at the same time as going to the shop, but usually I would have to wait for dp to come home and phone him to ask him to bring chocolate.

I think I was alone in the house occasionally from a relatively young age and I used to walk about 5 mins to and from school (primary and middle) from about 7 to 10 and then when we moved quite a lot further from 10 to 13 (same school but I was 25 mins walk away). But I wouldn't leave a baby alone.

Crunchie · 08/03/2008 21:32

strangely enogh never when they are asleep, but yes if awake. However mine are 9 and 7 and v v sensible. Also I make sure next door is there too, as they know they could always go there if anything happened

SpacePuppy · 08/03/2008 21:33

I don't have the guts!

Blu · 08/03/2008 21:33

And, in view of falling masonry, cars mounting pavements, mad axemen and gun massacres, crushing by plummeting window cleaners etc - if you risk all that going to the shops, isn't a sleeping baby arguably safer behind a locked door which is within sight of the shop?

DoubleBluff · 08/03/2008 21:33

Why does everyone think that all these awful things will happen to them if they dtep outside their front doors?
You must be a bag of nerves.
Most accidents happen in the home don't they ?!!

gingeme · 08/03/2008 21:33

No way in fact I have re accurant nightmares about not being able to get home knowing my kids are home alone. Or not being able to pick them up from a certain place and theyre there alone too.
no way.

booge · 08/03/2008 21:43

I never have but this thread makes me want to. I'm shocked at how many of you imagine horrible things are likely to happen to us the moment we step outside our homes. This unreasonable paranoia is symptomatic of the general risk aversion in society that makes us want to wrap our kids up in cotton wool, most accidents happen in the home.

booge · 08/03/2008 21:44

Jinx DoubleBluff!

cory · 08/03/2008 21:46

I'm with Crunchie: I would leave an older child (say age 7 and upwards) if awake and not too tired, but never when they're asleep.

Partly for safety reasons, but also because it's a question of trust. If they woke up and found themselves alone, they would feel frightened and abandoned. I couldn't do that to them.

cory · 08/03/2008 21:49

The bit I never understood about the McCanns is not that they failed to foresee that their child would get abducted- after all, that was a pretty small and they were extremely unlucky- but that they did not seem to have thought about how a 3yo would feel if she woke up alone in a strange hotel bedroom and nobody heard her shouting. That would have been the first thing on my mind.

buttercreamfrosting · 08/03/2008 21:51

carol3 · 08/03/2008 21:52

yes, have a couple of times, when younger two are asleep and ds (10) is awake. Am a lone parent shop is a few doors down on the same side of the road.

sandyballs · 08/03/2008 21:54

Do you think our parents had this kind of angst?

DoubleBluff · 08/03/2008 21:55

Ok say you di pop out for two minutes and your child woke up.
a) - they would be locked in the house - so no risk of them being abducted
b0 - they might cry for a few minutes - and tehn you turn up - don't think they would be scarred for life.
I haven't left my kids alone to go to the shop at night - because the shop is so far away.
But if there was a corner shop at the end of my street, i would not have a problem with locking them in and nipping out for a max of 5 mins.

pooka · 08/03/2008 21:57

This has reminded me of the time I took the rubbish out when dd (1 at the time) was asleep upstairs. But the wind caught the door and I was locked out. DH was working late. I had to knock on a neighbour's door, use their phone, ring DH, get him to rush home (works about 20mins away) and then get in. Panicked was not the word, I was so so cross with myself and petrified that dd would wake up (not a brilliant sleeper at that age) and I wouldn't be able to comfort her. I stood the whole 20mins in driving rain with my ear to the catflap, ready to break in if necessary. Perhaps a bit of an overreaction, but... PFB.
Was really horrible.

Mumcentreplus · 08/03/2008 21:58

What the McCanns did is totally different imo...you pop to the shop back in 5mins...totally different from out eating friggin Dinner with friends!

Original poster

AliciaJohns · 08/03/2008 22:06

Mmm yummy thanks for that

McCanns is a lot more extreme obviously but principle is the same. Weren't they popping back every 20 mins or something? how long is too long??

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