Baby left with grandparents for 4 nights. Worrying it will impact him!

[HEIHEI23]

Our 12 week old baby went for a sleepover at grandparents last night. This morning me and husband have come down with stomach bug/food poisoning and have been so ill all day. We are terrified about him catching it so my parents have agreed to keep him until Wednesday and then he will go to other grandparents until Thursday. This will then put us out of the 48 hour mark of being contagious. He has been going to their houses for sleepovers since 8 weeks old. This wasn’t through choice but because I was very very unwell with PPD. I’m so worried that I’m damaging his development by him staying out for 4 nights and he will think we have abandoned him 😞 he is our first baby and I hate the thought of him thinking we’ve just left him behind but I don’t want him to catch what we’ve had as it’s been absolutely awful and can’t imagine what it would be like for a little baby. Please reassure me he will be ok and won’t be traumatised by it all 🙈

If it makes you feel any better, my friend chose to go on holiday for 5 days when she had a 6 month old baby! Granny and grandpa had the baby, absolutely fine. She has a lovely bond with her son and so does Granny. Her mh was suffering and it was a needed break.

My parents also had my son for regular sleepovers from him being 8 weeks. Hasn't affected our relationship! Just rest until you feel better I've no idea what sense would be in you exposing him and also being unable to look after him!

He’ll be absolutely fine. It’s great that he was already comfortable with grandparents.

It’s better than the alternative of a very poorly baby.

Op I hope you feel better soon.

This is not the place to ask this kind of thing, because as you know, every family and every baby and every parent is different.

You will get people like me, who has an eldest of 7 down to a baby who has never even thought about a sleepover elsewhere.

To people who have wonderful parents and feel comfortable with that immediately.

Would I do it? No?

Would I take baby to save them from a close friend ? Yes.

Is that rational? No.

I have what MN would probably deem extreme health anxiety around my children. Like if I hear someone cough I'm up and running.

I just think this question won't help you right now as you can see by some of the responses.

Look after you and baby and follow your instincts

He will be absolutely fine. Please don''t worry. As long as he is being fed and looked after he will be great. Its not like he'll ever remember it.

In other cultures the care of babies is routinely shared with the extended family.
Your baby knows his grandparents, their voices and touch. He will feel safe and loved. There's nothing in the situation to alarm him. Please try not to worry.

I think you are being very brave and sensible. Noro can be really nasty for babies.

He'll be absolutely fine. It's so lovely for him to spend time with others who love him. Rest up and get better.

Baby will be fine he knows his gp very well like a third parent. So no it won't traumatisehim. He can be close with you dad and his gp

Amazing grandparents is all I can say.

It’s nice to read a thread for once where everyone isn’t NC or cutting the grandparents out or fighting.

Thank you so much to everyone has reassured me that he will be ok. I really jsut want the best for him and feel so guilty that we’ve had a bumpy start together. Looking forward to giving him alllll the cuddles when he comes back.

There's been a horrendous stomach bug going around where I'm from. Almost everyone I know or have spoken to has had it and knows other people in their family who have.

Why do people think food poisoning can't be contagious??

E. coli, salmonella, and campylobacter can all go from person to person.

Norovirus can also be foodborne, so could be classed as "food poisoning" if caught that way.

Some of them do look like potatoes though!

@HEIHEI23 he will fine. He will loved and looked after and come back when you are better. I hope you both feel better soon.

He will be absolutely fine.

When my youngest was about 6 months old I had a 12 day stay in hospital, in the meantime baby and our nearly 3 year old were passed around the grandparents whilst my DH juggled visiting as well as the boys. Both boys were absolutely fine particularly the younger one who didn’t have a clue what was going on.

Your baby won’t have a clue.

Your baby is way better off being well cared for by his grandparents who he knows and loves than being home cared for by parents who could pass on a bug that could make him very ill indeed. When my kids were tiny I caught their bugs from them, but if it had been me who was ill and they weren't then I'd do all I can to avoid passing it on.

Right @harrietm87 so no evidence or anything then, just your own anecdote about your own kids being distressed when their food source wasn't around 🤷‍♀️

On the other hand, my bottle fed babies didn't give a shit and have always been perfectly happy at both sets of grandparents.

So on balance, maybe we could just support the OP, who has a new baby, and is ill, and has clearly suffered extensively with her mental health in recent months.

Yes it can be. What do you think food poisoning is? Food that has been contaminated with a bacteria or virus (say, campylobacter or salmonella) is consumed and causes illness, but that affected person can then go on to infect other people directly via the faecal-oral route.

He'll be fine @HEIHEI23 just concentrate on getting better. I'm sure if he starts to get inconsolably upset you can change plans and he can come home.

Don't be horrible

He’ll be absolutely fine. It’s better you and DH fully recover and get baby back once you’re fully rested rather than have him back still unwell. Your baby won’t remember anything and being with grandparents is the next best thing!

There's no need to be so nasty!

I would have thought a molecular biologist would understand that 'infect' is a verb and 'infectious' an adjective.

I also would have thought that the OP and her husband would take great care to keep their infant away from their vomit and excrement.

Interestingly, AI says that food poisoning is infectious but not contagious, since contagious is generally taken to mean spread through direct contact.

Your baby will be fine! You are so lucky to have such love and support. I hope you and DH feel better soon.

She's not writing a paper fgs, it's a post on mumsnet.

But @comedycentral the PP has used AI to check her working sooo...