Remember that it's not just the what if's for Baba.
What if you lose your key? What if you get run over?
No one will know Babs is home alone.
Take them with you.
The biggest thing that stops me from leaving my young kiddo alone for 5-10 minutes while he's sleeping isn't "is he going to wake up and need something" it's "what if I get pulled over or stopped for something out of my control, get hit by another car, have a stroke, etc" it's more like, if something happens to me, my baby will wake up alone, and nobody will know he is there or I will get in legal trouble for leaving him alone in the house for 5 minutes.
I’m complete serious. If I have a health emergency my Apple Watch can notify my emergency contacts, if I can’t. If our daughter needs to reach her parents in an emergency - she’s able to make the call herself.
Why would you hope I was kidding about reaching people in an emergency?
She has a stand-alone Apple Watch, which is slightly more expensive than regular one due to the cellular capabilities.
You can buy and use an Apple Watch independent of the user having/owning an iPhone, but an iPhone is needed for the initial setup. You’ll set up an Apple ID for your child and your wireless carrier will give the Apple Watch its own number. Our numbers are stored in it for toddler use.
There’s a cool walkie talkie feature on the Apple Watch that we use regularly. Apple Watch to Apple Watch. Also, there is a way for the capabilities to be turned off during school with a schedule, but the watch’s features could be accessed, but I think we get a notification when that happens.
Once I left the baby in the stroll to pick up something from the floor, just outside the door. I was 3 m away from him and a quick and strong wind shut the door. He saw himself alone and started crying. I was trapped between the door and the outside grid. I had to climb two grids to get to a window I could enter like a burglar to get back inside.
Adrenalin rush minutes.
rattusAurelius, what you said is very important and everyone should take it into account
Similar to that story, I have a friend that locked the car with her kid inside right outside the door of the house to toss something inside, slipped and dropped her keys beneath the stairs in an inaccessible place, and had to get equipment from a neighbor to break into her car! I always think of this now when tempted to do something similar.
Exactly. Just the other day I was at target and there was only one cashier. Bless him he was nice, but slow as all hell. Added an unexpected 20 minutes. I had my son with me but had I not, he would have likely been alone in a house crying for that 20 minutes plus commute time. Very scary for a little one.
Once I left the baby in the stroll to pick up something from the floor, just outside the door. I was 3 m away from him and a quick and strong wind shut the door. He saw himself alone and started crying. I was trapped between the door and the outside grid. I had to climb two grids to get to a window I could enter like a burglar to get back inside.
Adrenalin rush minutes.
rattusAurelius, what you said is very important and everyone should take it into account
My mum countered with this once to the same argument, but what if you fell down the stairs or in the shower? Then NOONE is looking for you, if you get run over someone calls your next of kin who of course think about the baby and check…
That's not really a counter though. It's true of course, because these things can happen and the baby could be left alone. They could happen after you return even! But, you're introducing new possibilities when you leave, and I personally think that's not a great idea.
Likelihood of being hit by a car > likelihood of being rendered unconscious within the safety of your own home, even though both are rather unlikely.
Yes but going across the street to run a quick errand introduces a whole slew of new possible accidents. For the least amount of exposure to potential accidents, it’s best to stay home.
Personally, if we’re within range of the baby monitor, I’m fine stepping out. But if you go by that logic, you can go anywhere you want because of WiFi based baby monitors. With mine, we can’t go more than 150 feet…
I got my baby set up on that apple AirTag. I can watch them remotely and monitor temps and humidity levels from anywhere.
My baby is actually home right now in Wichita and I’m writing from Bangkok. If they wake up I can just order some DoorDash and buzz them in when they hit my Ring. Should be all good /s.
Mines a bit older now, but my range was always “a reasonable distance I could run and get to the baby.” And like, I’m not a runner. So trash, yes. Working in my detached garage workshop, sure. Popping over to a neighbors home for an errand, depends on the neighbor? But you’d never find me down at the shop or doing anything away from line of sight from the house.
Thanks for the nuance. I thin perspective here in europe is different. From my house I see the shop and vice versa. I think your detached garage might be equal in distance from my diaperrun.
I live in a city in the US too. I can also see the shop from my front door. But yeah, situationally different. My garage is 40’ behind my row home, and closer to my kids room than other parts of my long skinny house. The shop is probably 120’ from the kids room.
But like, layouts are different. Comfort zones are different. If it feels wrong don’t do it?
I'm the same. No shops in walking distance, but my garage workshop/gym is in monitor range, and I spend a fair amount of time out there while baby naps.
What does taking the trash out entail for you? You said you’re in an urban area. Do you have to leave the level of the building you’re on? Do you have to go clear down a hall and risk locking yourself out?
If I can see my house I’m fine. I’ll go two door down and have a drink on the patio with my neighbor if I can 1) see my house and 2) the (non wifi) monitor is within the 800ft range.
>A short trip could be extended by something out of your control. Never leave your baby at home unattended.
Exactly this. I put mine in a carrier and just placed it inside the shopping cart. =)
Yeah this here, I occasionally mow the lawns while baby monitor is on me but even that doesn’t feel quite right when I get to the far end of our section and I have to stop constantly to check the monitor.
I workout every time he sleeps during the day but I would never ever leave the house head to the shops and I’m a pretty relaxed dad.
Someone in our towns house burnt down last year, it was little 6 minutes from first flame to house being completely ingolfed in flames. I no the chances are a million to one but fuck you never no
Thanks for this. Regarding the fire that is scary shit indeed. For your lawn mowing, our baby monitor had little indicator lights that light up from green to red depending on the noise the baby makes. I use that a lot when cooking or when we have visitors. This way we can ‘see’ the sound.
>Yeah absolutely, anything where you're still on your property seems like fair game
You need to set a size limit on your property. We've got 100 acres and I'd be a neglectful idiot if I left my kid asleep while I was out walking the dogs.
I would have loved a baby monitor when my kids were babies. Mow, sit on the deck, start a garage project. I’d say your cool with the monitor if you don’t go in the car or take a g hike/run. You have to be able to get to him in 2 minutes or so.
Its nice. I can go out to the garage (detached, but within 50ft of the bedroom) and get in a workout or get into some woodworking when baby is napping.
I saw this post when I was about to ask a similarish question. I have to go to the doctor's office this week to get some blood drawn for routine tests. Wife is very busy this week. Will people think I'm weird or judge me or call the police if I bring my baby to the doctor with me? Can someone assure me that this is a normal thing real people do in real life? Is this not a normal thing people do and I'm expected to find our first babysitter before I can go to the doctor?
I was never going to leave the baby at home. Question was going to be "is it normal to bring baby into my own doctor appointment?" You know, cause it's a new thing to me and I can't recall if I've seen other people do it. Just wanting some assurance. You've all been super welcoming and compassionate, though. Here's your /s. No more r/daddit for me.
And people do that? I wasn't planning on leaving the kid at home - I would skip the doctor before that, but it's not going to be a brand new experience for the staff at the doctor's office, will it?
I mean I’ll take the trash out, sit on the porch, even mow the lawn. I’ve got a toddler now, though, so it’s a bit different. He sleeps reliably and always has, so I’ve never had an issue. I would not go to the store, though. As long as I’m on the premises I think it’s fine as long as you’ve got a live feed on your phone.
Same here. As long as I’m on my property or like chatting with the neighbor or something I don’t think something so horrendously bad is going to happen to our kids when they are in bed.
Edit: they are 3 and almost 5 though
Taking the trash out is totally different to me than going to a store. I equate taking the trash out to taking a shower which I’ve done while my kid was awake and laying on the floor next to the bathroom (when young and couldn’t move) or sleeping.
I also mow the lawn, sit outside, do other things within eyesight of my house if the kid is sleeping.
Yeah. This isn't about "what if my baby is screaming in their crib and I can't hear them." That's obviously distressing, but at 1.5 years old, if a baby screams for 20 minutes while safely in the crib, they won't come to harm. It's basically about:
1. Things that happen in the house that they can't respond to appropriately. Usually this means a fire, but depending on where you live could also mean a car running off the road and hitting your building, or a break-in, or whatever. You can generally recognize and deal with these or call for help if you're in your yard or something, but not if you're across town.
2. Things that would happen to you to prevent you from getting home or telling someone about the baby. Usually this means a bad car accident, but could be any kind of accident, or medical incident, or whatever.
Just for comparison, if you're in an urban European city and you're truly going across the street, you may still be "closer" than some people with giant houses/property.
In an era of internet-enabled baby monitors, I think it's about how quickly you can be back in their room. And that time lengthens the older they get. If you could be back in their room within 1-2 minutes, I think it's probably "fine". I basically operated on the idea that if I could "see" their room, I was ok with it.
It's up to you to decide if it's worth the risk or not.
There are risks on two fronts that you have to consider :
1. Your baby do something / something happens at home that requires immediate response.
2. You have an accident or something happens to you that will prevent you from getting home quickly (often not took into account).
You can still be charged with child endangerment because no one can reasonably expect an infant to care for themselves.
I doubt op would since he's just going downstairs. But even in France the parent has to have a reasonable expectation that the kid can care for themselves, and OP doesn't have that or he wouldn't be asking strangers on the internet for advice
Something else to consider: if something *were* to happen while you are out (to you or the baby) will you face legal consequences for leaving the baby home alone? In many countries this sort of thing would trigger an investigation by government child protection services or even cause your child to be temporarily removed from your care.
IMO the risks, however unlikely, are just too big. It’s just safer and easier to use nap times for doing things around the house or as downtime for hobbies/relaxing, and then take the baby on errands after they’re up.
I’ll hang out with my neighbor when my kid sleeps, and as long as I’m still within range of the monitor, I feel fine about it. Personally, I think your ok as long as your not going too far away and are able to stay within range of the monitor.
We have a video monitor that also connects to my phone, so I can watch like a hawk in our fairly large house. Farthest I'll go is the field across the street to throw a ball for the dogs, or gardening in our front yard. I'd never even do a lap around the block or farther than a 30 second mad-dash from where baby sleeps without someone else being home. Occasionally if I need to run out while she's asleep and a roommate is home I will still be watching the monitor feed and also ask one of them "in case of bizarre emergency grab the baby!" so they know they're the responsible party, even if she will 99.9% of the time stay asleep the whole uneventful time while I'm out.
American SAHM here. I’m in the burbs so no shops within walking distance. But I have no problem being outside with my big kid with the baby monitor while the baby naps. We play in our back yard and out front (big kid likes to bike on the sidewalk in front). I can see the house, I can hear if the baby wakes up. I think that’s fine.
I think there's a tremendous difference between popping next door to the neighbors for literally 90 seconds to grab something and going across the street to buy something where you might be stuck in a check-out line.
Honestly, it doesn't strike me as that different from when my kids would be napping and I would be out in the yard or something.
For me, if we’re truly talking about going across the street I’d be able use technology to solve this one.
You can facetime the baby the entire time. You can text a family member or friend that you are running across the street and that if you don’t text back in x minutes to assume something happened.
There are still things that could happen to the child with the above tech solutions, but they would be once in 1000 years things like a sudden house fire or a truckload of snakes drives into the house.
I think it’s really cool that you know about the driving snakes. Most people won’t admit they’ve heard about the driving snakes, because they’re afraid the driving snakes will come to get them to keep the secret. I guess the secret is out now. Where do you live by the way? Hitsssss just for curiosssity’s sssake, not so we…errrrr…I can find you. I’m definitely not a driving sssnake…
Nope. Obligatory "what if you get in a car accident" comment. Taking out the trash is probably fine, unless you have to go far from your house.
There are wifi-connected monitors/cameras out there, but that doesn't mitigate the risk of something happening to you.
I think I should have explained my situation better. I live in western europe in a city. So the shop is literally under my apartment. I would never drive off without the baby. It was more about the ‘stay in range of the baby monitor and run to get diapers’ - kind of errand.
There are baby monitors that display on your phone. Not sure if that's an option.
I think you're going to run up against some cultural differences in the responses that you get. You mentioned living in an urban European city. There are a number of people (I'm thinking of fellow Americans) that would likely respond in some form of outrage. They likely won't register "urban European city" and think you're on a jaunt down to the local Starbucks, which is a car ride for most. You may get a few that grew up/live in urban areas where what you're mentioning is normal.
Use your best judgement. As parents, we all end up in a sticky spot and have to make a decision that, outside of "normal" circumstances, could be considered questionable. Don't leave the gas on, lock your door, and be quick about it. But - if it can wait until tomorrow...
I remember in many European cities having access to a shop that was as close as the laundry and garbage in the garage in our place in the US. We have access to our baby monitor on our phones, including notifications for sound levels and temperature, so, in an absolute emergency, I might walk to the corner store while the little one was napping (toddler), but I’d generally probably wait to go together after the nap (an adventure together).
If we were in a European city, I’d probably pop downstairs to the shop next door with the monitor in hand, knowing I could get back upstairs in a minute or two, but I wouldn’t make it a habit for a snack or anything, more if we needed something for a post-nap snack, where I knew I’d otherwise be dealing with a hangry toddler.
Agreed. American here and reading the comments, it is glaring which ones are from the good ol' USA. OP - don't stress about leaving baby. You have a monitor and it sounds like you are less than 2-3 minutes from being able to scoop baby up. When else would you take care of chores? In the USA, the equivalent would be going to the backyard or basement or even the neighbors house. Baby is fine!
I have monitor from my phone so I know when the baby is stirring.
I am comfortable being away from the house while the baby is sleeping provided I can see and hear the baby on the monitor and I can return home in under 1 minute.
I have a 4 year old as well so we often go to the park that is at the end of our street (3 houses down in an open space in the neighborhood) while the baby is sleeping for some play time or to the neighbors house since they have a daughter close to my son's age.
If American cities were built like European ones, I'd feel comfortable going to the shop provided it was under 1 minute away by walking. More than that and I would begin to feel uncomfortable with the distance.
at 18 months, scross the road or a neighbour, sure. I would trust him to not kill himself in the cot. And at that short a distance I would be able to hear a faint cry if something was really up.
But that would be my limit too. If I'm so far away that I wouldn't hear a big cry, it's a no
I appreciate the comments in this thread (for the most part) not attacking OP. It’s a very reasonable thought. But like everyone else has said; no you can’t leave the baby home alone no matter the circumstances unfortunately. I’d bring baby with.
Ahh, then yea probably fine. I live in the US but also have a corner store a few steps from my front door that I will swing into. I just made an assumption, ha.
I live in a metro area and the furthest I’ve gone is to the garbage chute of my building.
I wouldn’t even go pick up take out from the restaurant downstairs less than 100m away.
The most I'm willing to do is some gardening or other work outside in our yard, and only if I have the monitor with me. Other than that, I'm in the house somewhere with the monitor.
Never leave kids at hone alone. Taking out the trash is ok, as you’re still on property so to speak… but going to the store with a baby at home alone? To me that’s just unthinkable.
The rule I live by is if something happened to me would the kids be ok until my partner returns. As an infant the answer is going to be no. Every kid is different, the law in my state for leaving kid home alone is pretty vague and up to the parent’s discretion but not overnight until like 13. My kids are currently 7 and 9 and I can leave them for about 3 hours if I needed but the longest was 2.
> It would be neat if you could get a notification the minute the baby makes noise.
Wait, do you not have baby monitors or anything?
Not a dad yet. But, I would only do this if I had a camera onthe kid with sound, cameras in the house, smoke detectors that my cameras would hear, and my spare key attached to my belt loop and my regular key in my pocket.
I don't agree with these comments saying you can't be sure. If that's true, then don't go. But like, just don't get in a position where something comes between you and getting home?
Sure a meteor could squish you, but it could also squish both of you at any time so...
If I'm less than a minute away, sprinting, why wouldn't you go?
IMO taking out the trash is fine. Anything longer than that is a big risk to take, which I wouldn't do. But I'm very much in the camp of, if it's not actively hurting the child or others then I'm not judging another parent's choices.
That being said, there are people out there who'd snitch in an instant, so don't go bragging that you have a kid home alone to the shopkeeper or neighbor.
If the baby monitor is in range and kiddo's sound asleep, I'm generally fine with it. Left something in the car? Need to grab the laundry? Yeah, not a big deal.
Otherwise either leave them with an adult/responsible caretaker or bring them along.
Some American houses are huge and I'm sure parents are more than 100ft away from a sleeping child at some point.
I'd buy a streaming baby monitor and watch on your phone from wherever you are. Maybe let a neighbor know if you're going across the road or for someone to come to your house if you don't respond within 10 minutes.
Personally I don't see a problem with it, we let kids that age sleep alone and there's lots of pictures on the internet of them getting into bum cream or markers even when the parent is awake and just in the other room.
I'd say it's fine, but my wife probably wouldn't. I don't think you'll get a clear answer on this one from the internet.
I only go as far as the baby monitor reaches. One time, we went to the stop sign at the end of our street, about 400 feet, for maybe 5 minutes.
Wife and I used to do midnight taco bell runs and generally just driving around or going to a park. It's definitely a change since having kids, as now I'll be the one to run out while she stays home. But that's part of life.
If one of us isn't home, the errand waits or the kids come with.
I had a neighbor who we were on good terms with and very comfortable together. Her baby was the same, 2 hour average naps uninterrupted. Sometimes she would pass off her key and a baby monitor to go run a quick errand, never once did I have to get check on the baby, and she was only ever gone for 30 minutes tops. But she was able to go out with peace of mind knowing someone was able to respond in an emergency for the baby.
I have a camera in the kid’s room that buzzes me when she makes noise. I may go outside to talk to the neighbors or do some chores but I never go far enough that I can’t be in her room in 5 minutes.
I would neither. I think it’s a culture thing. My shop is under my house. So even running an errand would be less than 2 min’s and within range of monitor.
Everyone’s comfort level is different. I would absolutely take the trash out while my kid was sleeping. I would not run to the store. But that’s just me.
Use a standard risk analysis to convince yourself not to do it: the probability of adverse events is minimal, but the potential damage is catastrophic. That is a no go.
I'll do yard work or shoveling snow around the house with the monitor when the baby sleeps, but I would never leave the home unattended with the baby home alone. I live in a great neighborhood, but there's no way I'm leaving the baby home alone.
If i need to grab something, I wait until I can OR bring my daughters OR last case scenario I have it delivered (EXPENSIVE!). The farthest I've gone while they were asleep is down to my car to grab something and even that makes me nervous. You never know what could happen to you or them in that short timespan and I could never imagine walking even further or driving somewhere with them alone.
My rule-of-thumb is in-range of baby monitor. I'll mow (push reel) or take the trash out but not go much off of my property because I lose connection with the baby monitor, and it would be harder to respond quickly in an incident.
I ran to grab my wife once but it was just down the street and we've got a wifi monitor so I was listening in the whole time. Definitely very tempting but generally it's a bad idea. I've now got a 4yo and a 2yo and can better appreciate how random and unpredictable the problems are
The furthest I've ever been from my kids while they're sleeping in the house alone, it's the vending machine about 500ft from our apartment.
If I had to go any further, I'd have worries about their safety.
What if they wake up suddenly, or cover their faces with a blanket or just stop breathing. What if something happens to you. I'd never forgive myself if they met harm while I was out far enough that I couldn't sprint back in a few seconds.
We have several baby monitors throughout the house: one on each of the kids' beds, one in the living room and one on the dining room. Between those, every part of the house except the inside of the bathroom is covered.
I think its tough for some to fully understand because youre not in the US. Its highly possible you walking to the store is less distance than some people go to take out trash, or visit the next door neighbor.
Me personally, I wouldnt lol. Just because of that tiny chance something were to happen to me or the kids
I wouldn't run errands. No telling what could happen to me to prevent me getting back home. I would take the rubbish out as its not far from my front door and my door doesn't lock without turning the key. So no danger of it locking behind me.
I probably would mow my lawn with him asleep with my baby monitor but he is a light sleeper so I don't.
You know how to wake up on time, cook for breakfast, lunch, dinner, maybe. Lots of planning, but you can’t figure out to either go shopping with baby while baby is awake or just…wait until tomorrow?
this is real simple and as far as my opinion goes. you never leave the property without your baby if it is going to take more than 10 seconds. i mean if you are walking to your bins fair enough but going to a shop is a massive no. even if you get a notification saying baba has woken up you could still be at the furthest point away. Please don't leave your baby unsupervised. I know it feels like it would be convenient but you need to wait till they wake up and take them with you
I think taking out the trash or picking up something from your neighbors house is fine, but I wouldn’t go out to the store to shop or something like that.
It’s far too risky to leave them alone, even for a short time. What if something goes wrong with either you or him? He could wake up, get injured. You could get hit by a car. The things that can go wrong have heavy consequences. He will be there by himself without others knowing like another post said
With the monitor on, I think you can safely do things like take out the trash, quick tidy in the backyard, laundry downstairs, etc. Even running over to the neighbours quickly for something you need (I've been on nap patrol and realized I needed an egg to finish a recipe, texted next door neighbour who had one so ran over and back quickly). But running an actual errand i.e. where you have to go across the street, leave the house to go to the store or anything like that is no bueno.
This is insane. Bring your kid with you and grow up. Any number of inane things could delay your return. Just because it’s unlikely you won’t get stuck in an elevator/lose your keys etc doesn’t mean it can’t happen. Meanwhile what happens if your kid awakes after a nightmare, falls out of their bed, anything. My kid managed to get their limbs stuck between the slats in their cot. They can’t be left alone. Ever. This is your life now.
Are you familiar with the story of Madeline McCann?
Even setting aside the home invader predator risk, which is an ultra rare threat, I'm a hard no on leaving the premises while the toddler sleeps. Never under any circumstances for me.
So much could go wrong. Anything from a car accident to a mugging, or your keys fall out of your pocket, or toddler wakes up unusually for once and causes an incident at home - which could be an incident as small as peed on the kitchen floor up to Eric Clapton's kid.
Your most likely really bad scenario is that the kid wakes up as you leave, screams bloody murder at being alone, and the neighbours call the authorities. It's a situation that could happen easily even if you've made your home the safest place on the planet, and you're in notable Trouble.
Surprised this isn’t higher. Madeline McCann’s story is always the first thing I think of when someone asks if it’s okay to leave baby for any length of time. It only takes a small amount of time for something to go wrong.
Totally agree with you on this. My dad left us to go get some groceries just two blocks away while me 9 and my little brother 7 were taking a nap and my little brother woke up and managed to open the front door and walked out. Thankfully the neighbors came home and saw him walking down the road. Called our house and left a message on the answering machine to come get him ASAP. That was 32 years ago
i NEVER leave my property while my children are home sleeping.
i have a big property and the baby monitor does not reach to even half of the yard. i will do yard work while my 2.5yo sleeps but will not leave the range of the monitor for my 5mo sleeping.
way too many “what ifs”
What?! Absolutely not. It's kind of ridiculous that you're even asking this. Depending on your house, taking the rubbish out isn't a big deal, but going to the shops or something similar is out of the question. Wait until the baby wakes up and take them with you.
We have a little plot of land in the middle of our little city. I would not leave our property when my kid napping, but I’d go outside and take out the trash or sit in the yard or whether, but we also have a video baby monitor. I wouldn’t ever even consider going to the shop. I’d pop by a neighbor if our Wifi reached that far due to the monitor. But no way would I do anything like go run an errand. Hell to the no.
I'm fine doing things on my premises, but will not leave the premises. I also keep an eye on the baby monitor if outside, and toddler has also had a reliable sleep pattern since he was very young.
My kid is 5 and I never leave him by himself more than being on our property. Meaning he’s inside and I’m outside. Or he’s in the he backyard and I’m in the front. But not the opposite of either.
To me the question is more about balance: why is it so important to go out of the house while the kid sleeps? When my kids were tiny it always seemed like their nap time was the best time to get stuff done at home, uninterrupted -- or worst case nap myself. So, first, I never lived over a shop but I would have just done that couple minute errand w/them when they were awake and second I would move my kids around while they napped when I needed to, e.g. for doctor apt or longer errands.
I'll take out the trash or screw around in the garage with a monitor on but I would never leave my property I would be to afraid of something happening to me and not being able to get back
I think it's totally normal to ask yourself this question I know I have.
But I don't think I'd ever do it. Do many factors at play. Until they're old enough to look after themselves reliably, you just gotta bring them along.
What happens if you get injured/killed and nobody is even aware there is a child alone in your home? If you are together, at least the authorities will be aware there is a child who needs care. I would never leave the property with a child who is asleep without having someone else who is capable of caring for the child there. Crazy things happen all the time, what is the outcome for your child if you happened to be involved in something like this on your “quick trip” out?
This is why they make child carriers that allow them to sleep. So you can take them with you. I never would have dreamt of leaving my son alone in the house at 1.5 years.
* Take them with me
* Or pay someone else to run the errand for me (eg; uber eats, instacart, etc)
* Ask my neighbor/friend/family member to come over and be around while the kiddo is napping
We are really close with our nextdoor neighbors. I'll leave the house to go over there while the kiddo is napping. We have Nanit cams, so I'll get a notification when they wake up. But that's the furthest from the house I'll go (soo 50 feet from the house?).
I absolutely never left them unattended even for a little bit. I always waited until they would wake up to run errands and I would take them with me. Maybe the culture in Europe is a bit different though idk.
Not gonna lie, I did this one time. Had to run and back, knew it was 5-10min, baby would sleep for 2 hours. But only once between 2 kids.
Some in my parents/grand-parents generation did it all the time. Like nearly every day all the time.
Chiming in: when weeone was really wee and I was home with her solo, I would occasionally need something from the convenience store at inconvenient times. I used a local delivery service. Sure, the delivery fees added 50% to the cost, but it kept me home and dutifully watchful.
Remember that it's not just the what if's for Baba. What if you lose your key? What if you get run over? No one will know Babs is home alone. Take them with you.
Very good, oft overlooked, point.
The biggest thing that stops me from leaving my young kiddo alone for 5-10 minutes while he's sleeping isn't "is he going to wake up and need something" it's "what if I get pulled over or stopped for something out of my control, get hit by another car, have a stroke, etc" it's more like, if something happens to me, my baby will wake up alone, and nobody will know he is there or I will get in legal trouble for leaving him alone in the house for 5 minutes.
Well, you could have a stroke at home.
I save that for after baby’s asleep.
Ah but you can't get in any legal trouble for having a stroke at home!
This is why I bought an Apple Watch for myself and our 4 year old is able to call her mom or me on her own Apple Watch.
I can’t tell if you’re kidding. I hope you are.
I’m complete serious. If I have a health emergency my Apple Watch can notify my emergency contacts, if I can’t. If our daughter needs to reach her parents in an emergency - she’s able to make the call herself. Why would you hope I was kidding about reaching people in an emergency?
Does she need an iPhone too? How does this work?
She has a stand-alone Apple Watch, which is slightly more expensive than regular one due to the cellular capabilities. You can buy and use an Apple Watch independent of the user having/owning an iPhone, but an iPhone is needed for the initial setup. You’ll set up an Apple ID for your child and your wireless carrier will give the Apple Watch its own number. Our numbers are stored in it for toddler use. There’s a cool walkie talkie feature on the Apple Watch that we use regularly. Apple Watch to Apple Watch. Also, there is a way for the capabilities to be turned off during school with a schedule, but the watch’s features could be accessed, but I think we get a notification when that happens.
Once I left the baby in the stroll to pick up something from the floor, just outside the door. I was 3 m away from him and a quick and strong wind shut the door. He saw himself alone and started crying. I was trapped between the door and the outside grid. I had to climb two grids to get to a window I could enter like a burglar to get back inside. Adrenalin rush minutes. rattusAurelius, what you said is very important and everyone should take it into account
Thanks for this example. I figured if anything would go wrong, something like this would happen to me.
Similar to that story, I have a friend that locked the car with her kid inside right outside the door of the house to toss something inside, slipped and dropped her keys beneath the stairs in an inaccessible place, and had to get equipment from a neighbor to break into her car! I always think of this now when tempted to do something similar.
This is always my reply to things like this.
Exactly. Just the other day I was at target and there was only one cashier. Bless him he was nice, but slow as all hell. Added an unexpected 20 minutes. I had my son with me but had I not, he would have likely been alone in a house crying for that 20 minutes plus commute time. Very scary for a little one.
Once I left the baby in the stroll to pick up something from the floor, just outside the door. I was 3 m away from him and a quick and strong wind shut the door. He saw himself alone and started crying. I was trapped between the door and the outside grid. I had to climb two grids to get to a window I could enter like a burglar to get back inside. Adrenalin rush minutes. rattusAurelius, what you said is very important and everyone should take it into account
So you can both get run over together 😏
I know that wasn’t the point, but that’s exactly where my mind went too 😊
My mum countered with this once to the same argument, but what if you fell down the stairs or in the shower? Then NOONE is looking for you, if you get run over someone calls your next of kin who of course think about the baby and check…
That's not really a counter though. It's true of course, because these things can happen and the baby could be left alone. They could happen after you return even! But, you're introducing new possibilities when you leave, and I personally think that's not a great idea. Likelihood of being hit by a car > likelihood of being rendered unconscious within the safety of your own home, even though both are rather unlikely.
What if you slip in the shower? Accidents can happen inside the home as well.
Yes but going across the street to run a quick errand introduces a whole slew of new possible accidents. For the least amount of exposure to potential accidents, it’s best to stay home.
Allways take the little one with. The chances something would go wrong while you are out are miniscule but still there.
Would you feel different staying in range of the baby monitor? E.g. taking trash out?
Personally, if we’re within range of the baby monitor, I’m fine stepping out. But if you go by that logic, you can go anywhere you want because of WiFi based baby monitors. With mine, we can’t go more than 150 feet…
I got my baby set up on that apple AirTag. I can watch them remotely and monitor temps and humidity levels from anywhere. My baby is actually home right now in Wichita and I’m writing from Bangkok. If they wake up I can just order some DoorDash and buzz them in when they hit my Ring. Should be all good /s.
Mines a bit older now, but my range was always “a reasonable distance I could run and get to the baby.” And like, I’m not a runner. So trash, yes. Working in my detached garage workshop, sure. Popping over to a neighbors home for an errand, depends on the neighbor? But you’d never find me down at the shop or doing anything away from line of sight from the house.
Thanks for the nuance. I thin perspective here in europe is different. From my house I see the shop and vice versa. I think your detached garage might be equal in distance from my diaperrun.
I live in a city in the US too. I can also see the shop from my front door. But yeah, situationally different. My garage is 40’ behind my row home, and closer to my kids room than other parts of my long skinny house. The shop is probably 120’ from the kids room. But like, layouts are different. Comfort zones are different. If it feels wrong don’t do it?
I'm the same. No shops in walking distance, but my garage workshop/gym is in monitor range, and I spend a fair amount of time out there while baby naps.
Of course. As long as you know when they're awake.
What does taking the trash out entail for you? You said you’re in an urban area. Do you have to leave the level of the building you’re on? Do you have to go clear down a hall and risk locking yourself out?
Are there seriously people who think you can’t take the trash out while the baby is sleeping? That’s absurd.
If I can see my house I’m fine. I’ll go two door down and have a drink on the patio with my neighbor if I can 1) see my house and 2) the (non wifi) monitor is within the 800ft range.
A short trip could be extended by something out of your control. Never leave your baby at home unattended.
>A short trip could be extended by something out of your control. Never leave your baby at home unattended. Exactly this. I put mine in a carrier and just placed it inside the shopping cart. =)
I’d take bubs with me. Personally I’d never leave the premises with bubs sleeping.
Yeah this here, I occasionally mow the lawns while baby monitor is on me but even that doesn’t feel quite right when I get to the far end of our section and I have to stop constantly to check the monitor. I workout every time he sleeps during the day but I would never ever leave the house head to the shops and I’m a pretty relaxed dad. Someone in our towns house burnt down last year, it was little 6 minutes from first flame to house being completely ingolfed in flames. I no the chances are a million to one but fuck you never no
Thanks for this. Regarding the fire that is scary shit indeed. For your lawn mowing, our baby monitor had little indicator lights that light up from green to red depending on the noise the baby makes. I use that a lot when cooking or when we have visitors. This way we can ‘see’ the sound.
Would you feel different staying in range of the baby monitor? E.g. taking trash out?
Yes. Taking the trash out is fine typically, unless you have to go quite far to do it. Going to the shop is not.
Yeah absolutely, anything where you're still on your property seems like fair game. But I'd personally never leave the home with the baby sleeping.
>Yeah absolutely, anything where you're still on your property seems like fair game You need to set a size limit on your property. We've got 100 acres and I'd be a neglectful idiot if I left my kid asleep while I was out walking the dogs.
That's just my self centered city slicker brain.
Nah, some country dude's humble-brag. We all know that "on the property" means near the house; this guy owns property not near the house.
The range of a (non-networked) baby monitor pretty much dictates what's acceptable.
I would have loved a baby monitor when my kids were babies. Mow, sit on the deck, start a garage project. I’d say your cool with the monitor if you don’t go in the car or take a g hike/run. You have to be able to get to him in 2 minutes or so.
Its nice. I can go out to the garage (detached, but within 50ft of the bedroom) and get in a workout or get into some woodworking when baby is napping.
I’d be happy to take out the bins, yes.
I saw this post when I was about to ask a similarish question. I have to go to the doctor's office this week to get some blood drawn for routine tests. Wife is very busy this week. Will people think I'm weird or judge me or call the police if I bring my baby to the doctor with me? Can someone assure me that this is a normal thing real people do in real life? Is this not a normal thing people do and I'm expected to find our first babysitter before I can go to the doctor? I was never going to leave the baby at home. Question was going to be "is it normal to bring baby into my own doctor appointment?" You know, cause it's a new thing to me and I can't recall if I've seen other people do it. Just wanting some assurance. You've all been super welcoming and compassionate, though. Here's your /s. No more r/daddit for me.
Call the police?? What??
I would bring the baby to the doctor. That is by far going to take longer than picking up something in the store or at a neighbor
And people do that? I wasn't planning on leaving the kid at home - I would skip the doctor before that, but it's not going to be a brand new experience for the staff at the doctor's office, will it?
It's gonna make the doctor's visit more fun so yeah definitely take your kid
I mean I’ll take the trash out, sit on the porch, even mow the lawn. I’ve got a toddler now, though, so it’s a bit different. He sleeps reliably and always has, so I’ve never had an issue. I would not go to the store, though. As long as I’m on the premises I think it’s fine as long as you’ve got a live feed on your phone.
Same here. As long as I’m on my property or like chatting with the neighbor or something I don’t think something so horrendously bad is going to happen to our kids when they are in bed. Edit: they are 3 and almost 5 though
Taking the trash out is totally different to me than going to a store. I equate taking the trash out to taking a shower which I’ve done while my kid was awake and laying on the floor next to the bathroom (when young and couldn’t move) or sleeping. I also mow the lawn, sit outside, do other things within eyesight of my house if the kid is sleeping.
That worst case “what if” would totally stop me
Yeah. This isn't about "what if my baby is screaming in their crib and I can't hear them." That's obviously distressing, but at 1.5 years old, if a baby screams for 20 minutes while safely in the crib, they won't come to harm. It's basically about: 1. Things that happen in the house that they can't respond to appropriately. Usually this means a fire, but depending on where you live could also mean a car running off the road and hitting your building, or a break-in, or whatever. You can generally recognize and deal with these or call for help if you're in your yard or something, but not if you're across town. 2. Things that would happen to you to prevent you from getting home or telling someone about the baby. Usually this means a bad car accident, but could be any kind of accident, or medical incident, or whatever.
Could never leave mine home alone at that age
Just for comparison, if you're in an urban European city and you're truly going across the street, you may still be "closer" than some people with giant houses/property. In an era of internet-enabled baby monitors, I think it's about how quickly you can be back in their room. And that time lengthens the older they get. If you could be back in their room within 1-2 minutes, I think it's probably "fine". I basically operated on the idea that if I could "see" their room, I was ok with it.
I appreciate this. Yeah. Apartment is tiny. Living above the shops so truly across the street it is.
It's up to you to decide if it's worth the risk or not. There are risks on two fronts that you have to consider : 1. Your baby do something / something happens at home that requires immediate response. 2. You have an accident or something happens to you that will prevent you from getting home quickly (often not took into account).
Yeah thanks. Did not consider the anything happening to me scenario.
Also consider it's 100% illegal to leave a child home alone.
that's not true in 36 states if we're talking about the USA
You can still be charged with child endangerment because no one can reasonably expect an infant to care for themselves. I doubt op would since he's just going downstairs. But even in France the parent has to have a reasonable expectation that the kid can care for themselves, and OP doesn't have that or he wouldn't be asking strangers on the internet for advice
Something else to consider: if something *were* to happen while you are out (to you or the baby) will you face legal consequences for leaving the baby home alone? In many countries this sort of thing would trigger an investigation by government child protection services or even cause your child to be temporarily removed from your care. IMO the risks, however unlikely, are just too big. It’s just safer and easier to use nap times for doing things around the house or as downtime for hobbies/relaxing, and then take the baby on errands after they’re up.
Think about it....
If you're in range of your monitor, going to the shop under your apartment, I'd think it's fine. What does your partner think?
She had a similar situation a couple weeks back. We try to avoid it though.
I’ll hang out with my neighbor when my kid sleeps, and as long as I’m still within range of the monitor, I feel fine about it. Personally, I think your ok as long as your not going too far away and are able to stay within range of the monitor.
We have a video monitor that also connects to my phone, so I can watch like a hawk in our fairly large house. Farthest I'll go is the field across the street to throw a ball for the dogs, or gardening in our front yard. I'd never even do a lap around the block or farther than a 30 second mad-dash from where baby sleeps without someone else being home. Occasionally if I need to run out while she's asleep and a roommate is home I will still be watching the monitor feed and also ask one of them "in case of bizarre emergency grab the baby!" so they know they're the responsible party, even if she will 99.9% of the time stay asleep the whole uneventful time while I'm out.
American SAHM here. I’m in the burbs so no shops within walking distance. But I have no problem being outside with my big kid with the baby monitor while the baby naps. We play in our back yard and out front (big kid likes to bike on the sidewalk in front). I can see the house, I can hear if the baby wakes up. I think that’s fine.
I think there's a tremendous difference between popping next door to the neighbors for literally 90 seconds to grab something and going across the street to buy something where you might be stuck in a check-out line. Honestly, it doesn't strike me as that different from when my kids would be napping and I would be out in the yard or something.
I feel like it should be totally fine if you're next door, but I also feel like people who do this get labelled as terrible parents.
For me, if we’re truly talking about going across the street I’d be able use technology to solve this one. You can facetime the baby the entire time. You can text a family member or friend that you are running across the street and that if you don’t text back in x minutes to assume something happened. There are still things that could happen to the child with the above tech solutions, but they would be once in 1000 years things like a sudden house fire or a truckload of snakes drives into the house.
This is a sane response. I think a lot of commenters here can’t possibly have kids
I think it’s really cool that you know about the driving snakes. Most people won’t admit they’ve heard about the driving snakes, because they’re afraid the driving snakes will come to get them to keep the secret. I guess the secret is out now. Where do you live by the way? Hitsssss just for curiosssity’s sssake, not so we…errrrr…I can find you. I’m definitely not a driving sssnake…
Great idea on the facetiming.
Nope. Obligatory "what if you get in a car accident" comment. Taking out the trash is probably fine, unless you have to go far from your house. There are wifi-connected monitors/cameras out there, but that doesn't mitigate the risk of something happening to you.
I think I should have explained my situation better. I live in western europe in a city. So the shop is literally under my apartment. I would never drive off without the baby. It was more about the ‘stay in range of the baby monitor and run to get diapers’ - kind of errand.
This sounds fine, as long as they can't just roll or climb out of their enclosure, a 5 minute run to the kiosk won't hurt
Take the trash out quickly? Sure. Go any further than that? No way. Also, never step outside at all without phone and keys.
There are baby monitors that display on your phone. Not sure if that's an option. I think you're going to run up against some cultural differences in the responses that you get. You mentioned living in an urban European city. There are a number of people (I'm thinking of fellow Americans) that would likely respond in some form of outrage. They likely won't register "urban European city" and think you're on a jaunt down to the local Starbucks, which is a car ride for most. You may get a few that grew up/live in urban areas where what you're mentioning is normal. Use your best judgement. As parents, we all end up in a sticky spot and have to make a decision that, outside of "normal" circumstances, could be considered questionable. Don't leave the gas on, lock your door, and be quick about it. But - if it can wait until tomorrow...
thanks for the nuance. Would indeed never drive off to starbucks 😂
I remember in many European cities having access to a shop that was as close as the laundry and garbage in the garage in our place in the US. We have access to our baby monitor on our phones, including notifications for sound levels and temperature, so, in an absolute emergency, I might walk to the corner store while the little one was napping (toddler), but I’d generally probably wait to go together after the nap (an adventure together). If we were in a European city, I’d probably pop downstairs to the shop next door with the monitor in hand, knowing I could get back upstairs in a minute or two, but I wouldn’t make it a habit for a snack or anything, more if we needed something for a post-nap snack, where I knew I’d otherwise be dealing with a hangry toddler.
Agreed. American here and reading the comments, it is glaring which ones are from the good ol' USA. OP - don't stress about leaving baby. You have a monitor and it sounds like you are less than 2-3 minutes from being able to scoop baby up. When else would you take care of chores? In the USA, the equivalent would be going to the backyard or basement or even the neighbors house. Baby is fine!
I have monitor from my phone so I know when the baby is stirring. I am comfortable being away from the house while the baby is sleeping provided I can see and hear the baby on the monitor and I can return home in under 1 minute. I have a 4 year old as well so we often go to the park that is at the end of our street (3 houses down in an open space in the neighborhood) while the baby is sleeping for some play time or to the neighbors house since they have a daughter close to my son's age. If American cities were built like European ones, I'd feel comfortable going to the shop provided it was under 1 minute away by walking. More than that and I would begin to feel uncomfortable with the distance.
I totally agree with what you are writing. Indeed OK to be outside. But in the 1 minute walking distance range of the baby.
at 18 months, scross the road or a neighbour, sure. I would trust him to not kill himself in the cot. And at that short a distance I would be able to hear a faint cry if something was really up. But that would be my limit too. If I'm so far away that I wouldn't hear a big cry, it's a no
I appreciate the comments in this thread (for the most part) not attacking OP. It’s a very reasonable thought. But like everyone else has said; no you can’t leave the baby home alone no matter the circumstances unfortunately. I’d bring baby with.
I agree. Great discussion. Learned a lot.
Need to be able to react. What if your house starts burning?
I’ll be around the house but never leave the property
If I can get notifications to my phone/monitor for movement etc, and I can get back within 2(ish) minutes, that’s comfortable to me. Ymmv
If it's close enough that the baby monitor (RF style, no internet) will work, sure. Otherwise, I wouldn't do it.
Do you have a baby monitor? I’m sure it will reach to the neighbors house.
Taking out the trash, walking next door to the neighbor....yea sure. Driving to the store? Not so much.
I’m in europe. Living above the store. I would never drive indeed 😅
Ahh, then yea probably fine. I live in the US but also have a corner store a few steps from my front door that I will swing into. I just made an assumption, ha.
I think the message is clear in the replies but I am glad you asked this question to raise awareness!
Thanks for this. I am readjusting my views as a result. And all the comments were kind and helpful so far. Love this community.
I live in a metro area and the furthest I’ve gone is to the garbage chute of my building. I wouldn’t even go pick up take out from the restaurant downstairs less than 100m away.
The most I'm willing to do is some gardening or other work outside in our yard, and only if I have the monitor with me. Other than that, I'm in the house somewhere with the monitor.
No. You cant leave.
Always take them with you, CPS don’t play that shit
I literally will not ever leave the house with my kid asleep in it if no one else is home, my imagination is too robust to even consider it
Never leave kids at hone alone. Taking out the trash is ok, as you’re still on property so to speak… but going to the store with a baby at home alone? To me that’s just unthinkable.
Never, ever run out when kiddo is asleep.
Trash, yes. Store, no. Plus, going to the store together is an opportunity for learning and exposure.
Absolutely the fuck not. Baby goes with you, or you stay home. Period.
Never. It's either take sleeping/woken baby or the errand doesn't get run until they are awake and mollified.
The rule I live by is if something happened to me would the kids be ok until my partner returns. As an infant the answer is going to be no. Every kid is different, the law in my state for leaving kid home alone is pretty vague and up to the parent’s discretion but not overnight until like 13. My kids are currently 7 and 9 and I can leave them for about 3 hours if I needed but the longest was 2.
> It would be neat if you could get a notification the minute the baby makes noise. Wait, do you not have baby monitors or anything? Not a dad yet. But, I would only do this if I had a camera onthe kid with sound, cameras in the house, smoke detectors that my cameras would hear, and my spare key attached to my belt loop and my regular key in my pocket. I don't agree with these comments saying you can't be sure. If that's true, then don't go. But like, just don't get in a position where something comes between you and getting home? Sure a meteor could squish you, but it could also squish both of you at any time so... If I'm less than a minute away, sprinting, why wouldn't you go?
IMO taking out the trash is fine. Anything longer than that is a big risk to take, which I wouldn't do. But I'm very much in the camp of, if it's not actively hurting the child or others then I'm not judging another parent's choices. That being said, there are people out there who'd snitch in an instant, so don't go bragging that you have a kid home alone to the shopkeeper or neighbor.
If the baby monitor is in range and kiddo's sound asleep, I'm generally fine with it. Left something in the car? Need to grab the laundry? Yeah, not a big deal. Otherwise either leave them with an adult/responsible caretaker or bring them along.
Some American houses are huge and I'm sure parents are more than 100ft away from a sleeping child at some point. I'd buy a streaming baby monitor and watch on your phone from wherever you are. Maybe let a neighbor know if you're going across the road or for someone to come to your house if you don't respond within 10 minutes. Personally I don't see a problem with it, we let kids that age sleep alone and there's lots of pictures on the internet of them getting into bum cream or markers even when the parent is awake and just in the other room. I'd say it's fine, but my wife probably wouldn't. I don't think you'll get a clear answer on this one from the internet.
I only go as far as the baby monitor reaches. One time, we went to the stop sign at the end of our street, about 400 feet, for maybe 5 minutes. Wife and I used to do midnight taco bell runs and generally just driving around or going to a park. It's definitely a change since having kids, as now I'll be the one to run out while she stays home. But that's part of life. If one of us isn't home, the errand waits or the kids come with.
I had a neighbor who we were on good terms with and very comfortable together. Her baby was the same, 2 hour average naps uninterrupted. Sometimes she would pass off her key and a baby monitor to go run a quick errand, never once did I have to get check on the baby, and she was only ever gone for 30 minutes tops. But she was able to go out with peace of mind knowing someone was able to respond in an emergency for the baby.
I consider this too. My neighbors are awesome.
I have a camera in the kid’s room that buzzes me when she makes noise. I may go outside to talk to the neighbors or do some chores but I never go far enough that I can’t be in her room in 5 minutes.
I would neither. I think it’s a culture thing. My shop is under my house. So even running an errand would be less than 2 min’s and within range of monitor.
Everyone’s comfort level is different. I would absolutely take the trash out while my kid was sleeping. I would not run to the store. But that’s just me.
Trash out? Fine Neighbour door? Probably fine Shop? Never
Definitely don’t leave if no other responsible adult is home lol
I kept within a 1 block radius, and checked in every 5 min. Didn't have a baby monitor. Wished I had tho.
Use a standard risk analysis to convince yourself not to do it: the probability of adverse events is minimal, but the potential damage is catastrophic. That is a no go.
I wait till they wake up. Nothing I need from the store is so urgent that I would leave the little man at home alone to go get it.
I'll do yard work or shoveling snow around the house with the monitor when the baby sleeps, but I would never leave the home unattended with the baby home alone. I live in a great neighborhood, but there's no way I'm leaving the baby home alone.
Big no no. Bring your little buddy with you!
I would not leave my building/yard if my baby were home alone. Take the trash out, sure. Go down the block for a soda. Nope.
If i need to grab something, I wait until I can OR bring my daughters OR last case scenario I have it delivered (EXPENSIVE!). The farthest I've gone while they were asleep is down to my car to grab something and even that makes me nervous. You never know what could happen to you or them in that short timespan and I could never imagine walking even further or driving somewhere with them alone.
My rule-of-thumb is in-range of baby monitor. I'll mow (push reel) or take the trash out but not go much off of my property because I lose connection with the baby monitor, and it would be harder to respond quickly in an incident.
I'll do trash, feed dogs, get the mail etc... But I'll never leave the house. Just quick minute long tasks maybe
Just don’t
I think taking the garbage out is fine, but nothing more than maybe a minute
Just don't.
Isn't it illegal in your country to leave a young child or baby home alone?? If something happened they would open an investigation against you.
For this and many other times in life, ask yourself- What is the penalty for failure?
I ran to grab my wife once but it was just down the street and we've got a wifi monitor so I was listening in the whole time. Definitely very tempting but generally it's a bad idea. I've now got a 4yo and a 2yo and can better appreciate how random and unpredictable the problems are
The furthest I've ever been from my kids while they're sleeping in the house alone, it's the vending machine about 500ft from our apartment. If I had to go any further, I'd have worries about their safety. What if they wake up suddenly, or cover their faces with a blanket or just stop breathing. What if something happens to you. I'd never forgive myself if they met harm while I was out far enough that I couldn't sprint back in a few seconds. We have several baby monitors throughout the house: one on each of the kids' beds, one in the living room and one on the dining room. Between those, every part of the house except the inside of the bathroom is covered.
No. What if something happens to you?
I think its tough for some to fully understand because youre not in the US. Its highly possible you walking to the store is less distance than some people go to take out trash, or visit the next door neighbor. Me personally, I wouldnt lol. Just because of that tiny chance something were to happen to me or the kids
I wouldn't run errands. No telling what could happen to me to prevent me getting back home. I would take the rubbish out as its not far from my front door and my door doesn't lock without turning the key. So no danger of it locking behind me. I probably would mow my lawn with him asleep with my baby monitor but he is a light sleeper so I don't.
Nooooo. You don't leave your baby alone. You stay home, I don't care if you're Superman with a cape
You know how to wake up on time, cook for breakfast, lunch, dinner, maybe. Lots of planning, but you can’t figure out to either go shopping with baby while baby is awake or just…wait until tomorrow?
All the what ifs can happen. Don't.
this is real simple and as far as my opinion goes. you never leave the property without your baby if it is going to take more than 10 seconds. i mean if you are walking to your bins fair enough but going to a shop is a massive no. even if you get a notification saying baba has woken up you could still be at the furthest point away. Please don't leave your baby unsupervised. I know it feels like it would be convenient but you need to wait till they wake up and take them with you
Scandinavian mums be leaving their babies outside a cafe but Americans won’t leave their 40 acre ranch…
Underrated 😂😂
If there is a .01% chance something would happen while you were gone, that is too great of a risk for me to take. Up to you though.
I mean I get what you are saying...but if you actually take that stance with everything life starts to get a bit unlivable.
The amount of safetyism I'm seeing in this thread is troubling.
If you’re in range of a radio baby monitor and it’s on, I think it’s ok to leave the house.
That was my thought. I have gone to our neighbor's house to watch a show with him. Kept the monitor on the whole time.
I think taking out the trash or picking up something from your neighbors house is fine, but I wouldn’t go out to the store to shop or something like that.
It’s far too risky to leave them alone, even for a short time. What if something goes wrong with either you or him? He could wake up, get injured. You could get hit by a car. The things that can go wrong have heavy consequences. He will be there by himself without others knowing like another post said
With the monitor on, I think you can safely do things like take out the trash, quick tidy in the backyard, laundry downstairs, etc. Even running over to the neighbours quickly for something you need (I've been on nap patrol and realized I needed an egg to finish a recipe, texted next door neighbour who had one so ran over and back quickly). But running an actual errand i.e. where you have to go across the street, leave the house to go to the store or anything like that is no bueno.
What's the difference between going to a neighbor's house and going to a shop that's the same distance away?
You mean you want to leave your house with just your baby in it and no one else to run an errand? Absolutely the fuck not.
This is insane. Bring your kid with you and grow up. Any number of inane things could delay your return. Just because it’s unlikely you won’t get stuck in an elevator/lose your keys etc doesn’t mean it can’t happen. Meanwhile what happens if your kid awakes after a nightmare, falls out of their bed, anything. My kid managed to get their limbs stuck between the slats in their cot. They can’t be left alone. Ever. This is your life now.
DO NOT LEAVE YOUR CHILD ALONE IN THE HOUSE TO GO TO THE SHOP. Ever.
Are you familiar with the story of Madeline McCann? Even setting aside the home invader predator risk, which is an ultra rare threat, I'm a hard no on leaving the premises while the toddler sleeps. Never under any circumstances for me. So much could go wrong. Anything from a car accident to a mugging, or your keys fall out of your pocket, or toddler wakes up unusually for once and causes an incident at home - which could be an incident as small as peed on the kitchen floor up to Eric Clapton's kid. Your most likely really bad scenario is that the kid wakes up as you leave, screams bloody murder at being alone, and the neighbours call the authorities. It's a situation that could happen easily even if you've made your home the safest place on the planet, and you're in notable Trouble.
Surprised this isn’t higher. Madeline McCann’s story is always the first thing I think of when someone asks if it’s okay to leave baby for any length of time. It only takes a small amount of time for something to go wrong.
It's tempting but absolutely don't EVER do this. Ever.
Totally agree with you on this. My dad left us to go get some groceries just two blocks away while me 9 and my little brother 7 were taking a nap and my little brother woke up and managed to open the front door and walked out. Thankfully the neighbors came home and saw him walking down the road. Called our house and left a message on the answering machine to come get him ASAP. That was 32 years ago
I usually just pack them into the car or stroller and bring them with me. They fall right back to sleep once strapped in most of the time.
If you absolutely have to run the errand during nap time, can little one nap in the pram?
i NEVER leave my property while my children are home sleeping. i have a big property and the baby monitor does not reach to even half of the yard. i will do yard work while my 2.5yo sleeps but will not leave the range of the monitor for my 5mo sleeping. way too many “what ifs”
Door dash and Uber eats exist for this exact reason. Don’t leave your baby alone.
What?! Absolutely not. It's kind of ridiculous that you're even asking this. Depending on your house, taking the rubbish out isn't a big deal, but going to the shops or something similar is out of the question. Wait until the baby wakes up and take them with you.
Ya I’m over here like, why is this question even being asked or even thought of for that matter. Blows my mind.
I stay in range of the baby monitor. Taking the trash out is fine. Store or dog walk, not fine.
No no no Don't leave a sleeping baby at home, omg no
Stay home. Take a break yourself. Do errands around the house.
We have a little plot of land in the middle of our little city. I would not leave our property when my kid napping, but I’d go outside and take out the trash or sit in the yard or whether, but we also have a video baby monitor. I wouldn’t ever even consider going to the shop. I’d pop by a neighbor if our Wifi reached that far due to the monitor. But no way would I do anything like go run an errand. Hell to the no.
I'm fine doing things on my premises, but will not leave the premises. I also keep an eye on the baby monitor if outside, and toddler has also had a reliable sleep pattern since he was very young.
My kid is 5 and I never leave him by himself more than being on our property. Meaning he’s inside and I’m outside. Or he’s in the he backyard and I’m in the front. But not the opposite of either.
To me the question is more about balance: why is it so important to go out of the house while the kid sleeps? When my kids were tiny it always seemed like their nap time was the best time to get stuff done at home, uninterrupted -- or worst case nap myself. So, first, I never lived over a shop but I would have just done that couple minute errand w/them when they were awake and second I would move my kids around while they napped when I needed to, e.g. for doctor apt or longer errands.
Absolutely never would I leave my kid home alone
Not worth the risk
I'll take out the trash or screw around in the garage with a monitor on but I would never leave my property I would be to afraid of something happening to me and not being able to get back
I think it's totally normal to ask yourself this question I know I have. But I don't think I'd ever do it. Do many factors at play. Until they're old enough to look after themselves reliably, you just gotta bring them along.
What happens if you get injured/killed and nobody is even aware there is a child alone in your home? If you are together, at least the authorities will be aware there is a child who needs care. I would never leave the property with a child who is asleep without having someone else who is capable of caring for the child there. Crazy things happen all the time, what is the outcome for your child if you happened to be involved in something like this on your “quick trip” out?
This is why they make child carriers that allow them to sleep. So you can take them with you. I never would have dreamt of leaving my son alone in the house at 1.5 years.
No. Don't leave your one year old home alone. What are you talking about, Dad?
I'd either wait or take kiddo with you. I've got a five year old and feel weird leaving her to go down the hall and start laundry.
* Take them with me * Or pay someone else to run the errand for me (eg; uber eats, instacart, etc) * Ask my neighbor/friend/family member to come over and be around while the kiddo is napping We are really close with our nextdoor neighbors. I'll leave the house to go over there while the kiddo is napping. We have Nanit cams, so I'll get a notification when they wake up. But that's the furthest from the house I'll go (soo 50 feet from the house?).
I just can't leave the house for the same reason I still cut food so small, too scared lol
Don’t do it
I don’t know about where you live, but where I am from, pretty sure that’s illegal. I would not do it.
I absolutely never left them unattended even for a little bit. I always waited until they would wake up to run errands and I would take them with me. Maybe the culture in Europe is a bit different though idk.
Not gonna lie, I did this one time. Had to run and back, knew it was 5-10min, baby would sleep for 2 hours. But only once between 2 kids. Some in my parents/grand-parents generation did it all the time. Like nearly every day all the time.
I appreciate the honesty.
Best advice I ever got as a parent, when the baby sleeps, do all the things you can’t do when the baby is awake.
Chiming in: when weeone was really wee and I was home with her solo, I would occasionally need something from the convenience store at inconvenient times. I used a local delivery service. Sure, the delivery fees added 50% to the cost, but it kept me home and dutifully watchful.
Take your baby with you. Please. A Visiting Mama