Can you leave a sleeping baby alone in the house?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My youngest's naptime was always in the middle of her sibling's preschool pickup. My rule was if it I was home and back in less time than it took me to take a shower than what is the difference. The preschool was in our neighborhood, and a less than 3 minute drive (no main roads). I was home in less than ten minutes. It wasn't ideal but sometimes you have to do what is necessary. Anything more than ten minutes total is too much I think.

What is there was a fire? I had a night light explode and catch on fire. I was in the room reading a book and by the time (maybe 10 seconds) I got to the outlet the whole thing was in flames.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My youngest's naptime was always in the middle of her sibling's preschool pickup. My rule was if it I was home and back in less time than it took me to take a shower than what is the difference. The preschool was in our neighborhood, and a less than 3 minute drive (no main roads). I was home in less than ten minutes. It wasn't ideal but sometimes you have to do what is necessary. Anything more than ten minutes total is too much I think.

The difference is when you take a shower, you are in the house. The difference is when you are in the shower, you have zero chance of being in a car accident. You absolutely cannot be this dim.

Licenses are required to drive or to catch a fish, but any idiot can pop out a kid who's dependent upon them for their life for the next 18 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My youngest's naptime was always in the middle of her sibling's preschool pickup. My rule was if it I was home and back in less time than it took me to take a shower than what is the difference. The preschool was in our neighborhood, and a less than 3 minute drive (no main roads). I was home in less than ten minutes. It wasn't ideal but sometimes you have to do what is necessary. Anything more than ten minutes total is too much I think.

Sorry, but do you really believe you were doing what was “necessary”? You could have hired someone to pick up older kid, chosen a different preschool with different hours, adjusted baby’s nap time, etc. You just picked the easiest and most irresponsible choice.

[Anonymous]

No. You can’t.

[Anonymous]

Op here. Thanks for the responses. I asked because I am looking at a place that only has a laundry in the basement, not in unit. I can’t imagine bringing my baby to the laundry room every time and I was wondering if I could go out while he’s asleep.

[Anonymous]

It’s fine in Europe. Here, not so much.

[Anonymous]

I posted previously a “no” answer, but I have lived 8.5 years with kids in apartments without in-unit laundry. One was down the hallway and the other (now) is in our backyard (duplex / laundry in the garage). I tried not to go down the hall during naps but I’m guessing I did. With the backyard laundry I think I would - since it’s close enough to hear the baby with an open window. It feels no different than if I went downstairs while a baby slept in a house. On vacation pre-pandemic my brother and I rented a house next door to my parents. They were comfortable being at my parents’ while their baby slept in the rental. The monitor (we tested it) worked that far. I was not and put my younger daughter down for naps at my parents’ home instead or one of us would stay at the rental.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Thanks for the responses. I asked because I am looking at a place that only has a laundry in the basement, not in unit. I can’t imagine bringing my baby to the laundry room every time and I was wondering if I could go out while he’s asleep.

I have a 1 year old and I would be okay with this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Thanks for the responses. I asked because I am looking at a place that only has a laundry in the basement, not in unit. I can’t imagine bringing my baby to the laundry room every time and I was wondering if I could go out while he’s asleep.

I have this situation and I can’t leave them. No signal in basement, things can still happen, I literally once wanted to do it and walk out the door and it just felt wrong. Laundry can wait baby takes priority. I did laundry with him in stroller and he loved it. But again I just have an active imagination get stuck in elevator get attacked in basement apt fire and we have evacuate just no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Thanks for the responses. I asked because I am looking at a place that only has a laundry in the basement, not in unit. I can’t imagine bringing my baby to the laundry room every time and I was wondering if I could go out while he’s asleep.

Going to the basement for laundry is very different from leaving the house to have drinks / dinner / errand / older sibling pick up or similar! I answered up thread that I would not, but I imagined a situation of leaving the house. This is also why many posters talked about driving / walking. This is very different and I can’t imagine you’d spend more than 10 minutes in the laundry room, and you are in the building so if there is a fire alarm, you should be able to hear it and run upstairs. I would absolutely go do laundry while baby is sleeping - how long would it take you, 5 minutes?

[Anonymous]

OP, I understand your hesitation, and when DD was a baby I might have felt odd about doing this, but now I am less paranoid, and I genuinely think it would be fine. Do you get cell service in the basement? I'd get a video wifi monitor that you can have on your phone while you do the laundry. That way you can see the baby the whole time.

[Anonymous]

What if there s a fire?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Thanks for the responses. I asked because I am looking at a place that only has a laundry in the basement, not in unit. I can’t imagine bringing my baby to the laundry room every time and I was wondering if I could go out while he’s asleep.

I do laundry (down the hall) while my baby is asleep. Once I went to the lobby to check my mail, freaked out about what if something happened and didn't do it again. I think if you have a monitor that works in the basement (not sure what floor you're on) this could be fine. To me, basement in the same building for a few minutes to dump laundry in the machine is really different than actually leaving the property to somewhere five minutes away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our preschool teacher called CPS on a family that was leaving their infant at home to take their toddler to the nearby preschool. Don’t do it.

Good for her! She's a mandatory reporter for ALL kids, not just the ones she teaches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My youngest's naptime was always in the middle of her sibling's preschool pickup. My rule was if it I was home and back in less time than it took me to take a shower than what is the difference. The preschool was in our neighborhood, and a less than 3 minute drive (no main roads). I was home in less than ten minutes. It wasn't ideal but sometimes you have to do what is necessary. Anything more than ten minutes total is too much I think.

Sorry, but do you really believe you were doing what was “necessary”? You could have hired someone to pick up older kid, chosen a different preschool with different hours, adjusted baby’s nap time, etc. You just picked the easiest and most irresponsible choice.

Had the baby nap in the carseat? Figured out how to transfer the child from crib to carseat? Had the baby nap in a stroller and WALK to the preschool?