Anonymous wrote:I’ve worked out on my basement gym while my 9mo DD slept upstairs in a very large house. I only monitored through the camera system. As long as you can see hear and respond, I don’t see the big deal.

Not the same as a very large house unless you live in a palace. A decade ago, I was at home exercising in our basement (small house) when a small fire broke out in the bathroom upstairs. Exhaust fan and birds’ building a nest. Smoke quickly filled our home. My older child was able to grab her baby sister and flee out the front door. I made my way out the back. It was not possible to go up the stairs at all. If my baby had been alone, she would have died.

This is illegal, whereas the large house situation is legal and perhaps just as dangerous.

Anonymous wrote:God, no.

I recall telling my MIL days weeks after having a newborn that I hesitated going down to my basement washer and dryer because I felt I was too far away! I was suffering w PPD and anxiety...MIL reassured me (and probably did some laundry for me) by reminding me how she would go to her apartment complex pool during her baby’s nap time! She’d just go inside to check whenever. She was in a poolside apartment, but still: yikes.

This sounds awesome to me. Only precaution I would take is to not swim when nobody else was there, just in case something happened to me in the pool. But sitting outside tanning, right outside her apartment? Why not?

Re OP: I would do this but I am pretty lax about these things. We live in a rowhouse and we once went to our next door neighbor's backyard party during baby's naptime. It was hardly any different from being in the backyard of a much larger house; in fact we were probably closer to her than you could be in some big houses. I could literally look up and see her window, which was at the back of our house. But some people at the party were scandalized.

If the monitor works well, then I think it's fine. It's about the same distance from one end of a large house to another, which most people find fine. I would be extra extra extra cautious about not losing my keys, but other than that, it's almost more safe than some situations where adults are in the next room to their baby.

My main concern would be that you have some health issue while at the gym (heart attack, stroke, fall and hit your head/pass out, etc) and either no one is there to help or you are unable to tell anyone about your unattended baby so no one knows to go get her if you go to hospital.


My second concern would be that a neighbor finds out and calls CPS on you.

I wouldn’t do it.

Anonymous wrote:Seems ok to me. Only issue is maybe if a fire starts in the apartment and the parent is not there to smell it.

But he would hear the fire alarm on the baby monitor

Anonymous wrote:PP above and so yes, OP in original AIA is indeed an asshole.

What if the gym goer strokes out? The gym has some sort of catastrophe...a car slams thru and kills you while you are on the treadmill? You stroke out while working out? I can imagine a million scenarios, easily. In fact, my baby is 20 and I have semi regular recurrent dreams where I can’t get to my newborn or I’ve forgotten that I had a baby and race home to my dorm to take care of her or have to take my newborn to my high school classes with me.

Being a cautious type combined with anxiety has made me a planner and a very responsible person.

This is catastrophizing and anxiety talking. Not a rational mind. There are extreme things that could happen even if you were in the same room as the baby.

I have no issue with this. I did gardening in the backyard while the baby napped. If he really is right next door, then no issue.

PP above and so yes, OP in original AIA is indeed an asshole.

What if the gym goer strokes out? The gym has some sort of catastrophe...a car slams thru and kills you while you are on the treadmill? You stroke out while working out? I can imagine a million scenarios, easily. In fact, my baby is 20 and I have semi regular recurrent dreams where I can’t get to my newborn or I’ve forgotten that I had a baby and race home to my dorm to take care of her or have to take my newborn to my high school classes with me.

Being a cautious type combined with anxiety has made me a planner and a very responsible person.

God, no.

I recall telling my MIL days weeks after having a newborn that I hesitated going down to my basement washer and dryer because I felt I was too far away! I was suffering w PPD and anxiety...MIL reassured me (and probably did some laundry for me) by reminding me how she would go to her apartment complex pool during her baby’s nap time! She’d just go inside to check whenever. She was in a poolside apartment, but still: yikes.

Anonymous wrote:Seems ok to me. Only issue is maybe if a fire starts in the apartment and the parent is not there to smell it.

Or he falls and gets hurt and can’t tell anyone about baby. No, I would not do this.

Is there a teen or even middle schooler in your building or someone else who wants to make a few quick bucks? Walk down the hall to do homework and keep an eye on the child and come get you if something is amiss? I know a couple people ppl in big buildings in nyc that did this sort of thing in middle school/ high school for spending money.

Not okay. What if there was a fire, or someone broke into the house? A baby monitor isn’t going to help with those. And a 30 second walk is actually pretty far. I can walk to the end of my block in 30 seconds.

Like PP said, he had 4 other nights a week he can work out.

I would, assuming the baby monitor works. BUT I would be worried about someone reporting me and I am pretty sure you could get in trouble for doing this.

I think it’s fine in that baby is perfectly safe.

The problem is if some nosy neighbor finds out, there’s a high risk of them calling CPS and they would not consider it fine. So I wouldn’t do it for that reason.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes or No?

what's the picture> do you have a link? nothings showing up for me

https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/comments/e240rq/aita_for_leaving_my_baby_unattended_while_i_go_to/