Another question about new babies and going out

[marylennox]

How soon after having a baby did you leave them with someone else?

I am torn between feeling like I desperately need a break and feeling guilty for being away.

[stellas]

You mean for an hour or overnight?

For an hour or two. A week or less old.

Overnight was 6 weeks with ds and 7 weeks with DD. I nursed DD and sent her with a lunch box full of frozen milk and just pumped while she was gone.

[cabbagecabbage]

When she was a month old I left her with DH and went to Starbucks. We did dinner out with grandma as babysitter at 5/6 months. I did my first and so far only overnight at 2 and a half years. I find I'm on the conservative end of what most peoplr do usually.

[gummybear]

We went to a wedding (cocktail hour only) a week after DD #1 was born. I think she was 2 or 3 weeks when we went out to dinner? My parents/ILs watched her. I don't even remember with #2, lol.

I think a little time away is good. It's overwhelming and exhausting. Don't feel guilty.

[lovelyshoes]

Don't feel guilty. I went grocery shopping and such at about 10 days - 2 weeks.

[themoneytree]

A few months in. But kiddo was colicky and I didn't feel like it was fair to lumber someone else with that!

[hopecounts]

I went out to 'run errands' and get a nursing bra (and get a break from DD) when she was 4ish days old.
I left her with DH and was gone 2ish hours since I was BFing and that's as long as she was going at that point during the day.
As long as the kid is with someone you trust and being feed NBD go out and get a break!
MIL babysat at 4 weeks for a date night.

[gummybear]

Oh are we counting "running errands"? As soon as I got cleared to drive (c/s), whenever that is. But I live near pretty much everything so those trips are generally less than an hour, even for a "major" food order. For smaller errands I can be out and back in 20 minutes so I don't even count them. Showers take longer

[crispnclean]

Don't feel guilty. I think the first time we left him at home while we went out was when he was about a month old. We went to a party that night and left him with my parents. I didn't leave him overnight until he was about 10 months old, and even then he was just with DH. He was 14 months before he stayed overnight without either of us. He was a terrible sleeper, and DH didn't feel right asking someone else to keep him overnight knowing that they would only get to sleep in 3 hour blocks.

[chedominique]

Overnight? Not yet, and she is 9 months old. We don't have any family nearby.

A couple of hours? 6 weeks old.

[Elsa]

I left M with my mom for a long leisurely run to Target at about 5 days old. I left her with a sitter (adult next door neighbor) for an hour and a half or so while we grabbed dinner at about a month old.

I think you do what works for you. If you need a break, take one! Its important you take care of yourself during this time.

[christy082]

I left her with my mom for 3 hours or so at 3.5 weeks old. If you need a break, take one. Caring for your well being can only be good for your relationship with your baby.

[liverandonions]

around 10 days for about 2 hours to go to a funeral and 6 weeks for an overnight.

[ECB]

For a little while, like for errands? I honestly can't remember. DH was around a lot so I'm SURE that at some point during my ML, I went out at least to the store w/o DS.

But he was 2 months old the first time we left hiim for an extended time. We had a wedding to go to so my parents watched him. It was about 8 hours total.

Don't feel guilty. really... don't. You are still an individual and you still need "me" time. Even if it's just to run to Target! Take time for yourself if you feel you need it. There is NOTHING wrong with that.

[Deleted]

Our first trip away was a short jaunt to Coachella when she was 12 weeks old.

[SJ]

The first time I left her at all for any amount of time was around 4 weeks. Went to dinner with DH. The next day went to visit another new baby in the hospital.

Left her overnight for the first time for 1 night around 6 weeks to stand up in a local wedding.

[Queen Mamadala]

No overnights for quite a while, 16+ months. But I left my youngest with H when she was 4 weeks so I could go to a postpartum visit. Didn't leave her (with him) for 2+ hours, to see a movie, until she was 4 months old.

[tacocat]

I think he was about 6 weeks old when we left him with the IL's to go to dinner. Before then we had family bring us dinner regularly, so we still got a break to eat. We haven't done an overnight yet at 7 months, but will be in about 2 months.

[ninjabridemom]

An hour was I think at 6wks or less. My sister and her husband watched them. My sister said she saw Gabe pee while sleeping and so *woke him up* to change him lol. Amateur!!

Overnight was 5ms old. My mom came to watch them while we went to a wedding. We do this only about every other year, but should get better at it.

[themysteriouswife]

I don't remember with DD. A few weeks old. We won tickets to a NHL game.

With DS he was 5 days. It was an ER trip for me. I was gone several hours. I cried the entire time about leaving him. Since then I've left him 30 min to run an errand. He is 6 weeks today. I plan to run to Target and Michaels alone tonight. I'm looking forward to it.

[isabel]

I started running errands on my own when he was about two weeks. I didn't feel like I could reliably leave him and have him not be hungry and I wasn't pumping yet.

I stayed at MIL's overnight this past weekend. He was 15 weeks.

[adhdfashion]

A couple months old. H and I went to out dinner. Gone maybe two hours, baby was with my mom.

[housewife]

When DS was a few weeks/maybe a month old I left him with H and went out to dinner with my girlfriends. Overnight at 9 or 10 months old.

DD I went back to work at 4 weeks, but I am sure I left her before then for a target run or something. Overnight at 4.5 months old.

[CloudBee]

The only people I would have trusted DS with alone, early on, would have been my BFF and my sister. (Of course DH - and he did have him alone within a week or two.) BFF did offer to take him a few times, and even offered to take him to a cranial appointment for me. The only reason I didn't take her up on it was because I felt like I would be putting her out. She had an infant, too. But early on I was overwhelmed with all of his PT and cranial appointments. Love her.

I think we left him with my MIL for an hour once or twice before he was 4 months old (maternity leave timeframe, I think), but she was nervous to even pick him up out of his RnP. So we stopped using the ILs for a long time, with the exception of an emergency when he was like 6 months old and I went to the ER in the MOTN. Now that he's a toddler the ILs are pretty good with him.

My BFF started watching DS at 16 weeks.

First overnight was when I had surgery around 12 months. Then again at almost 2, and once more a little after 2.

[shell24]

My oldest was born 5/20 and we went out for our anniversary on 6/2. We left her again a couple weeks later to go to a concert.

I can't remember with the other 2. It all blends together but I'm sure similar time frames.