Leaving Infant in the car.....

[goofyintoronto]

Originally Posted by minniebride

Ummm.....I know you said you didn't read the replies, but how about reading my actual original post before you get your panties in a wad

Where the heck did I say I was appalled??? I was just wondering if it is a typical thing to do and I really haven't formed an opinion either way on the matter-hence the reason for my thread.

Lol. Im sorry, i read it too fast and apparently not properly either! I tried to edit my post before looking like a fool. But too late! Lol! So sorry. I swear im not drunk! LMAO

Sent from my Galaxy SII

[MichelleVW]

Originally Posted by mjkacmom

I'm sure I've done it before, in a similar circumstance (car in my vision, locked, quick in and out). However, I've never felt the need to monitor my kids while peeing. Honestly, I don't get how new parents can't shower. Put the baby in the crib - worst case scenario is the baby cries a bit. I'm glad I had my twins last - I don't even think I owned a baby monitor by that point!

I probably put my kids in more harm's way dragging them through parking lots when they were little!

I don't think I ever did it, but it's been a long time so I may have Lol. I think the taking the baby monitor to the bathroom while you pee is a little weird. What the heck is going to happen in 2 minutes? My second one cried nonstop so I would put her in her crib, shut the door and walk away and turn up the tv so I couldn't hear her!

[minniebride]

Originally Posted by goofyintoronto

Lol. Im sorry, i read it too fast and apparently not properly either! I tried to edit my post before looking like a fool. But too late! Lol! So sorry. I swear im not drunk! LMAO

Sent from my Galaxy SII

Thank you for your apology and no worries

[minniebride]

Originally Posted by MichelleVW

I don't think I ever did it, but it's been a long time so I may have Lol. I think the taking the baby monitor to the bathroom while you pee is a little weird. What the heck is going to happen in 2 minutes? My second one cried nonstop so I would put her in her crib, shut the door and walk away and turn up the tv so I couldn't hear her!

Not sure it's OK to call it "weird" unless you look back at your very first experience being a first time mom and you can truly say you never did anything overly paranoid or over the top or silly. My baby is only 2 months old & maybe I will relax over time, but when she was first born she had issues breathing (as in stopped breathing at one point)-very scary and I guess it's still on my mind.

But really, I am reading other posters saying they left the car to pump gas for a few minutes and kept their eye on their child the whole time, ran into the store for a few minutes and watched through the window the whole time, left their kid in the car in the driveway while they slept and their eyes were glued to the window.....how is that any different than me going up a flight of stairs to the restroom for a few minutes and bringing the monitor with me? Are you saying these other posters are weird as well???

[goofyintoronto]

Originally Posted by minniebride

Not sure it's OK to call it "weird" unless you look back at your very first experience being a first time mom and you can truly say you never did anything overly paranoid or over the top or silly. My baby is only 2 months old & maybe I will relax over time, but when she was first born she had issues breathing (as in stopped breathing at one point)-very scary and I guess it's still on my mind.

But really, I am reading other posters saying they left the car to pump gas for a few minutes and kept their eye on their child the whole time, ran into the store for a few minutes and watched through the window the whole time, left their kid in the car in the driveway while they slept and their eyes were glued to the window.....how is that any different than me going up a flight of stairs to the restroom for a few minutes and bringing the monitor with me? Are you saying these other posters are weird as well???

I was very much like you when i first had my son. I dont even think video baby monitors existed back then, but i took the reg monitor with me everywhere. Thats normal first time mom behavior i think.

Sent from my Galaxy SII

[minniebride]

Originally Posted by goofyintoronto

I was very much like you when i first had my son. I dont even think video baby monitors existed back then, but i took the reg monitor with me everywhere. Thats normal first time mom behavior i think.

Sent from my Galaxy SII

I'm guessing that as well. My daughter is currently still in a pack n play in our bedroom (soon to be transitioning to her nursery) and during the first week at home, anytime she was napping, I found myself checking to see if her belly was moving up and down to breath if I woke up between feedings. Some friends told me they did the same thing with their first. She is a little less "fragile looking" now, so I do feel I am relaxing a bit, but I do find that video monitor gives me great peace of mind.

[jiminyC_fan]

I had twins and never, ever left my girls alone in the car, ever. That was even in the days when you had to pay for gas inside.

[MichelleVW]

Originally Posted by minniebride

Not sure it's OK to call it "weird" unless you look back at your very first experience being a first time mom and you can truly say you never did anything overly paranoid or over the top or silly. My baby is only 2 months old & maybe I will relax over time, but when she was first born she had issues breathing (as in stopped breathing at one point)-very scary and I guess it's still on my mind.

But really, I am reading other posters saying they left the car to pump gas for a few minutes and kept their eye on their child the whole time, ran into the store for a few minutes and watched through the window the whole time, left their kid in the car in the driveway while they slept and their eyes were glued to the window.....how is that any different than me going up a flight of stairs to the restroom for a few minutes and bringing the monitor with me? Are you saying these other posters are weird as well???

I had tons of experience with infants before I had my own and I knew that it was ok to leave them alone for a few minutes, so no, I really wasn't over the top on things like that. Sorry if I hurt your feelings, but the "never ever ever leaving the baby alone for a second without a baby monitor" is just such a foreign concept to me.

Leaving the baby in a car is totally different....your car is more likely to get broken into than someone coming into your home and stealing your baby.

[minniebride]

Originally Posted by MichelleVW

I had tons of experience with infants before I had my own and I knew that it was ok to leave them alone for a few minutes, so no, I really wasn't over the top on things like that. Sorry if I hurt your feelings, but the "never ever ever leaving the baby alone for a second without a baby monitor" is just such a foreign concept to me.

Leaving the baby in a car is totally different....your car is more likely to get broken into than someone coming into your home and stealing your baby.

You certainly did not hurt my feelings, I just think it's kind of rude to judge others with different levels of experience than yourself. I would rather be safe than sorry & I fail to see the harm in that.

[Colleen27]

I wouldn't with an infant, but I do leave my school-aged kids if I'm running a quick errand like the ATM or paying for gas if pay-at-the-pump isn't working. In our community, given the circumstances/abilities/personalities I am working with, I feel there's little-to-no risk involved. In a different place or with different kids, I'd likely do differently.

[nchulka]

I see no problem with the scenario the OP observed. As long as the mom turned off and locked the car and had the keys with her the baby was in no danger. I would not leave any baby/child in a running car! I would not leave a baby in a locked car and run into Wal-Mart, but a small place where I could park right out front and see the car I would have no problem with.

It's tough when you are a first time mom! I laugh now at some of the crazy things I worried about! I remember being afraid DD would pull her little sock off and put it in her mouth and suffocate when she was less than a month old Try to follow things out to their logical conclusion and it should alleviate your fears. When people say things like "anything could happen" actually sit down and think about what could really logically happen, and usually you will find the answer is nothing much!

[nathalee81]

Originally Posted by minniebride

Not sure it's OK to call it "weird" unless you look back at your very first experience being a first time mom and you can truly say you never did anything overly paranoid or over the top or silly. My baby is only 2 months old & maybe I will relax over time, but when she was first born she had issues breathing (as in stopped breathing at one point)-very scary and I guess it's still on my mind.

But really, I am reading other posters saying they left the car to pump gas for a few minutes and kept their eye on their child the whole time, ran into the store for a few minutes and watched through the window the whole time, left their kid in the car in the driveway while they slept and their eyes were glued to the window.....how is that any different than me going up a flight of stairs to the restroom for a few minutes and bringing the monitor with me? Are you saying these other posters are weird as well???

Don't worry, I think is relatively normal first time parent behavior. My husband and I haven't been around a lot of babies, so we were so freaked out about EVERYTHING. As we were leaving the hospital, I asked if we could take one of the nurses with us .

As for leaving her in the car-I don't think I would feel comfortable doing that.

However, I do think it is all about your comfort level as a parent. I wouldn't be comfortable doing this, but if someone else does then it isn't my call to say anything (unless, of course, if the child is in danger-like, locked in car with no air and it is 104 degrees outside-something like that).

[minniebride]

Originally Posted by nchulka

I see no problem with the scenario the OP observed. As long as the mom turned off and locked the car and had the keys with her the baby was in no danger. I would not leave any baby/child in a running car! I would not leave a baby in a locked car and run into Wal-Mart, but a small place where I could park right out front and see the car I would have no problem with.

It's tough when you are a first time mom! I laugh now at some of the crazy things I worried about! I remember being afraid DD would pull her little sock off and put it in her mouth and suffocate when she was less than a month old Try to follow things out to their logical conclusion and it should alleviate your fears. When people say things like "anything could happen" actually sit down and think about what could really logically happen, and usually you will find the answer is nothing much!

Thank you for understanding and relating to first time mom fears & thank you for the advice. I am alot less paranoid now that she is two months old, as compared to early on. The first month, she seemed so fragile, I watched her like a hawk and worried about everything. I do find my handheld video/audio monitor so useful though. Now that I have it, I can leave her to nap and get a ton of housework done, sit in our home office and get stuff done for my work, etc... and just have the handheld monitor near me to refer to if needed.

[nathalee81]

Originally Posted by nchulka

I see no problem with the scenario the OP observed. As long as the mom turned off and locked the car and had the keys with her the baby was in no danger. I would not leave any baby/child in a running car! I would not leave a baby in a locked car and run into Wal-Mart, but a small place where I could park right out front and see the car I would have no problem with.

It's tough when you are a first time mom! I laugh now at some of the crazy things I worried about! I remember being afraid DD would pull her little sock off and put it in her mouth and suffocate when she was less than a month old Try to follow things out to their logical conclusion and it should alleviate your fears. When people say things like "anything could happen" actually sit down and think about what could really logically happen, and usually you will find the answer is nothing much!

Oh, thank god. I thought I was the only one that worried about that!

[minniebride]

Originally Posted by nathalee81

Don't worry, I think is relatively normal first time parent behavior. My husband and I haven't been around a lot of babies, so we were so freaked out about EVERYTHING. As we were leaving the hospital, I asked if we could take one of the nurses with us .

As for leaving her in the car-I don't think I would feel comfortable doing that.

However, I do think it is all about your comfort level as a parent. I wouldn't be comfortable doing this, but if someone else does then it isn't my call to say anything (unless, of course, if the child is in danger-like, locked in car with no air and it is 104 degrees outside-something like that).

I had zero baby experience when my daughter was born. I have a ton of experience with 3 year olds, but taking care of an infant was completely foreign to me up until 2 months ago. I asked my hospital nurse the same thing lol!! The first week at home, I was paranoid anytime she spit up, any time she coughed, etc...

I think, after reading peoples' opinions on this thread, I am leaning toward what you are saying-it all depends on your comfort level as a parent.