Just curious...
My hubby and I were never away from our daughter for more than a couple hours for her entire first year. Not that it bothered us, we loved it. Shes now almost 2, and shes still not away from us more than a couple or hours, or maybe one night a month.
This seems totally fine to us...
But all our friends are different...
They have family who takes their babies on the weekends, or any time they want to go out, etc. It seems like everyone else gets a sitter at least once a week! As much as our family loves our daughter, they dont have the time to take her that often, and honestly, we wouldnt WANT her to be gone that long. Makes me kinda feel like everyone else gets off easy and has no idea what its like to be a 24/7 parent
Just curious what the experiences of other people are :)
2007-02-10 14:22:36 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Parenting
My son, who is now 6, was treated the same way. I didn't want to be away from him for more time than I had to. He goes for sleepovers at my parents' house, 10 minutes away, once in a while, but we've never been out of town without him. That's the way I like it.
My daughter, 2 1/2 hasn't been on a sleepover yet. I would say that she's too needy, but I think it's me who is too needy. When I was in the hospital having my daughter, my son slept over for TWO nights. I missed him so much, I couldn't stop crying when he came home. This may change soon - I feel like I need a vacation. (I'll never do it! Ha!)
Sometimes I feel like my friends are whack-balls for going away so much without their kids. Almost selfish, but to each his own, I guess.
2007-02-10 14:33:17 · answer #1 · answered by Jilly 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
a sitter once a week! i am a single mom and I am home all the time with my kid. Only time off is when I work. Sometimes I will stop at the store before i pick my daughter up and that is freedom. but now I am on medical leave and my daughter never has a sitter. I won't even date for the simple reason... sitters cost money.. but also time... I miss my kid... my time with my daughter is money... and really, is some random guy worth taking time away from my kid? I think not. Once a week... do these people work too? I could see if they don't work, getting a sitter now and then. I dont' get out... not since my daughter.
2007-02-10 22:33:52 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
We don't have any relatives close by so it is kind of difficult for us to get a sitter without it costing too much. We only do it once in a while & then it is great to have a "date!" My kids are 3 & 5 now so it is alot easier to leave them than it used to be. When I was nursing them as babies I never left them anywhere because they didn't take a bottle. I am definitely a 24/7 parent (I am a stay at home mom) and usually I think it's great. But it is always refreshing to get a break.
2007-02-10 22:33:32 · answer #3 · answered by Candy Land 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
in the first year no longer than 1 hr while i did a food shop. As the got longer it would be a couple of hours then when they were 2 (twins) I began to leave one with my mum for the day while I had one on one time with the other and a fortnight later the other would go to her.on the In between week she would take both so I could have some time to myself. These days they are 7 and at school so I enjoy my time when I have them (most times LOL). I only go out at night once every few months
2007-02-11 00:51:48 · answer #4 · answered by Rachel 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That is the same way with my husband and I. I'm 28 weeks pregnant and have a 19 month old son. We take him everywhere.. and honeslty he has never been with a babysitter.. besides the one time when i had my 6 week checkup and that was with my neighbor watching him for 1 hour. And here we take our son everywhere with us and it doesn't bother us b/c he is great when we go out. All of our friends always ask if we need a babysitter or why didn't we get a sitter.. why should we? If we enjoy taking our son with us.. why would we want a sitter? I don't understand what is wrong with him coming? Ofcourse a neighbor of mine... she would always let the grandparents have their son for a weekend and not worry about it. I don't understand how that is. I would feel so devastated if i did that. And I notice that some parents that have older children will make them stay home and watch their kids??? why would you want your kids to stay home and watch your youngins... is it so important for you to be out but not for your kids? That is one of my pet peeves.. i can understand going out to dinner once in a while or running to the store.. but just to go out b/c you want to and to party and drink.. how unfair is that to your older children... ok sorry i can go on all day about this subject.. but i love my son and want him with me 24/7.. and i'm a sahm. ANd it doesn't bother me to have him with me...
2007-02-10 23:06:20 · answer #5 · answered by sleepyincarolina 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We're the same way! Never really left them much at all in the first few years but know so many who do! Dh has a son who is now 19 but has 2 ds's and a wife (PLEASE don't get me started on that!)...they are forever dropping the kids off for entire weekends with whoever, and they seem to think this is reality...NOT! We have 3 dd's and I could not be away from them as an INFANT for more than a few hours (usually while they are sleeping!) and even as a toddler an overnight was (is ) rare. I don't get it either?!
2007-02-10 22:31:34 · answer #6 · answered by mom2hac 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Our daughter is nine months and we only got a sitter once. She's very clingy and I'm worried she'll cry the whole time we're away. Worrying about it would ruin any fun we were trying to have. Someone told me (rather rudely I thought) that I 'should' have others watch her because it was needed for social development, but social development doesn't really begin, I don't think, in earnest till after age 2ish. It's more likely, to my mind, that we'd set her back socially by causing her anxiety every time we left her with a stranger.
I think if we had any family in town, we'd leave her with them now and then, but we're not so lucky. And I think it's been fine. nice to hear your experience too!
2007-02-10 22:38:44 · answer #7 · answered by zilmag 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ya, kind of like you, I am a stay at home mom, and never left my baby's with a sitter until at least a year. Now my youngest is 4, my husband and I go out a few times a month.
2007-02-11 03:00:12 · answer #8 · answered by olschoolmom 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i take every chance to get away from my twins but its not that often i have been away from my kids a total of 8 hours since they were born and their almost 4 months old now i dont get baby sitters verry often because i dont trust peole my onlt sitter has been my dad (lost my first son to sids) its hard to leave your baby alone when this has happened but i love spending time with my kids but some things are easyer done with out them
2007-02-10 22:27:57 · answer #9 · answered by mommyofanangel06 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I know how you feel and i know what it is like to be a 24/7 parent.
My mother doesnt have much time ..and my mother-in-law has time..but she practiacally wants to keep him and never give him back.
The longest i have ever left him alone was 2 hrs.
though sometimes i wish i had a break...
im not very good at trusting others with my child.
im paranoid that they wont listen to me when i tell them to do or not to do something.
I have people to take care of my baby...i just got to learn to trust people with him. Though i doubt it that will happen any time soon. I feel weird when he is not with me.
2007-02-11 01:07:53 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋