https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 19 May 2026 20:58:06 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-personal-rules-on-leaving-a-baby-alone/page/3#post-2555605 Tue, 24 May 2016 14:52:13 +0000 Umbreon 2555605@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't see a problem going outside in your yard, if you have a baby monitor handy. I do see a problem going to other public places, even if they're across the street. Like someone pointed out, what if there was a fire? Yes, a fire could happen in one room of a house while you're in another, but at least you'd have the opportunity to put the fire out or do what you can do get to your baby.<br /> If you run across the street for a coffee, what if a robbery happened? And you weren't allowed to leave the premises until the police took statements from all witnesses? It's not worth that cup of coffee in my mind. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-personal-rules-on-leaving-a-baby-alone/page/3#post-2555582 Tue, 24 May 2016 14:22:39 +0000 JenGirl 2555582@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@SweetiePie: For what it's worth, I'd be comfortable going to a friend's apartment that was two doors down, as long as the video monitor reached and I could get back to the apartment quickly if needed. I see it as no different than being in the other end of a large house, being in a basement, or being in a yard.</p> <p>I've done something similar when we travel with friends - we'll get two hotel rooms next to each other or across the hall from each other and put the kids to sleep in one room with a monitor and socialize in the other room. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-personal-rules-on-leaving-a-baby-alone/page/3#post-2554651 Mon, 23 May 2016 12:39:46 +0000 Coffee-lover 2554651@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I live in a 3rd story apt and have a video monitor. I never leave, even to get the mail or take the trash downstairs. Im too scared it would take too long to get upstairs if my baby needed me, or if there was a fire or earthquake that I wouldnt be able to get back up.</p> <p>If I lived in a single family home I would feel ok being on the porch or in the yard with the video monitor. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-personal-rules-on-leaving-a-baby-alone/page/3#post-2554531 Mon, 23 May 2016 09:18:47 +0000 littlebug 2554531@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It seems to me that what @stiletto_mom: posted was being away for 10 minutes, not being 10 minutes away. Big difference there. I've spent entire 2-hour nap periods outside in our yard gardening. Usually with the monitor stationed within a few feet and turned up, but I don't always have it on my person. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-personal-rules-on-leaving-a-baby-alone/page/3#post-2554496 Mon, 23 May 2016 08:43:54 +0000 SLR 2554496@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>As far as my monitor will reach, which is in the neighbor's yard. I did mow their yard during a nap the other day (while they were on vacation) and found a few spots the monitor wouldn't reach. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-personal-rules-on-leaving-a-baby-alone/page/3#post-2554482 Mon, 23 May 2016 08:29:39 +0000 josina 2554482@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I will often go outside while DS naps (and can hear him if he cries). If I need to, I will bring the monitor out with the volume up as extra assurance.<br /> The most I've left him in the car is to pay for gas when he is 15 ft. from the door and in direct sight, and I've only done that once or twice. (We live in a rural area and I can feel safe doing so).</p> <p>As far as leaving for 10 minutes to go to a store... no, I wouldn't be comfortable doing it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-personal-rules-on-leaving-a-baby-alone/page/3#post-2554457 Mon, 23 May 2016 07:55:00 +0000 Madison43 2554457@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't really consider it leaving my kids "alone" if I'm on my property with a video monitor on. I might feel differently if we had a lot of land but we definite do not. We regularly garden and hang out outside while they are sleeping and it never occured to me that it would be a big deal. On the flip side, when we lived in NYC, I wouldn't leave my floor while they were sleeping. I guess the difference to me was that there were other people in my apartment building and one locked door between them and my kids wasn't enough for me to trust that something crazy wouldn't happen. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-personal-rules-on-leaving-a-baby-alone/page/3#post-2554447 Mon, 23 May 2016 07:46:51 +0000 Ms maths 2554447@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I regularly work in the backyard when one or both kids are sleeping, without a monitor. I pop inside every 15 minutes or so to see if they are awake. I also occasionally walk up and down the block with one kid while the other is sleeping, keeping the house in sight.</p> <p>I'm not comfortable going out of sight of the house, but I wouldn't think it was a big deal for another parent to do it. </p> <p>I recall a conversation among parents where one parent was debating leaving a sleeping child to pick up her mother at the bus station. None of the parents seemed to think it was a big deal. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-personal-rules-on-leaving-a-baby-alone/page/3#post-2554369 Mon, 23 May 2016 00:54:07 +0000 Bubbles 2554369@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I will go in the garden with the monitor very happily. In our old flat the monitor would easily have reached various shops downstairs and I was tempted but could never do it, it didn't feel right to leave the building. I did used to have to always leave DS in his cot / bedroom while I went back downstairs to get the pram though. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-personal-rules-on-leaving-a-baby-alone/page/3#post-2554317 Sun, 22 May 2016 21:41:28 +0000 meganmp 2554317@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm pretty lax, I feel, usually, but a bit more strict with myself in this area. I regularly garden while they're asleep, and I take out the trash while they're awake. I walked the dog around the block once, but it made me so uncomfortable I never did it again (we live in single family home, not an apartment with stairs). I'll leave them in the car to pick up the dog from doggy daycare, but I can see the car the entire time, and am no more than 30 feet from it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-personal-rules-on-leaving-a-baby-alone/page/3#post-2554306 Sun, 22 May 2016 21:22:33 +0000 charlotte 2554306@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <br /><p><i>This comment has been deleted by the original poster.</i></p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-personal-rules-on-leaving-a-baby-alone/page/3#post-2554289 Sun, 22 May 2016 21:10:02 +0000 T.H.O.U. 2554289@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think there is a difference here too between "being 10 minutes away" and "being gone for 10 minutes". </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-personal-rules-on-leaving-a-baby-alone/page/3#post-2554278 Sun, 22 May 2016 21:03:58 +0000 Mrs. Sketchbook 2554278@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I weed or play with the 3 year old in the yard while 1 year old naps, no monitor. I can actually hear him crying from the garden. Plus he consistently sleeps 1+ hrs so even if he did wake I might let him fuss it out anyway if I were inside.</p> <p>I have left my 1 and 3 year olds in cars while I went to an ATM, ran into a doctor office to pick up some paperwork, and at the farm stand to pick up groceries. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-personal-rules-on-leaving-a-baby-alone/page/3#post-2554267 Sun, 22 May 2016 20:42:53 +0000 jaguar 2554267@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Mailbox or yard, but basically within monitor/sound range. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-personal-rules-on-leaving-a-baby-alone/page/3#post-2554263 Sun, 22 May 2016 20:10:40 +0000 stiletto_mom 2554263@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Maysprout: I think the line between what is reasonable and what isn't depends on the person. But throwing around "gross negligence" (not talking about you specifically) is rather dramatic, in my opinion. If you'd rather not leave your child for 10 minutes, that's fine. I'm okay with that. It would depend on the age, but both my husband and I agree. We also have other unpopular opinions, but they are just that, parenting opinions. So while you think I maybe "careless or reckless", I have my judgments on the other side about that kind of mindset. *shrug* To each their own.</p> <p>@Mrs. Pickle: Yes, that's a great method of debate. Really productive. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-personal-rules-on-leaving-a-baby-alone/page/3#post-2554257 Sun, 22 May 2016 19:54:15 +0000 Mrs. Pickle 2554257@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@stiletto_mom: that's true. People break laws all the time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-personal-rules-on-leaving-a-baby-alone/page/3#post-2554248 Sun, 22 May 2016 19:25:10 +0000 Maysprout 2554248@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@stiletto_mom: do you really not see the difference between 10 minutes and a few seconds if an accident or something unexpected happens?<br /> Sharing experiences is kind of what HB is about, it's not at all to shut down conversation, not every topic has an extensive study, so parents share experiences. Though I'd put money on what your pediatrician would say if that's what you're looking for. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-personal-rules-on-leaving-a-baby-alone/page/3#post-2554232 Sun, 22 May 2016 18:56:35 +0000 stiletto_mom 2554232@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Maysprout: By that logic, anything at anytime could happen. You can be in the same room and your child has an accident that you couldn't prevent.</p> <p>I'm sure all your comfort levels are different than mine. I doubt it will change after the birth of my child and thats a sort of response is meant to shut down the dialogue (same as pulling the "I'm older than you" or "you'll change your mind when you have kids" line of reasoning) than actually exploring each others "lines and rules" with an open mind.</p> <p>First person experiences don't do much to convince me of much. For every incident you can name, there are instances where it was fine. </p> <p>@Mrs. Pickle: hence why I mentioned earlier that it depends on age. Laws are a different topic altogether and citing law as a reason not to do something is not necessarily compelling on its own. It's against the law to peel and orange in a tub in Cali, so. </p> <p>@ShootingStar: See above. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-personal-rules-on-leaving-a-baby-alone/page/2#post-2554210 Sun, 22 May 2016 18:12:20 +0000 ShootingStar 2554210@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If the baby is in the crib, I'd be comfortable going as far as I can still see on the monitor. So basically our yard. I don't think it would reach as far as the end of driveway/mailbox. If the baby was in something like a swing or other baby containers I'm not comfortable leaving for more than the time it takes to grab a snack or go to the bathroom. </p> <p>@stiletto_mom: Your level of comfort may change when you actually have a newborn. Lots of people find themselves watching their babies just to make sure they're still breathing. So the thought of going very far with them being unattended can be inconceivable. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-personal-rules-on-leaving-a-baby-alone/page/2#post-2554203 Sun, 22 May 2016 17:38:47 +0000 skipra 2554203@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I usually don't really leave them unattended. I might run to the car (the driveway is across our yard so I couldn't hear them and is at the edge of our wifi range) to grab something for a second and that's the farthest I'll go. I will sit on the deck too but only with the monitor going.<br /> When LO2 was a baby, we were at my mom's house. He was sleeping inside and the only one inside at the time. The rest of us were either right on the deck or in the pool and there was a minor "explosion" in the furnace room. It was so nerve wracking because LO2 was inside and helpless. I would never ever consider leaving the premises while my kids are asleep because of that one experience. I used to be a lot open to it but it really scared me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-personal-rules-on-leaving-a-baby-alone/page/2#post-2554200 Sun, 22 May 2016 17:30:14 +0000 Mrs. Pickle 2554200@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@stiletto_mom: it can be against the law to leave a child under a certain age home alone for any length of time. It depends on where you live. I think that's pretty black and white. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-personal-rules-on-leaving-a-baby-alone/page/2#post-2554164 Sun, 22 May 2016 14:39:25 +0000 Maysprout 2554164@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@stiletto_mom: a remote video monitor is not going to help if the kid actually needs help. In one of your last posts it sounded like you were saying you'd be comfortable with being 10 minutes away. There's no gray area in pointing out that a lot of irreversible damage can be done while it takes you 10 minutes to get to your kid. I know one person who did this and she kept talking about how terrible she was bc the next week she found out her kid could unlock the front door and open it. So she found her 1 year old by the side of a busy road. It's not a grey area, being 10 minutes away is in no way watching your kid. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-personal-rules-on-leaving-a-baby-alone/page/2#post-2554157 Sun, 22 May 2016 14:18:26 +0000 stiletto_mom 2554157@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm not calling anyone a helicopter parent but I don't think it's "gross negligence" for leaving you child for a few minutes.</p> <p>It's a judgement call on the part of the parents and anyone who sounds judgey about it needs to think on the flip side. You didn't like that that it seemed I was assuming you were a helicopter parent, just like someone being away for the 10 minutes is not a "bad and negligent" parent. Especially if there is a baby monitor in use, the child is not unsupervised</p> <p>We need to be mindful in the words we use because people have different perspectives. If its not something backed by credible scientific studies to be conclusively harmful to a child, it's a judgement call.</p> <p>Leaving a child for a few minutes while you graB the mail, or pick up and older child from the bus stop 3 houses down is not negligence. Leaving a child alone in a car on a hot summer day with the windows up, that's negligence.</p> <p>For the record, with a remote baby monitor I have zero issues with leaving a napping baby for 10 minutes. It's a risk I'm willing to take. If you are not willing to take that risk with your baby, that's your choice. Heck, if you chose to never leave your kids unsupervised until their 18, that's your preogative. </p> <p>But I do have a problem when someone treats a grey area like a black and white situation. And aside from just having a dialogue, I don't need to justify it to anyone. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-personal-rules-on-leaving-a-baby-alone/page/2#post-2554146 Sun, 22 May 2016 13:37:37 +0000 Modern Daisy 2554146@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I really don't see what the problem is if it's only a few minutes. I am totally comfortable hanging out in my backyard with a monitor. We set the alarm system and lock the doors and go in every 10 mins to double check everything. I would also go to a neighbors house for a few mins if the monitor extended that far. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-personal-rules-on-leaving-a-baby-alone/page/2#post-2554065 Sun, 22 May 2016 10:24:24 +0000 simplyfelicity 2554065@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Taking the garbage out but that's it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-personal-rules-on-leaving-a-baby-alone/page/2#post-2554060 Sun, 22 May 2016 10:15:11 +0000 birdofafeather 2554060@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Where we used to live was a long shared driveway with 5 bungalows. My monitor was on my phone so I could lock up and watch/hear DD while she slept. So we would do dinners, etc and just have the monitor. Since our places were confined within the same space as our neighbors entire house, I never had an issue. We also went to our neighbors two doors up for dinner after DD was asleep and again, my monitor was on and we we maybe a 30 second run away. In these cases, I trusted our neighborhood and had multiple ways to get to our DD in case of emergency. I'm sure others would be aghast but no one in our community blinked an eye. I wouldn't do it in our current place (not even to go to the mailbox at the end of our street) and probably not in our new place which is a typical SFH. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-personal-rules-on-leaving-a-baby-alone/page/2#post-2554056 Sun, 22 May 2016 09:58:36 +0000 Littlebit7 2554056@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>we live in a small condo. I'll take the trash outside (street level) or work in our backyard with the monitor. My Los naps are pretty much like clockwork. There is a coffee shop within 100 ft of our house but I haven't gone while she's asleep. I have moved our car for street cleaning once or twice while she's been asleep. House is always visible and I never have to park more than 50 ft away. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-personal-rules-on-leaving-a-baby-alone/page/2#post-2554024 Sun, 22 May 2016 08:19:52 +0000 Silva 2554024@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@stiletto_mom: leaving your child home alone, unsupervised would warrant a report to protective services in my state. I think that's a little different than not standing next to them while they are on the playground.</p> <p>I go in our yard when she is napping/sleeping. I just turn the monitor up and put it in a window. I can hear it from the garden, so I sometimes go weed. my husband goes into the basement and does projects, which makes me a little nervous because he wears ear protectors so he wouldn't hear anything. We live rurally, so the yard is really my only option other than the house.<br /> She is 3. We recently had a friend whose house burned down, catching fire while he and his kids were in the yard. Crazy stuff, and it's scary to think about what could happen if the kids were inside and he was out. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-personal-rules-on-leaving-a-baby-alone/page/2#post-2553949 Sun, 22 May 2016 05:06:12 +0000 Mrs. Champagne 2553949@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@stiletto_mom: I think leaving kids home alone (sleeping or not) is considered abandonment with intent to return. Staying with them is parenting. Not helicopter parenting. </p> <p>@oliviaoblivia: agree with you. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-are-your-personal-rules-on-leaving-a-baby-alone/page/2#post-2553945 Sun, 22 May 2016 03:12:41 +0000 MrsRcCar 2553945@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <br /><p><i>This comment has been deleted by the original poster.</i></p>