I'm curious to hear how old your LO was the first time you left them with your SO for an extended period of time (a few hours)?
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I think she was 3 months old & all he did was give her her bedtime bottle & put her to bed. I was gone for about 4.5 or 5 hours. (Celebrating BFF'S graduation from nursing school). So far he's only been alone with her for hours at bedtime so he hasn't done a whole lot alone...
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She was about a week shy of 3 months old. I went back to work and DH was her full-time caregiver for the summer since he's a teacher. It was great for him. He got to play video games all day and take care of our daughter.
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I left her for a full day for the first time a couple weeks ago...and she's 11.5 mos old. Before that I'd left her for 1-2 hours at a time with DH, but never longer really. Craziness.
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When L was just a few weeks old. I was having an emotional crying jag after some really hard days/nights, and DH called up my mom and arranged for me to go out to dinner and a movie with her while he stayed in with LO, then pretty much forced me to go despite my new-mom guilt. It was exactly what I needed, and I am so grateful that he knew it even when I didn't!
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Probably the second week? DH would take her downstairs for a couple hours so I could get a break.
He's had her solo for big chunks of time since she was probably six weeks old
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Probably around 6 weeks he started taking her for an hour or two at a time so I could go for a jog, run an errand, grocery shop, etc.
At 7 months or so she was finally able to go to bed without nursing to sleep, and since then I've gone out probably once a month for several hours. I nurse her after dinner and then leave. On the weekends we take turns sleeping in, and I always make sure to just leave for a couple hours- go shopping or for a run or something. I need space from her, and I think its really important for their relationship that I don't make a big deal about it and just go. He gets offended if I imply in any way that he needs help. I'm not even allowed to text to check in when I'm gone!
I'm planning a spa day with friends for early May, and that will be several day time hours- maybe 6? She's a year now.
The only restricting factor has been my utter laziness about pumping, and the frequency with which she nurses! He's great with her- in fact, she is generally less fussy when I'm gone. Charming.
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At 3.5 months I left LO for a few hours for the first time (to get a mani/pedi! I work two days outside the home and one of those days LO stays home with his dad. So I needed to start giving them a chance to be together alone. The first few weeks were a little rocky for them when I was away at work but now they just love their day together. I also really think it has helped my DH feel more confident in his parenting choices, since he gets one day a week where I am not there directing (bossing) things and gets to make all the decisions
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Left for dinner out on Saturday and he was 4 weeks on Sunday. Left last night for a massage. He is very capable
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5 weeks to practice being away from him before I returned to work!
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It's so interesting to see the different ages! I totally trust DH to take care of her, but were waiting until we introduce the bottle which will probably be in about two weeks (4-5 weeks old). I really need to get my haircut and go shopping for some clothes!
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Hmm, I don't even remember but pretty early on -- definitely before 10 weeks, since that's when I started easing back into work by doing a couple half-days per week. He has free time during the day most days, so we timed it for when he could watch her. And since she has been in daycare, he's spent lots of one-on-one time with her because he usually picks her up in the early afternoon and I don't get home until at least 5:30. He's awesome with her, and she adores him.
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Probably within the first week; he would take her on a long drive so I could have a break, or have her so I could sleep or run errands or whatever. Honestly, I'm always surprised by people that wait months...would you wait months to leave a baby alone for a few hours with the mother? Besides the need for bf'ing, seems to be a real divide which I guess I just don't get.
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DD2 was 1 day old. He took her to the pediatrician while I stayed home with DD1.
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two weeks. I went to dinner with friends and was gone about two hours. Good thing I was 10 mins away cause he called saying she was freaking out and crying for an hour cause she was hungry.
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At 2 weeks pp with DS when I was able to drive again(csection) I went to target. Then at 2 1/2 weeks pp I had a bachelorette party to go too
Probably at the 2 week mark with DD too.
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Two weeks - my ob checkup! But he was the primary caretaker the first few weeks because I had a c section. I was just the dairy cow. I trust him alone with her more than I trust myself!
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I'll be leaving her Friday at 5 weeks
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I think she was about 6 weeks old the first time I left her with him for a couple of hours.
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I haven't left DS with DH yet, but we did leave him with my mom/sister to run an errand when he was 3 weeks. I'm kinda worried about leaving with DH right now because he spends his evenings fussing and cluster feeding. It's a lot to deal with when both of us are here so I don't want to leave him alone, especially since he can't nurse him to calm him down
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@debbiei8: ditto! I'm waiting for this cluster feeding to subside and the bottle to be introduced in a few weeks.
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Three or four days old.
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About two and a half weeks old when I had to go back to school. It was for about 5.5/6 hours.
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3 or 4 days old. I went for a mani pedi one day and a movie with my mom the next . My hubs is very hands on.
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About a week old. I can't really remember. I pumped from the start so that I could have a little bit of freedom!
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6 weeks old. I had a doctor's appt for pp hemmoroids. He WFH and watched LO then.
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A few weeks old. I went out with my mom for a few hours and he was alone caring for LO.
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7 weeks or so--I went to get a root canal.
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12 days- I went to a baby shower. I took DD with me, and he kept DS.
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gosh, i can't even remember! i didn't start pumping until 6 weeks or so, but i did get a massage before that we timed so i could feed her and be gone... when i went back to work PT at 3.5 months, he was home with her, so that was all day!
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I went back to work at 16 weeks with #1 and at 2 weeks for #2. He was just saying today that he's looking forward to the 16 week mark again because that is his comfort level. He's still nervous about the two kids thing, and especially with a newborn. Me on the other hand am much less afraid of the baby the second time around- however our toddler has been super challenging lately and my husband has been having an easier time with him.
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Not yet. She's 9 months old, but doesn't take a bottle. He's kept her for about 2 hours, but she eats every three still.
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Around two weeks old I had to go renew my driving licenses and then again a few days after that to go take my math final at school his does good with him but I never leave too long since he's breast feed maybe 2-3 hours at the most
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@keiki_mama:
ouch!
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Five weeks (?) for several hours! If I WOH I think I would have done this much more often as parenting would have been more 50/50. It's good for baby and dad.
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He took LO at a very young age so I could sleep in in the mornings during the weekend. The first time they went an extended time without me was at 5 weeks when I had mastitis and needed the rest to get over it. After 12w I went back to work PT and DH then took care of LO on the day I was at the office.
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I think it was when I went back to work at 12 weeks. Not because I didn't trust him or felt like he needed me there. It just worked out that way. I was at home with them both most of the time before that so it just never came up. Plus with her EBF at the time it just didn't make sense. Once he started being able to give her a bottle (because I finally bought a pump) it was easier.
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I would say it was around 6 weeks, I went shopping to get a few hours away with my mom.
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@yoursilverlining ditto! I'm always baffled by this. DH doesn't "watch" the baby, or "take" the baby or, worst of all, "babysit." She's his daughter! Sometimes we're all together, sometimes she with just one of us and its been that way from the beginning.
Pretty much as soon as he went back to work when she was around two weeks old they would spend time alone together. Before that the three of us were together all the time. He always took her solo for a few hours on the weekends so I could go get a coffee or go for walk by myself after being cooped up with Miss Screamy Pants all week.
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Probably around 2 weeks. DH took E so that I could sleep. He would often take him for extended car rides so that I could get some solid stretches of sleep in those early weeks.
ouch!
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