Do you leave them alone in the house

I'm just wondering if I'm just worrying too much or something, because nobody understands why it's such a big deal if they are sleeping to go outside the apartment for 10 minutes to run a load of laundry or drop a check in another building...

I just don't feel comfortable doing it, in case it's the day they decide to climb out of the crib or just get an arm stuck or something...

Do I worry too much? I mean, I'll go just outside for 2 minutes, but not much longer and definitely not somewhere where I can't hear them.

 

No, I don't do that. I might go stand on the front porch or get the mail, but no I don't leave my property while the boys are in the house alone. And yeah, it's kinda against the law. You absolutely do not worry too much. All it takes is a second for something to go wrong. Why anyone would suggest that you do that is beyond me.

 

I will go get the mail or scoop poop outside in the backyard. But that's it. I always have their monitors on if I'm going to be in the backyard for awhile.

 

I don't think you are worrying too much at all. I would never leave my house with the girls in it alone. Whatever needs to be done is secondary to their safety. You are doing the right thing. :good:

 

I totally agree, the longest I am outside of the house when it's just me and kids is to either take a trash bag out or get the mail. I would not be comfortable with anything longer then that.

 

I would run to the mailbox, or we've done work outside in the yard during their naps, but we have the monitor with us. I wouldn't go walk the dog or something.

 

I agree with everyone else... I have a hard time staying out in the garden for too long during naps.. I know I can hear them but then I start thinking, well what if I can't hear them this one time because they fell and hit their heads... Yes I can be a worry wart :laughing:

 

I don't leave them alone in the house for more than a few minutes while they are sleeping (either during naps or at night). I do a lot of the things that were already mentioned while they are sleeping like get the mail, take the trash out, get groceries etc. out of the car or take boxes to our garage. I never leave out property though. There have been a few times where I have been outside for longer periods of time while they sleep, like eating dinner on our patio this summer or helping DH in the yard, but even then I am always checking on them.

 

I aqgree with pp, I wouldnt leave my property. I too will go outside and get things or do some yard work, but I ALWAYS have their monitor attached to me.

 

I'll do yard work and things on our property. I don't think it's unreasonable to want to stay near your house. Since you live in an apartment complex, I wouldn't do laundry or anything else that isn't within direct view of your apartment and not for more than 5 minutes. I guess it depends on how "safe" your complex is, but nothing that would take you out of sight of your apartment.

 

I may be the dissenting voice. I don't leave my property, but we have a large property and I do at times assist my husband with farm work say even a quarter mile away.
In my defense - I can see the farm house and anyone who comes and goes through the fields, and my DD's call me on the cell when the babies wake up. I figure women have done it for hundreds of years to work on the farm right?
( :escape: ducking now...)Let me have it...

 

In your situation, I don't think I would. If it were to go and get mail, and you had a monitor with you that came in clear enough while you went, that's one thing. But to leave to do laundry or bring a check to another building. I personally would not.

I think that's different. You have older ones to call you if something goes wrong, and you can see the house. IMO, nothing wrong with that.

 

Ditto to what everyone else said. You are doing the right thing.

 

I did, if they were sound asleep. (We never used a monitor.) I would go do yard work and check on them every few minutes. I would also run to the next-door neighbor's house to drop something off or ask her a quick question (and she does the same when her kids are sleeping). My kids have always been very sound sleepers and never showed any inclination to climb out of the crib (and we had crib tents after 24 months). It just didn't seem that risky to me.

 

Ditto this exactly.

 

I will sit in the back yard with Nadia (with the monitor), or I'll walk down to get the mail at the end of the driveway. A few times, I've walked Nadia across the street to the neighbor's house to play -- but literally right across our small cul-de-sac street, in full view of the house, for less than a minute.

I doubt I would go do laundry while my babies napped, if I lived in an apartment.

 

Nope, will never leave the property. Might dash out to the car with the diaper bag or shopping bags or whatever I might need for a trip to save me time but that's it.

 

I agree with most pp here. I would not leave my property, I just dont feel comfortable doing that. I do go outside the front door and chat with the neighbour, or take the garbage out, or even sit in our backyard - but I am constantly checking and listening to see if there are problems. I guess I feel that I often have a shower when they are sleeping, and that takes me about 10minutes - when I technically can't hear the kids, so doing some of these small, close activities are fine. But I would not feel comfortable leaving my property, I guess I feel a need to have my property in view at all times, because if there was a fire, or someone snuck into my house, I feel that I should be close to monitor those things.
To the pp who said she lives on a farm and does leave the house a little bit, it sounds like you have other children that are older that could call you and let you know if there was an issue, or if the kids woke up (so to me that is not really leaving the kids 'alone" - so you wont get heck from me!).

 

The farthest I've ever gone with them alone in the house is out to the mailbox. We have a loooong driveway, so I run!

ITA.

 

I think you are doing the right thing by not leaving them alone. :good: I will only get the mail or go in the backyard on the deck (because I don't do yardwork ) but that's about it. It's not worth it just in case.

 

I'll pick up poop or get mail, like everyone else said, but I too wouldn't go off to do laundry off my property or even talk to my neighbors. I can be chatty so I know I'll end up talking too long and something can happen. Something always can happen the moment you let your guard down. If you need to get your laundry done and no one is around, I'd wait until your kids are awake or try to hire a mother's helper for future needs. It's so hard taking care of twins when you are the only one in the house. My husband works at home, so generally I don't worry about it, but there are times he's out doing chores and the boys are napping and I have some house work to do.

 

we just moved into a house and i have yet to step foot outside while the boys are asleep. i'm sure i never will. however, if one were awake w/me i might take out the trash. maybe.

i don't think you're doing the wrong thing at all and i agree that whoever would suggest you leave is just wrong.

i will, however, admit that i've thought about leaving them in the car asleep many times to run a quick errand or even pick up food or something. or go pee somewhere!... i never would though, and the possiblities of what could happen scare the heck out of me--but i've thought about it! now that we're down to one nap/day, the *napmobile* is pretty much retired, so that thought doesn't even come up any more. but it used to! (i did stop at both my mom's and mil's a couple times to run in and use the bathroom while they stood outside the car and watched the boys sleep) (i'm totally digressing here--sorry!).

 

I'm ok in our front or back yard, the garage, driveway etc. I haven't ever gone down the road to get the mail, but if I really needed something out of the mail I probably would do that. It's a few houses down and in plain sight of my front yard, door etc. I think I would have to be in sight of the door and have a monitor to even consider anything more. As it is, I think it's odd that people would suggest you leave your kids. It's something you would only do out of necessity, not routinely.

 

No, I don't leave them alone in the house. We don't have a yard (town home), otherwise I might do something right outside for a short while with a monitor.

 

I will go anywhere on our property & to the end of the driveway for the mail or water flowerbeds etc. with the monitor in my hand and the dog in the house to alert me to anything. If I were in your situation I def. wouldn't go to another building on the property (I'm assuming condo or apt)for laundry/mail etc.

 

I don't think you're worrying too much at all!

 

You are doing the right thing! I go get the mail, or take out the trash- but nothing more than being outside for a minute or two. There is nothing that can't wait IMO. Too much can go wrong quickly to leave the property while they are asleep.