Seperation from 5 Month Old

Everything will be fine!!!! You need a break. When my oldest was 4 weeks old, I was without her for 4 nights because I was in the hospital. It bothered me MORE than her. She is now 3 and 1/2 and is fine. As long as you are comfortable with who you are leaving her with, don't worry. She will be fine!

Go... have fun. You have someone great to watch her that she is comfortable with. You will miss her, but I think it's good for both of you.

At 5 months old I would not leave her for that long. At that young they are still making their attachments and there are some things that can only be fixed by mommy. And you will most likely be worring about her the whole time you are gone so you will be over stressed as well, and that's no fun.

Everyone will have their own thoughts on this but it is healthy for both of you to have 'some' away time from eachother. It really hurts your heart to leave them but as long as you trust the person she is staying with...she'll be great. I had to go out of the country for 2 weeks when my little girl was 2yrs. I worried myself sick up until the day I had to leave. I worred when I was away too, but I worked about 16hrs a day so it helped:) When I finally got back, she gave me a hug and wanted to know if I had gotten her any gum:) My point is, your going to worry and miss her, thats bc your a good mom. She will know something is different but she has no idea how long a weekend is right now. You will be back before she misses you too bad:) She will be fine. Go and have a good time!!!

If you have a person to take care of her that you trust, and that knows your baby --- take the opportunity and run! It is so important for you to have time away from the baby and alone with your husband. You have to take care of yourself in order to be the best mother you can for her.

I left my oldest son for a long weekend when he was 8 months old and it was great for all of us. I was confident that he was well taken care of and could relax and reconnect with my husband.

Your little girl will be fine and you'll enjoy the time with your husband. Have fun!

It's not going to affect her in the long-term. No psychological damage will be done. You two have a firm bond and attachment. You going away for the weekend is not going to cause any long-term attachment issues. She may be clingy when you get back but if she knows your sister well enough, I am sure she will be fine. I personally would not go TOO far away just in case but you are not going to cause any permanent damage to your daughter going away for the weekend.

It's been awhile, but I remember leaving my baby with my mother-in-law for a long weekend, first time leaving her anywhere. My MIL was an MD, so I had full confidence in her abilities to watch my child and I was completely at ease knowing she was taken care of properly. My daughter, who was one year old at the time, thoroughly enjoyed herself, never had any problems related to my leaving her for three days, and had good bonding time with her grandmother. All around winning situation. If you truly trust your sister to watch her, you'll be fine and so will your daughter. She won't remember it at five months of age. As long as her needs are taken care of, she'll be fine. Enjoy your time off, relax and don't worry.

A.,
This is defintely a hard thing to do for most moms. It was for me many years ago.The most important thing is that you have someone who you can trust and who already has a bond with your baby.(You are blessed) and so is your baby. I think it is an opportunity to grow for you and your baby. You get to find out that you will be ok and your baby will too.At least you aren't having to do this because of a tragedy or something. I was forced to have to leave mine and go in the hospital for 22 days and other unexpected reasons too. That was hard but it would have been even harder if I had not already trusted certain ones with my children. Children need that experience as well to grow and become secure in mom's decisions for them.Hope all goes well. Remember your love will always be with her even when you can't. Sincerely S.

She'll be FINE! I'm a huge believer in getting away periodically. I think it makes you a better parent, and it gives your child the chance to get used to different scenarios and caretakers. I left my boy at 4 months for 4 days (he stayed with my parents) -and it was great for both of us! If you start doing it now, you and she will have a much easier time with preschool/daycare situations and other trips you may want or have to take in the future. And go enjoy yourself-check in once or twice daily and don't spend the whole time worrying about your chld. She's going to be in capable and loving hands!

It will be h*** o* you, but she's really too young to even notice (sorry--I know that's hard to hear, but it's true). I left my daughter around the same age with my mom for the first time and she didn't even notice I was gone. It hurt my feelings, but at least you don't have to worry about them being sad and missing you. You need some time alone every once in while to rest so you can be a good mommy to her! It's also good to start leaving them with others at a young age so that they can get used to it because, believe me, once she is a toddler, you'll be dying to get away every once in a while!!

OOOh, your little one will be with a person she knows and loves her she will be fine....mom may need some comforting...lol...I found for me it was harder on me then the baby....go and enjoy yourself. My advice is if the baby is to be at her house take something over that has moms smell on it just so baby knows a comfort she knows very..your smell. I always sent a shirt for my sister to put on her shoulder so my boys could smell it...did it help in any manner I don't know really but I read something about it years ago and just stuck with it..she held it on her shoulder just the same..Best wishes on your weekend away..have fun and relax..baby will be fine.

After our first son was born, my husband and I went away for a long weekend. He was FINE. Your baby will be fine also. I was something that my husband and I did every year from then on with all our other children also. Go and have fun

It will be ok. She will be with a loving caretaker who is family. Going away for a weekend is different that just an evening, but it will be ok. I didn't go away until my daughter was a little older, so she noticed and was clingier when I got back. Just take a picture for you (you will miss her too)and give her lots of attention when you get back.

A.:
Being away from your little girl for a week-end won't be stressful for her. Being with your sister she will be fine.
You will have to keep reminding yourself that she is fine with your sister.
P. S

A.,
At 5 months she probably hasn't even experienced separation anxiety yet. I seem to remember from my child psychology classes that separation anxiety sets in at around 9 months, so now is the time to go away and enjoy a little break and peace of mind knowing that she is being loved and cared for by a family member. I know some people said that they would never leave at such a fragile age, but she will never remember, and yes, she is making attachments right now, but hey, how many babies this age spend the majority of their days in day care with strangers and are fine. I am a SAHM as well, so I am not a fan of day care either, but kids survive. If you add up the hours a day that babies spend in day care for one week, it adds up to almost two days (approximately 9 hours a day X 5 days a week = 45 hours), so in reality, it works out about the same. The difference is that yours is a short term separation, and she will be with family.

Good luck, and have a great weekend!

I haven't been apart from my girls for longer than 6 or 7 hours except when I was in the hospital overnight for surgery...my husband and I just haven't felt comfortable with it. But my sister has left her husband with pumped milk and gone for an overnight away from her babies, and they seemed fine.

Increase separation time gradually. Work your way up to five or six evening hours, then an entire night and then two. Always leave her with someone she knows very well.

I promise it will effect you more than it does her!(especially if you are leaving her with your sister whom she is comfortable with). I actually let my Dad keep my daughter when she was only 1 month old and he lives 2 hours away. She was perfectly fine, but by 1 am, I was ready to go get her. It gets easier after a couple of times. Enjoy your weekend knowing that she is in good hands.

Miserable for me!Ha, but we both survived. She will never remember it later. Go have fun if you can...if you can't then you'll be like the rest of us...very normal. A mom, always a mom no matter the time of day and you're a caring concerned one to boot.

This is just me, but, I wouldn't leave for that amount of time with such a young baby. I have a 5 and a half month old, and it seems like now is the time she is really understanding who Mommy is, and the role you play in her life.(If she doesn't grab for you or mind other people holding her when you are in the room, than now may be the best time to go before the attachment really starts) I personally would wait until a year at least, when she is very comfortable with the person you are leaving her with, and is understanding the concept that "mommy will come back".
Take in consideration if you feel that YOU are okay with leaving. It won't be very fun if all you are thinking about is if you should be with your daughter.
This is really a gut decision that will differ for many people, my opinion is coming from someone who still hasn't left my almost 3 year old over night.

Hey Mom!

You are worried about the wrong person here. You say she has stayed with her loving aunt before so why should this stay be any different?
I suggest you go and have fun. Don't make a big issue out of this weekend away, she will have such a great time with your sister, that chances are she wont even realiaze you're gone.
I say go have a ball the only one that will be upset about the weekend away will be her mommy...(you Sweetie)
Once YOU get over that..I'd say when you get back home. You may just decide it may be fun to try another trip again soon.
Enjoy yourself. Leave a number where you can be reached, list of food allergies etc etc and you may even call yourself to find out how she is. But if this is her auntie she has all this stuff already.
Good going girlfriend! This kid will grow up to be a strong and self sufficient young lady. Which after all isn't that the way you want her to be?
Take care ,
Nana

hi,
go and enjoy yourself! she will be fine since you have a sister who's willing to take her, and she's comfortable with...and she'll be so happy to see you when you get back! don't forget, she's young enough that she won't even remember any of it...i left my two boys in the care of my in-laws when they were three and six...they had a blast, and so did we. it took me about a day to stop worrying about if the in laws were being as careful as i would be...putting them in the car seats correctly, etc...but once i got over that, i had a great, much needed break, and so did they. go and have fun!

Hi A.,

It's always wise to check in with the "experts" on child development on a question like this one. Here's what Dr. Spock says about separation from an infant (article below). I hope you'll reconsider this trip or take the baby with you (maybe a friend or a grandparent could come along to give you some much needed alone time).
-R.
http://www.noblemother.com

Separation Anxiety

by Dr. Benjamin Spock
reviewed by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P.
Infants
If a mother goes away for a number of weeks (to care for an ailing relative, for instance), her baby of six to eight months is likely to go into a depression, especially if the mother has been the only caretaker up to that time.

The baby is visibly depressed, loses her appetite, is unresponsive to known and unknown people, is more often found to lie on her back just rolling her head from side to side, no longer tries to sit up or explore her environment. If the separation is short, the baby will recover completely once her mother returns. It may take time--days or weeks--for mother and child to get back on track.

The best way to deal with this problem is to avoid it whenever possible. If you have a choice, don't stay apart from your baby for longer than, say, 8 to 12 hours at a time, during these early months. It's probably a bad idea to plan a "parents only" vacation weekend when infants are quite young.

If you know a separation is coming up, help prepare your baby by getting her father, or another care provider, more involved before you leave. That way, your baby will have a trusted figure to rely on. If you find that you need to go away suddenly, take your baby with you, if you can.

It shouldnt hurt her but it will hurt you more than her. I have a 7 month old lil boy and he has stay with his grandma a week and it hurt me at first but i got over it cause i knew i could trust them. Plus the more she get to know other ppl she will likely stay with them and you can have a lil you time when you need.

You will go and enjoy yourself with out a child and she will be just fine and will grow up to be a productive person. Trust me!!

GO girl- you deserve it! She will be fine. The hardest part will be when you return - then she'll remember you "left" her and may be grumpy for a couple of days. But if you are confident about the person who is taking care of her- Go, GO GO!!!!
Good Luck
Nikki

Your baby will be just fine. As long as she is in a safe and loving environment, she will not have any ill affects from it. In fact, she won't even remember it. It will be harder on you than her. She'll be fine. I have five children, ages 1 to 11. I have left them for periods of time over the years, even at that age and younger, and they are fine. It is actually helpful for them to learn that others are loving and able to care for their needs too. It can help lessen the stranger anxiety stage.

If you are comfortable w/ it then she should be ok. Are you going far away. When my kids were babies I would only go to a close but nice hotel. If anything were to happen I could get to them and it eased the seperation anxiety for me:)

Be prepared not to sleep the first night. I kept missing my baby. Otherwise, have fun and try to relax!!

Hello , A.
My name is B.. I have 4 kids of my own. Two of them are teenagers an one of them is 2 years old and the other is 6 years old. I find that when my kids were at the age where my family wanted to keep them over nite (which was as early as 6 weeks old). I was the one that did most of the calling and crying. Theyenjoyed themselves so much!. I think we as mothers think that our kids will not live without us. But reality came when I made a surprise visit to get my younger kids early. They didn't want to leave , then I felt silly! I still feel the same way when my teenage boys goes away for the weekend. I don't think I will get over it. It's called motherly love. You will be okay A., and I know she will. Just give her a call or two while you ar gone and that will satisfy her.