What age would you leave your baby?

[nelly]

ummmm well I have been fine leaving Jake from 10mths if I was secure in who he stayed with....

we left Jake for a weekend last Sept, he was 10 months, for a wedding. My boobs missed him (we were still BF) but I enjoyed the break w DH. Then in April this year I went to Perth for a conference, but he stayed with DH for the week so really he was fine.

We have just got back from a trip to Hong Kong, totally free, but because was a TW incentive trip was child free as well. I thought I was fine until the few days before we left... he was looked after by mil who flew up with her partner to stay at our place w him. He was dandy, asked where mummy /daddy had gone a few times but really didn't seem to miss us that much. We told him we were going to work because he knows when we go to work we always come home and telling him we were going on a holiday or trip was not a familiar image for him. He has been more clingy the past 2 weeks but sleeping etc has almost settled back into our routine.

guess I am in the minority here......

[Phteven]

I can't imagine leaving my little guys behind while I go OS.
Yasin still talks about the things he saw in England and Paris when we took him at the beginning of the year. Travelling with children makes you experience/see a place in a totally differant way and the people you meet travelling react to you differantly when you have children. Yasin's rather bumbling attempts at French won him instant friendship with people who otherwise may not have spoken to us.

Also I couldn't leave them with my IL's. I would be so worried I couldn't enjoy my holidays.
I won't leave my children alone with anyone until I'm confident that they have the language skills to express any discomfort or uneasiness they might have.

[queenbee]

we will be taking our DD overseas with us, there is no way we would ever leave her with anyone. so the answer to your question would be....18 years of age maybe, LOL!!

[tannedangel]

I would for a short weekend away.
If it were a long trip it would depend on a lot of things.

[~Amy~]

i think u need to feel very comfortable with who ever u are leaving ur children with.
We left DD & DS when they were 3 & 1 1/2 for a week just this last august gone with my in laws. They had a ball & DF & i had some well deserved time out.
We are actually leaving them again this saturday for another week with the in laws. Both dd & ds are super excited. They both have their own bedrooms & toys when they go for stays with them.
Next feb we are thinking about going os for 10 days - 2 weeks. This i think i would be alot harder.

My kids have had alot of overnight stays since they were quite small, with my mum & in laws. So i guess we feel comfortable leaving them for longer periods of time.
Thats just us tho. Like i said at the begining, u really have to feel comfortable doing it & with who they are with otherwise u just wont be able to enjoy urself.

[lilima]

THis year we took Ds at 18 months to Europe and he had a ball. Just a couple of weeks ago we went to NZ for a weeak and left DS with my mum. Ahe didn't miss us one bit! In fact if I say do you eant to go to nanna's he gets so excited

[Madissun]

Nelly- You made me feel better...thank you! I was in the minority too!

Like i said though, IF i go to Bali (im not even sure i could be away from DS for a week yet) DS will be with my mum, who we live with now. If we didn't live with her, there's no way i could leave him with anybody for a week.

[*Efjay*]

IF you were going to take a week for an overseas holiday... at what age would you be comfortable going without your babies???

Well lets see, Iain being the youngest I think it would depend on him...

So when he is 18. I think the others will be fine by that stage also.

[Phteven]

LOL FJ maybe after they have their own homes - once they hit the teens you don't want to leave them behind in case they are the next Corey.....

[LuluHB]

I wouldn't go without my DDs. As far as I'm concerned, either we all go or none of us go. I just wouldn't be happy away from my girls. Its not a matter of trust - I would trust my Mum with them completely, and have no doubt that they would love a stay at Gran & Grandad's - but we didn't have kids to go on holidays without them.