Rory: I don't think you are being heartless... you're just allowing other people to perform their role of sharing the care of your baby. By leaving him with your mum it will be (I think) beneficial to Flynn: he will learn to trust another person, beneficial for your mum: she will be reminded of the demands of a baby and no doubt her sympathy for your daily care of Flynn will increase, and beneficial for you: you will benefit from a short break in vigilance... even when Flynn is asleep you are still listening out for him so unless you hand over the care to another you aren't really getting a break which every parent needs and deserves. Finally, I understand your reasoning regarding working with people who may have different opinions about the place of a baby at events such as this. I'd say this is a grey area... not as black and white as some locations eg a courtroom ( a female judge might have a hard time BFing a baby while announcing her decision... some places just call for 100% of the parent's attention... there is no escaping that... just as IK would agree a baby couldn't attend the front line of fire fighting... critical decisions and baby's don't mix). This event is a grey area but I can't see how a few hours spent with his grandmother wouldn't hurt if you trust her... you have absolutely no reason to think you are being heartless... and if he does cry then y'know, that's life, and a part of his development... it's a gentle way of introducing resilience into his world... everything will be fine