At what age did you first...? (survey) - Page 2

[fairielass]

I left dd at around 6 months with my mom while my husband and I went to dinner. About 2 hours.

I started her on solids a little past 6 months.

[lilyka]

Lets see, probably around 6 months. I know with Lilyka it was reallly early. MAybey 8 weeks or so. We had to go to a baby's funeral and it didn't seem right to flaunt our healthy newborn and it didn't seem right not to go.

I started solids with all them at 5 months. With my first it was just pressure and with the other two they both went on medication at that time and a little aple sauce just seemed like the easiest mode of transprtaion. Lily was very ready for solids (she would help herself to whatever she could get her hands on ) and Ava seemed pretty ready too. They were all showing signs of readiness.

[Jilian]

I only have one child so far...

I first left DS when he was 6 weeks old, but not by choice. I had to have emergency surgery and really wanted DH to be there with me so DS stayed with my parents for the night.

DS started solids at 4 mos. I let him decided when he wanted to start solids and at 4 mos he was around 18 lbs and breastmilk didn't seem to be filling him up anymore. He was really showing an interest in food so I let him try it out and voila! He's been a little piggy ever since!

[mamatoady]

dd is now 18 months and we still haven't left her. She started eating solids around 9.5 months.

sarah

[Mizelenius]

1st left DD at 2 weeks. I was in school, and not going would've meant losing my grant and getting no master's (which I'm going to need for my someday job). She easily took bottles of EBM, was with my mom and DH, and mostly slept. It was a few hours a week (about 4.5).

As for solids, we tried at 6 months, but not much. We really started at a year.

[Graceoc]

Well - I should preface that I did not come into the "AP" way of parenting until DS was over a year old so I will probably sound like 'on of those' moms....but....

I left DS when he was about 5-6 days old to go to the movies with my DH - I HATED it the entire time, but DS actually slept the whole time we were gone... He was introduced to solids at around 3.5 months - but not again until about 5 months when her really liked it and ate it ever since then.

DD was a little bit of a different story - I left her at around 3-4 months old with DH to go out with friends...He is a very hands on and loving father and did great with her - although she REALLY wanted to nurse and was upset I wasn't there. She was introduced to solids at around 6-7 months but didn't really eat solid food until she was about 11-12 months old....

I feel I am VERY attached to my children - but at the same time I have not issues *at all* with leaving them with their father (my DH) so I can take some time alone. IMO he is just as good as being with me (except for the lack of breasts) so I have never felt uneasy about leaving them with him. I also have no problems leaving them with my IL's who are VERY involved with our family and very much on target with how we parent - aside from my DH and I no ones loves our children more then them.

As much as I love taking my kids places and doing things as a family - I also LOVE and CHERISH my time alone with Dh or my montly Mom's Night Outs.....I see nothing wrong with taking a few hours here and there to focus on just yourself!

[Mizelenius]

As much as I love taking my kids places and doing things as a family - I also LOVE and CHERISH my time alone with Dh or my montly Mom's Night Outs.....I see nothing wrong with taking a few hours here and there to focus on just yourself

I think part of being an AP is taking care of oneself . . .just not at the expense of one's children. Sounds like you found a good way of making sure everyone's needs are met!

[Rach]

I first left my baby at 6 weeks. [She was actually just across the street at my sister's to give us some alone time.] I didn't leave her again until she was 5 months but that was because I had to be hospitalized with gallbladder problems. [Definately no choice of mine!] She's almost 7 months now, and slowly I've been letting her taste food but all of her meals are breastmilk. She's never eaten more than a table spoon of anything else at one time.

[Aura_Kitten]

I'm just curious to see how much of a difference there is between mainstream mamas and more natural mamas. I wanted to find out at which age you a)first left your baby (i.e. for a date, dinner, running errands, etc.) and b) first introduced solid foods. This is of course only for my own personal curiosity but I'd really love if you'd all participate.

a) 1 1/2 months (to attend my brother's wedding. i left him for 2 1/2 days with his daddy )

b) 4 months. he cut his tooth right at 4 months also, but we mainly introduced them because he was always *so* voracious he was eating constantly.

were those the only questions you could think of?

*~* edited because i'm so tired i'm not paying attention to what i'm writing. (added the QUOTE's)

[ParkersMama]

First left with someone else, besides me or DH ... about 1 year?
First gave solid foods ... 6 months old; first gave three meals of solid food a day consistently, 18 months.

[Lucysmama]

3 weeks old to the day, we left her with my mom for 45 minutes so we could have sex. Does that sound horrible? Dh and I deperately needed some alone romantic time. It had been months. I was distracted the whole time, wondering how she was...

Solids were started at about 5 months old...but very minimally until she was 7 mos.

[hipumpkins]

My DD was left with my sister on her 4th day alive for several hours b/c I had to go to the emergency room ( unresolved delivery issues) She took the pumped from a bottle and I was terribly engorged. The hospital finally brought me a pump as they were releasing me
Then at 6 weeks I had to go back to work but I only went back part time. I ama waitress so I worked one 4 hour lunch shift and one 7 hour dinner shift. It was such torture I called in sick now and then and even filled shifts whenever I could. I hated going to work but it is where our health insurance comes from so go I must.
As far as solids DD was introduced to rice cereal around 6 mos but it constipated her. I didn't know enough then that just b/c my peditrician told me to do it didn't mena it was right. I have learned so much from this board that my next onen wont get solids until he/she shows a serious interest.

[FitMama]

DH & I had a date at the end of May 2003, to celebrate our anniversary. DS was born 2 months before that. He stayed with my parents. We have not been on a date since then! :LOL

Solids were introduced at 5 months, but he didn't start eating them on a regular basis until 6 months. I caved to pressure from a lot of nosey old ladies. It was homemade "guacamommy" (avocado & EBM). I have never fed him commercial baby cereals or jarred foods.

Edited to remove a very poorly written post script! Slap my hand!

[Heavenly]

My son formula fed but attachment parented (long story). I first left him..hmmm.. well it was over a year. He started solids at 6 months. My daughter is breastfed. I haven't really left her for any length of time and she's 16.5 months. I have left her with my mom for an hour or so and she's been in the church nursery a couple of times for 30 minutes. Other than that she's with me all the time. She started solids at 11 months.

[Patchfire]

I have one dd.

I first left her with dh when she was 2w2d old, for two hours while I started my classes for fall semester. We first left her with my mother at 2w6d old because we both had to be on campus at the same time!

She started solids around six or seven months. It's something of a blur, now, looking back three years later!

[teresond]

Baby 1 - (Mainstream mom) - 6 weeks to return to work / non-breastfed (but tried hard) introduced solids at 6 months.

Baby 2 - (totally AP) - left him for the first time with my mom at 9 months for an hour. Could not leave him for 2+ years b/c he nursed every 3 hours.

Introduced solids at 18 months.

Baby 3 - left him after 4 months with sitter or dad to go back to work part time. Still nursed full time (pumping / working from home). Introduced solids at about 9 months. He wanted FOOD!

[Plady]

I left dd with my mom for about 2 hours when she was 4 months old.

We had a 6 month birthday party to introduce her to solid food but she didn't get into the swing for another few months (heck, she still prefers "a little something" and she's almost 2 1/2!)

[RAF]

dd #1) first left her, I don't know, probably around 20 months with dh just to go to the store. Started solids around 7 months.

dd #2) haven't left her yet (she is 11months) and started solids, homemade, around 4-5 months old (she is one, hungry baby!).

[daria]

Wow, I'm really surprised by some of the replies! Six months, 9 months, or longer before leaving a child even with his father?

We left our son with his grandmom for about an hour when he was 3 days old. We had to go to a closing on the house we had just sold and we really wanted that to be over with. I didn't want to take our son along because I knew everyone would fuss over him and he was too tiny to be exposed to all that.

I was away from him again when he was 4 weeks old because I needed surgery--he was with his dad and his aunt then.

Starting at 8 weeks I went back to work and our son has been with his dad during the day. I consider my husband to be an equal parent to me. The only thing he can't do is nurse, but I always leave lots of expressed milk. I feel concerned when I read other threads by mamas saying they can't ever leave their kids with the dad because the kids cry.

As for starting solids, Isaac is not quite six months and we have not started any.

[Peppamint]

Baby # 1 : I first left her @ 6 weeks to go back to work part-time. I hated leaving her, but she only stayed with my mom or MIL. She never had a drop of formula and nursed until 20 months. We introduced solids at 6 months, but she didn't even eat them daily until more like 9 months. I remember the ped saying she was allowed three "meals" per day and thinking "she only eats one if that!". :

Baby #2: I first left him @ 4 weeks to go work out (I'm gone 45 minutes). I leave while he is still asleep in bed with dh and am back right about the time he wakes up to nurse again. I occassionally left/leave him with dh to run to the grocery store. I first introduced him to new tastes at 7 months, but he is just now really eating solids at 11mo... and not whole meals or anything, but enjoying bites of our food now that he has teeth.

Neither of my kids have cared much for baby cereal or pureed/jarred food.

I have no problem whatsoever leaving my kids with dh. He does quite well with them and there's no one I trust more to take care of them. I work out three times a week and am gone 45 minutes and the exercise clears my mind and gets me ready for my day.