what do you do with your baby if/when you go to church?

[mamaley]

does the baby go to a nursery, or does the baby stay with you?

edited title so people wouldn't ask me if there's a birthing ball in the sanctuary. :LOL

[neveryoumindthere]

ever since dd was born she would stay with me..come to think of it there is no nursery.lol
everyone just keeps their kids with them during prayer, sermons, lectures, fundraisers, dinners, etc

[cappuccinosmom]

Ds stays with me, even though some think we're nuts.

[rwikene]

It depends, we go to church every sunday. We love our church and DD loves the toddler room, so she goes. However, if she doesn't want to go in, then she stays with us. Our church is very casual (think jeans and t-shirts, drinking coffe in the sanctuary, and all that) so its not a big deal for her to stay with us, she sits quietly.

If we are visiting a different church, then either she stays with us or I go into the nursery with her. I don't let strangers watch my child at home, I'm not going to do it at church kwim?

[melaniewb]

DS stayed with me when he was an infant, but he now goes to the nursery. I work at my church so I know just about everyone there, including all the nursery workers and I feel very comfortable leaving him there. He LOVES it there so it has never been an issue for us.

One thing I did when I first started leaving him there though was to take my cell phone and leave it on vibrate. We have a phone in our nursery and the workers had strict instructions to call me if DS was upset.

One thing that bothers me is that people do come to our church to visit and they will take their child to the nursery and just drop him/her off in an unfamiliar environment and just leave. The child almost always gets REALLY upset. Not that most anyone here would do this though. But, my advice to anyone who wants to leave a child in the nursery is to visit the nursery with yoru child one Sunday and stay with him so he can get used to it. Meet all the workers and make sure they know who you are, who your child is, and what your various preferences are. I work in our nursery sometimes and I cannot tell you how many times a parent doesn't even tell us what their name is, and leaves NO instructions with the child. It is vital for us to have this information. We have a sign in sheet and everything, but some parents just ignore it, unfortunately. Okay, sorry for the OT rambling.

[captain optimism]

The OP made it sound like you were asking "If you give birth in your place of worship"! That would be excellent! :

We are really small so we don't have a nursery, but we do have a college student who provides childcare. My guy is still pretty little. I keep him with me during the service to the extent that he can handle it. I even nurse him in the back of the room.

He likes to be held up to the see the Torah when it processes, which is one of the highlights of my whole life.

[aishy]

We have no nursery or cry room or anything else related. So the boys either are with me, or stay home with daddy.

Aisling

[neveryoumindthere]

lol. captain optimism that's exactly what i thought too when b4 i opened the thread

[magnoliablue]

My children have always stayed with me. I want them to learn about what goes on in Mass/Services. When they get overly loud to the point of distracting others, I take them outside. I have not had to do this too many times.

I found bringing little things to occupy them, like a Children's Bible, or something along those lines..helped a lot.

[momto l&a]

I was thing along the same lines as captain optimism. :LOL


Anyway,I feel that there is so much nowdays that takes amily apart that I like to keep the girls with us during service. I do at times have to take them out.

[Henry's Mom]

Both my 3 yo and 14 mo ds have always attended services with us, our Temple has childcare only during the High Holy Days, and even then most people have their children with them in the sanctuary most of the time.
Captain Optimism- I know what you mean about the Torah excitement, my 3 yo shrieks when the Torah doors open and races to the aisle to touch it with his prayer book. The best parenting moments!

[chellemarie]

If you go to a place of worship and have a baby, I think the baby should stay with you. Be prepared, though. Someone is certain to call the paramedics. I'd probably just stay home and skip church that week.

Seriously, though. I'm going to read your post now.

Okay. My kids stay with me. If the baby gets fussy, I step outside and watch the service through the glass while nursing or standing and rocking/swaying. My older children do the children's bulletin (a little activity sheet) for the first part of the service. I don't break out the Cheerios until the sermon. My kids do really, really well in church and I can't even tell you what I did...maybe just keeping them all the time did the trick.

We ALWAYS use the bathroom before church starts. Always. Otherwise one of them just *has* to go. And if one has to go, the other one suddenly has to pee, too. Stinkers.

[jadegirl553]

chellemarie, you so funny! :LOL

My kid goes to the nursery. He stayed with me for a while, untill he was trying to roll around in the aisle, and his little sounds started to echo.

BUT- I know all of the nursery workers, and I feel very comfortable with them, and they know me and my family, and they love my baby! Plus, DS loves it because he gets to crawl around and poke other babies and play with new toys and eat cheerios.

HTH

[MidnightCafe]

DD stays with us...or we go & stay with her in the hallway or nursery/playroom. She loves to play with the other children & enjoys the playroom, but we are not comfortable leaving her because the nursery staff do not always go get parents when their children are crying & DD gets upset to watch other babies cry (who can blame her?). So, we're never sure they'll come get us if she gets upset & we don't like her exposed to children screaming for their parents.

Unfortunately, the toll it takes on one of us to sit out of the service most weeks means that we don't go as often as we would like. Sometimes it just seems so dumb for all three of us to go if only one is going to stay in the service...

[mamaley]

: oops! i didn't go back and reread what i wrote

[kama'aina mama]

DD stayed with us the whole time until she was about 1.5 ish and started being interested in the nursery more than my breasts. Now we have her with us at the beginning, through a couple of songs and the childrens sermon then we take her to the nursery.

[Viola]

My baby stays with me. If she pees on the floor, I clean it up myself. But if she pees in the pew, I leave it there. I figure they aren't called pews for nothin'!

Actually, I've been thinking of trying the nursery now. She is always writhing, grabbing things and making noise. The people in church seem to like it though. Or at least, I've gotten several comments from women who say they love those happy baby noises, and the people who don't like them have never said anything.

[Colorful~Mama]

Baby stays with me. Alot of babies are in our service. I nurse if he wants to nurse, dh carries him around if he's sleepy till he crashes.

If he's wild in the sermon we go to the quiet room. Our church provides what dh refers to as "box seats". its soundproof with the music/sermon piped in . nice speakers and we can adjust volume. couches, rocking chairs... you name it. If he's wild we all go in there and let him play with toys, crawl around and harass the other babies.

My dd is 3.5 and goes to sunday school because she WANTS to go. THey have a blast. She learns, sings, plays, does arts and crafts. She's asking to go to vbs this summer for a week!! its only half days, but still...that would be the longest she's been away from me.

our teen goes to teen ministry and loves it

Our church baby, child and teen ministry staff are incredible. I left Roman (9mos) for about ten minutes in the nursery once to help set up something in the kitchen and staff came and got me cuz he was "not happy". I got there and he was fussy but not even crying (yet) so i know they'd not cio. and they LOVE his cd's. lol

[Pynki]

My children stay with me. Ds1 (who is 5) is the only one that likes childrens church at all. Ds 2 (who is 4) will not go.. And if he goes, he will NOT stay.. Ds 3 is under a year, and I am NOT sending him to the nursery..

My IL's church, the pastor asks parents to NOT have their children in the service, and if they do to tkeep them quiet.. If the start making noise he will ask you to leave the sanctuary!! Can you say child unfriendly.. We aren't going to attend there anymore.. I went to that church as a child, and it was NOT like it is now.. Now it's about how things look.. As a child.. I sat with my parents.. How are kids supposed to learn how to act in the church sanctuary if they are never IN the church sanctuary..

The funny part is that my IL's pastor is Jewish.. I thought because of that he would be more open to children in the sanctuary in and in the service.. He has great teachings to give, but unfortunately I (and many other moms) don't get to hear them because we've been banished from the sanctuary for having kids..

Warm Squishy Feelings..

Dyan

[DebraBaker]

Our little ones stayed with us for two or three years.

Babies make such sweet distractions when things get, ahem, boring.

DB