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Forum
-> Relationships
-> Manners & Etiquette
would you take along baby to therapy?
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| yes |
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[ 29 ] |
| no |
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56% |
[ 38 ] |
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| Total Votes : 67 |
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amother
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 Fri, May 20 2011, 5:26 am
If I need to go for personal therapy (no physical) & have a newborn baby does it make sense to take along the baby? My husband claims that there is no problem but I feel weird taking along baby.
(I am starting after baby, was never by therapist before.)
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StrawberrySmoothie
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Fri, May 20 2011, 5:31 am
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I have done it. Try to make sure the baby is fed before. If not have bottles. Maybe you can go while the baby is napping in the stroller so you have no distractions.
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zaq
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Fri, May 20 2011, 5:32 am
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Absolutely not. The therapist is not a babysitter, neither is the receptionist or office manager. The therapist also needs your undivided attention. She's not getting that when part of your mind is on your baby. The presence of a baby can also be downright disruptive if she cries or has to be changed.
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amother
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Fri, May 20 2011, 5:56 am
If it makes life easier for you I would. I've taken mind to all three different therapists.
But I would check with them first to make sure they are okay with it.
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life'sgreat
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Fri, May 20 2011, 5:59 am
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I think it's a pity to take along a baby, newborn or not, because your attention is divided and you can't be there fully. If your baby sleeps the entire time and doesn't even stir, to the point that you could put it out of your mind completely, that's one thing, but generally, babies can stir, wake up, need some care and I don't think it's appropriate to have your baby there.
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MamaBear
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Fri, May 20 2011, 5:59 am
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If you don't feel comfortable leaving a newborn alone with a babysitter, bring someone as a mother's helper, just a friend would do. (I have done this). They can wait...in the waiting room! But you can't assume the baby won't wake up screaming wanting to be held, fed, needing a change, etc and that's not considerate to the therapist.
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amother
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Fri, May 20 2011, 6:12 am
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my therapist stated specifically that it was totally fine to bring my baby to therapy and that many people do. He was 6 weeks old when I started. Ask the therapist
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amother
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Fri, May 20 2011, 6:21 am
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I don't think there is anything "wrong" with it & it is perfectly ok to do, especially if the therapist is fine with it. But how will you be if the baby cries, needs to be fed .....You will be distracted & not be getting the most out of it.
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morah
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Fri, May 20 2011, 6:26 am
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If the baby is very little and not ready to be with a sitter, and not bringing baby means no therapy, then bring the baby. I like Mamabear's suggestion of maybe bringing someone along who can watch the baby on the waiting room- that way, you're at least in the same building.
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life'sgreat
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Fri, May 20 2011, 7:08 am
| morah wrote: | | If the baby is very little and not ready to be with a sitter, and not bringing baby means no therapy, then bring the baby. I like Mamabear's suggestion of maybe bringing someone along who can watch the baby on the waiting room- that way, you're at least in the same building. |
I don't understand this mentality. Therapy is about an hour at most (generally). Tack on a few minutes travel time each way (obviously, it can sometimes be longer travel, but I'm talking in general) and I just don't understand how a baby is 'not ready to be with a sitter'. Does a mother spend every waking moment with her newborn baby? What if she needs to see another doctor? Or go to the mikvah, or do one of many other things without the baby?
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Simple1
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Fri, May 20 2011, 7:11 am
| life'sgreat wrote: | | morah wrote: | | If the baby is very little and not ready to be with a sitter, and not bringing baby means no therapy, then bring the baby. I like Mamabear's suggestion of maybe bringing someone along who can watch the baby on the waiting room- that way, you're at least in the same building. |
I don't understand this mentality. Therapy is about an hour at most (generally). Tack on a few minutes travel time each way (obviously, it can sometimes be longer travel, but I'm talking in general) and I just don't understand how a baby is 'not ready to be with a sitter'. Does a mother spend every waking moment with her newborn baby? What if she needs to see another doctor? Or go to the mikvah, or do one of many other things without the baby? |
The problem I see is - who would babysit - unless OP has wiling relatives or friends. I never was able to find babysitters wiling to take random hours here and there if I ever needed to got to the dentist or whatever. Even when I tried to work a job 5-6 hrs a week, the babysitters all wanted a commitment of more hours.
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amother
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Fri, May 20 2011, 7:14 am
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I guess it depends. My therapist has offered for me to bring my toddler along, but I personally wouldnt feel comfortable doing it. You cant concentrate on both at once. Nothing will happen if you leave your baby with a sitter for an hour.
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life'sgreat
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Fri, May 20 2011, 7:15 am
| Simple1 wrote: | | life'sgreat wrote: | | morah wrote: | | If the baby is very little and not ready to be with a sitter, and not bringing baby means no therapy, then bring the baby. I like Mamabear's suggestion of maybe bringing someone along who can watch the baby on the waiting room- that way, you're at least in the same building. |
I don't understand this mentality. Therapy is about an hour at most (generally). Tack on a few minutes travel time each way (obviously, it can sometimes be longer travel, but I'm talking in general) and I just don't understand how a baby is 'not ready to be with a sitter'. Does a mother spend every waking moment with her newborn baby? What if she needs to see another doctor? Or go to the mikvah, or do one of many other things without the baby? |
The problem I see is - who would babysit - unless OP has wiling relatives or friends. I never was able to find babysitters wiling to take random hours here and there if I ever needed to got to the dentist or whatever. Even when I tried to work a job 5-6 hrs a week, the babysitters all wanted a commitment of more hours. |
That's a different issue entirely. I know that around here for example, there are drop in babysitters. Granted, they are usually a bit more expensive, but so worth knowing that they are available when/if needed.
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Chayalle
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Fri, May 20 2011, 7:27 am
If your therapist is ok with it, you could try it out for one session and see how it goes.
I could see the babysitting being a problem. Where I live, there are drop in babysitters, but not many that I would leave my baby with (due to # of children they take, conditions, etc...)
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cm
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Fri, May 20 2011, 7:42 am
| life'sgreat wrote: | | morah wrote: | | If the baby is very little and not ready to be with a sitter, and not bringing baby means no therapy, then bring the baby. I like Mamabear's suggestion of maybe bringing someone along who can watch the baby on the waiting room- that way, you're at least in the same building. |
I don't understand this mentality. Therapy is about an hour at most (generally). Tack on a few minutes travel time each way (obviously, it can sometimes be longer travel, but I'm talking in general) and I just don't understand how a baby is 'not ready to be with a sitter'. Does a mother spend every waking moment with her newborn baby? What if she needs to see another doctor? Or go to the mikvah, or do one of many other things without the baby? |
I don't know if the OP is breastfeeding, but a breastfed newborn infant's needs are frequent and often unpredictable. Not all babies will drink from bottles, and there are good reasons not to offer bottles to newborns. Many mothers do spend every waking moment with a newborn baby. It is normal and natural. When I was the mother of a newborn, I did not find it relaxing to have someone take my baby away; rather, it was distressing. It is up to the OP to determine if she feels comfortable using a sitter or helper for a newborn.
As for your "few minutes travel time...in general;" is there a therapist's office within a few minutes of every person's house? Not in my experience, and often people travel to the most appropriate therapist/doctor/professional, rather than settle for the most convenient.
I could see this going either way, but it's probably better to bring the baby, with a helper if you have one, than to delay therapy until all your kids are in school.
Personally, I was able to manage OT appointments with an older baby (4-6+ months old) during which I could not pick the baby up if necessary, by having a family member come along to pay attention to the baby while I paid attention to what I needed to do. At that point, nursing and napping were more predictable, and I could schedule around the baby to an extent.
As a professional (not a therapist), I have found it unproductive for the most part when my clients bring older babies or small children to meetings. They (the babies/children) demand attention and detract from the adults' ability to get work done. I don't have the experience of a client bringing a tiny baby, but it would probably be easier than with an older baby or toddler, especially shortly after feeding and changing.
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life'sgreat
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Fri, May 20 2011, 7:46 am
| cm wrote: | | life'sgreat wrote: | | morah wrote: | | If the baby is very little and not ready to be with a sitter, and not bringing baby means no therapy, then bring the baby. I like Mamabear's suggestion of maybe bringing someone along who can watch the baby on the waiting room- that way, you're at least in the same building. |
I don't understand this mentality. Therapy is about an hour at most (generally). Tack on a few minutes travel time each way (obviously, it can sometimes be longer travel, but I'm talking in general) and I just don't understand how a baby is 'not ready to be with a sitter'. Does a mother spend every waking moment with her newborn baby? What if she needs to see another doctor? Or go to the mikvah, or do one of many other things without the baby? |
I don't know if the OP is breastfeeding, but a breastfed newborn infant's needs are frequent and often unpredictable. Not all babies will drink from bottles, and there are good reasons not to offer bottles to newborns. Many mothers do spend every waking moment with a newborn baby. It is normal and natural. When I was the mother of a newborn, I did not find it relaxing to have someone take my baby away; rather, it was distressing. It is up to the OP to determine if she feels comfortable using a sitter or helper for a newborn.
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I breastfed exclusively and as needed, so I know what that's like. But I'll say it again - I just don't get the mentality that a mother can't be separated from her newborn for that length of time.
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morah
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Fri, May 20 2011, 8:21 am
| life'sgreat wrote: | | cm wrote: | | life'sgreat wrote: | | morah wrote: | | If the baby is very little and not ready to be with a sitter, and not bringing baby means no therapy, then bring the baby. I like Mamabear's suggestion of maybe bringing someone along who can watch the baby on the waiting room- that way, you're at least in the same building. |
I don't understand this mentality. Therapy is about an hour at most (generally). Tack on a few minutes travel time each way (obviously, it can sometimes be longer travel, but I'm talking in general) and I just don't understand how a baby is 'not ready to be with a sitter'. Does a mother spend every waking moment with her newborn baby? What if she needs to see another doctor? Or go to the mikvah, or do one of many other things without the baby? |
I don't know if the OP is breastfeeding, but a breastfed newborn infant's needs are frequent and often unpredictable. Not all babies will drink from bottles, and there are good reasons not to offer bottles to newborns. Many mothers do spend every waking moment with a newborn baby. It is normal and natural. When I was the mother of a newborn, I did not find it relaxing to have someone take my baby away; rather, it was distressing. It is up to the OP to determine if she feels comfortable using a sitter or helper for a newborn.
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I breastfed exclusively and as needed, so I know what that's like. But I'll say it again - I just don't get the mentality that a mother can't be separated from her newborn for that length of time. |
It's more mother than baby. The baby wouldn't mind being left with a sitter, but the mother might not feel ready. I don't feel ready to leave my 6 week old yet.
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Ima2NYM_LTR
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Fri, May 20 2011, 8:22 am
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If you need to (no babysitter) just check with the therapist first and clear it with him/her. try to schedule at a time you think the baby will be asleep
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life'sgreat
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Fri, May 20 2011, 8:23 am
| morah wrote: | | life'sgreat wrote: | | cm wrote: | | life'sgreat wrote: | | morah wrote: | | If the baby is very little and not ready to be with a sitter, and not bringing baby means no therapy, then bring the baby. I like Mamabear's suggestion of maybe bringing someone along who can watch the baby on the waiting room- that way, you're at least in the same building. |
I don't understand this mentality. Therapy is about an hour at most (generally). Tack on a few minutes travel time each way (obviously, it can sometimes be longer travel, but I'm talking in general) and I just don't understand how a baby is 'not ready to be with a sitter'. Does a mother spend every waking moment with her newborn baby? What if she needs to see another doctor? Or go to the mikvah, or do one of many other things without the baby? |
I don't know if the OP is breastfeeding, but a breastfed newborn infant's needs are frequent and often unpredictable. Not all babies will drink from bottles, and there are good reasons not to offer bottles to newborns. Many mothers do spend every waking moment with a newborn baby. It is normal and natural. When I was the mother of a newborn, I did not find it relaxing to have someone take my baby away; rather, it was distressing. It is up to the OP to determine if she feels comfortable using a sitter or helper for a newborn.
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I breastfed exclusively and as needed, so I know what that's like. But I'll say it again - I just don't get the mentality that a mother can't be separated from her newborn for that length of time. |
It's more mother than baby. The baby wouldn't mind being left with a sitter, but the mother might not feel ready. I don't feel ready to leave my 6 week old yet. |
Ok. That makes more sense. So it's not about baby not being ready. It's about mother not being ready.
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amother
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Fri, May 20 2011, 8:27 am
I brought my sleeping newborn to my first therapy session and it totally didnt distract me. It did distract my therapist and she didnt let me bring him again.
I left him with my sister one time and a sitter another time. He didnt take bottles and was always screaming by the time I came back. 2 hrs later.
So I stopped therapy until he's older. If I go somewhere in the day, he comes with. I'm his main food source. Or I go out at night when he's sleeping.
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