Bringing your baby to school

amother

Wed, Nov 18 2009, 9:10 am

I know I don't have this issue yet, but we are hoping IYH that soon I will be pregnant again. I'm in school fulltime. In the past I always have done babywearing and none of my kids have ever had a bottle. I know I won't be able to do this 100% if I have a baby in school, but I'd like to try as much as possible. If I have a baby I'd like to bring the baby with me to school. There are classes that I can't like science labs etc, but who would know the difference in a big lecture with 300 students?

Once the baby would get older I'd obviously have to have babysitting during that time but for the 1st few months when babies sleep so much how much of a distraction would it be to wear the baby during a lecture?

Maybe I'm crazy, but has anyone done this? Is it done?

Atali

Wed, Nov 18 2009, 9:13 am

I can't imagine doing this, but maybe it is okay.

Could you study online during that semester? Many regular colleges offer online courses these days.

MiamiMommy

Wed, Nov 18 2009, 9:17 am

I'd definitely give it a try in the big classes. No one notices what you're doing in those classes anyways! But be sure to check with each professor beforehand- they can get really touchy about stuff like that.

QUEENY

Wed, Nov 18 2009, 9:18 am

A baby is a big distraction. What if it doesn't like the noise or being around so many people? What will you do if it cries. There are unfortunately alot of people who don't appreciate children, on planes, in restaurants. In school people are paying alot for their education and might not be too supportive.

amother

Wed, Nov 18 2009, 9:22 am

unfortunately all the courses I need are only offered on the campus and are the types of course that really can't be offered online. They usually have 2 or more parts like 1) a lecture 2) a discussion 3) a lab. So while I couldn't bring a baby to the lab because frankly that would be dangerous, I could bring a baby to a lecture or maybe a discussion. It tough because 1 course which says its 4 credits (which should be 4 hrs of class a wk) is actually 3.5 hrs lecture 3hrs lab and 1 hr discussion. Thats really 7.5hrs a week for one class not counting homework. Then multiply it by 3 and you get 22.5 hrs of classtime alone. If can even spend 1/4 of that with the baby here with me I'd be so happy. I don't really want to take time off, if I'm not in school full time I loose my scholarship and my family can't pay the bills.

NativeMom

Wed, Nov 18 2009, 10:11 am

It would depend on the professor, so I would ask the instructor first. I don't think it would be a good idea to just bring your baby to class even if there are 300+ students.

NativeMom

Wed, Nov 18 2009, 10:12 am

Does the school offer childcare? My school has a day care so I send my son there 3 days a week. It's wonderful because he's on campus with me Smile

cinnamon

Wed, Nov 18 2009, 11:03 am

I did this. I asked the lecturers beforehand (none minded) and sat by the door and as soon as she made noise I would leave the room.
dd was a darling though and almost always let me stay through the whole class. (I nursed in between classes)

Mitzvahmom

Wed, Nov 18 2009, 12:49 pm

It depends on the professors, sadly I have had professors ask me to leave when I got stuck with one of my kids. My daughter did not have school that day, luckily I promised the teacher she would be quiet.

DovDov

Wed, Nov 18 2009, 2:11 pm

Talk to the professors first, but I'd imagine most will be okay with it, especially in the early weeks when the baby mostly sleeps and nurses.

I took my baby to law school classes from birth through two months; he was almost three months when the next semester started and it wasn't worth starting off with him in class because he was getting to the noisy gurgling stage already. With a good wrap, you can easily nurse discreetly. Sit by the door so you can run out if hte baby starts screaming.

ETA: no one in any of my classes ever complained about the baby (who also came to a class here and there later on when childcare fell through), despite hte fact that tuition was upwards of $40,000/year. No one objected to my nursing in class -- in fact, no one noticed -- if he was still nursing as class ended, people would come up and ask to see him and I'd have to say sorry, he's nursing right now.

chaylizi

Wed, Nov 18 2009, 2:32 pm

the school I went to had childcare & a very specific rule that no children were to be allowed in the classrooms, with no exceptions.

shabbatiscoming

Thu, Nov 19 2009, 2:35 am

I think that it depends on a few things: the age of the child, the size of the school and class and if the class is relatively smallish what the proffesor felt about it.

I am in a course right now in a pretty small college. there are many women who bring along newborns with them. the classes are maybe 20 - 30 people each and I am sure that a carriage with a baby in it is not bothering anyone. when the baby cries, the woman goes out into the hall or gives a pacifier in the classroom, but it works out ok. you really have to ask the proffesors what they think about it as it is their class room, but overall, I do not think that bringinng a newborn to class is so bad.

chocolate moose

Thu, Nov 19 2009, 7:54 am

A n ewborn isn't a baby. A newborn prob. sleeps a lot. As the child ages, it's going to be much harder.

Any woman with a real newborn should be home resting too !!!

shabbatiscoming

Thu, Nov 19 2009, 1:57 pm

chocolate moose wrote:

A n ewborn isn't a baby. A newborn prob. sleeps a lot. As the child ages, it's going to be much harder.

Any woman with a real newborn should be home resting too !!!

but sometimes a woman gives birth in the middle of a semester and needs to go back in order to finish up. I know people who did it. they took off two weeks and then went wback, with baby and all.