A mom is questioning if she’s being too protective about leaving her newborn with her 13-year-old stepdaughter while she does chores around the house.
The woman shared on the community forum Mumsnet that she feels “not comfortable” leaving her baby, who is only a few weeks old, in the care of her stepdaughter. She said she’s worried something could go wrong — like choking or suffocating — if the baby isn’t closely watched.
“Personally my priority is the safety of the newborn and anything can happen quickly (choking, falling, suffocating) if not being watched properly,” she wrote.
Her partner disagrees, saying he doesn’t see any issue. The mom explained that she does let her stepdaughter “hold, feed and cuddle” the baby as much as she wants — but only when an adult is around.
She also shared an example of why she feels nervous. Once, she said, she came downstairs and found her stepdaughter on her phone while “watching” the baby. At that time, her partner was in the kitchen and she was upstairs.
This led her to ask the Mumsnet community: “Am I being unreasonable?”
Many people who responded said they think she’s worrying too much.
“You are being over the top,” one commenter replied. “No one needs to be watching a newborn every second of the day. They just need to be in the same room as someone. Stepdaughter would be fine to monitor them in my eyes.”
Another person pointed out that parents with more than one child often have to split their attention: “You know if you have a second child you will sometimes have to have eyes on the toddler/preschooler and not the newborn? My days-old second child had to be alone in the living room for a few moments when I took the eldest to the toilet or whatever.”
The commenter added: “Anxiety around your new baby is normal, but you’re being unreasonable.”
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), 13 years old is usually considered a trustworthy age for siblings, family members, or other teens to start babysitting babies, since many are mature enough to handle basic emergencies.
However, the AAP also notes that younger teens should not babysit infants under 6 months if they’re completely on their own. But they can help if parents are at home, Care.com explains. Anyone caring for a baby should also know where the parents are and how to contact them if needed.
