Tips For Leaving Your Kids Overnight

Leaving my girls overnight gives me a slight panic attack. I love my in-laws so much, and I trust them with our girls. But there is just something about not being around them for a few days… not being able to check on them in the middle of the night to make sure their breathing, not being able to monitor the amount of sugar their Grandma is feeding them, having to check the phone constantly for hourly updates on how they are… normal worries you know?! Leaving your kids overnight can be a really emotional experience for partners, especially moms, so I wanted to share some tips that will hopefully make it a little bit easier. 

Leaving Your Kids Overnight

Here are some of the things that I am doing/have done to prepare for leaving my little ones for an extended period of time.

1. Stick with family or close friends: Try to have someone watch them who is family or close enough to it so that they are comfortable with your kids and more importantly, the kids are comfortable and feel safe with them. This will put you a lot more at ease. The more you trust that person, the more at ease you will feel about them watching your child(ren).

2. Make a list: For Type-A personalities, like yours truly, making a list will help to ease some of the discomfort and worries ofnot leaving clear enough instructions. I made a list of all the “dos”, “donts”, numbers, necessities, and any of the important things. That way, it’s easy to check it before you leave so that you know you didn’t forget to tell those that are watching your precious kiddos anything important, and it’s also a good reminder of the ground rules for the grandparents to at least try to follow.

3. Pick up any special items before you go: Not that whoever is watching the kids wouldn’t be able to run out, but they may not know exactly what brand or type that you usually get for your kids. Whether that be

formula or certain wipes, or daily vitamins, anything that your kids might need that is pretty specific, just bring over when your drop them off so that the issue of “oh no we’re out of this” doesn’t present itself.

4. Don’t be afraid to set boundaries and rules just like you would if your kids are home with you. We all have specific things that we are set in the way that we do them. Keeping them on a somewhat normal schedule is important so that when you come home and get them back, it is not like they were abducted by some crazy monster child that is just out of control and completely off their routine. Things like bed times, similar meal times, and rules that are a staple in your home should absolutely be continued as much as possible while you are away.

5. Try to enjoy yourself:  It can be super tough to leave your kids for a night, even more so for multiple nights. You are obviously leaving them in good hands! Thanks to technology, there are plenty of ways to stay in touch with them and even see them on things like Facetime, so you can always be just a call away! Take the time away to spend time with your significant other or your friends or just take some “me” time! Whatever the case may be, take a breath, drink some wine…the kids will be OKAY!

What are some tips you would offer for leaving your kids overnight? 

*Cheers to taking some time, knowing the kids will be fine*