Hi Moms,
There is a possible work situation that would take me out of the country twice within four months. The first trip would be 4-5 days and the second around a week to ten days. My daughter is 2.5. I have never left her for a night. She is incredibly close to my mother who I trust implicitly. My mom is anxious and thrilled at the idea of watching her for these two periods of time. She would also get to see her aunts, uncles and cousins who she loves, but it's not mom. I would love to hear anyone's experiences of leaving your child this age, older or younger whether they were positive or negative.
Thank you!
She will be fine. Does she live with her father too? If so, I would leave her home with him so the only change would be you being away.
I went away for 5 days when DS was 2-1/2 - I honestly don't think he notice, he was having too much fun with dad. When I did the same thing at 3-1/2 he was a little bit sad briefly while on the phone, but otherwise did great.
She will be absolutely, 100% fine. Don't give it another thought. I had to leave my 5 year old for 5 days once when she was 2 and she was fine with Dad and grandma.
My sister used to travel extensively (to Asia and all) and would leave her son with a nanny (he was under 5). Sometimes dad would be gone as well on business trips (they had high profile careers). He's the most normal guy ever - now 25. Married with a great job, getting his MBA, etc.
It's the time spent with kids that has to be filled with quality. And I know some folks will disagree with this - but 15 days won't be an issue in a lifetime. Your career and happiness are important.
A fast answer - Get Skype and train Grandma on how to use it. When we travel we we still are able to say good morning or good night each day to our kids. By seeing us they felt like we were still around and we got to know what they did each day. Grandma can help your daughter keep a list of all the things she wants to tell you about each day and it keeps you part of her day.
Good Luck and Safe Travels!
Yes, she'll be fine. You need to do some things for yourself/your career and this is a wonderful case of having a totally trusted person who can care for your child without your worrying. Go for it.
It sounds like your girl would not be in your own home but in grandmother's house. If possible, I'd have grandmother come take care of her in your own home where things are most familiar to your little girl. Unless your daughter has already spent plenty of multi-night trips away to grandma's I would opt for her staying in her own home and own bed, so there is less change overall.
You don't say how far off these trips are, but if they're not coming up soon, you could do some "dry runs" of overnights with your mom handling everything while you're still in the house but staying as hands-off as possible, or even with you going away just over one night (visit an old friend!). Might increase your mom's confidence level and get your daughter used to the idea. Ignore this suggestion if your mom already spends a lot of time caring for your daughter!
Is there a Dad at home or a Husband?
If so, she will be fine.
She is close with your Mom. That is good.
She will be fine.
You can do "Skype" via computer.
Does your Mom have a computer?
i actually think its good on occasion for kids to be taken care of by others. my mom took my son (not daughter) to CA for 10 days when we was 2.5. they had the best time! i think us moms worry "how will they live without us???!!!" but they do! so go and have a great time and don't worry, she'll be in good hands. =)
when my middle son was 2 I took my daughter and older son to disney world for 10 days. my son stayed with my sister for a few days and them my mom a few days. they visited back and forth so he was with the two of them. he did fine. I called home and "talked" to him a little bit. he did great. I would suggest that if you have not left him over night yet with her that you start that now. or at the very least start leaving him to go to sleep there so he is used to your mom putting him down. good luck and have a great trip. I love having my grandkids overnight and for stretches of time. In fact I have 3 of them with me now lol.
My son spent 3 days with my mom and dad when he was 3 weeks old. He spent a week with them when he was 11 months old and frequently stays a week or two with them if I have to travel for work or just to visit. The longest he has stayed is three weeks when he was about 2. He's four now. He loved it and I loved having the break to recharge. Your daughter will be fine!
I had a similar situation because my husband and myself had to go overseas to adopt and leave our 2 year old behind, 2 times, 1-2 weeks each time. I won't lie, it was tough on him even though he was busy with relatives etc., he still understood that we weren't there, we'd left. Your situation sounds different, not as long for one thing. Anyway, even though it was pretty tough on him, it was the only way we could work it so it had to be done. Your daughter will be fine. It will be hard on her but do as many things as possible to help her. Leave her notes, pictures, call her often etc. She'll be okay.
I think she'll be fine and it's probably a good experience for her to be exposed to and for them to bond more. I left my son at that age, but only for 3 days, when his brother was born. He did great while I was gone, although he was quite clingy for a couple days after. Your bond will last over this gap and you're lucky to have family you can count on for this.
She will be fine, especially since she is already close to grandma.
Believe it or not it gets harder when they get older! The first time I left my kids was a five day trip out of state. My son (5 at the time) took it much harder than my daughter, who was two and a half.
Go, and enjoy your trips :)
