What Does My 2Yo Need from Me While I'm Away for a Week?

At 23 months (and still nursing), I left my son for 10 days with my husband and mom. Some sadness the first day and then all was well. A loving place is what I believe a happy child needs. My son had his dad and grandma there with him. I called a few times and that made everyone happy.

How come a dad can leave a child for a week and no one feels guitly? I was nervous, but I'm glad I got to do what I did and my husband got to have a great time with our son. Also, we went back to nursing as if I had never been gone.

You know your child best. Do what feels right for you. It worked for us.

I would read some books and record it with a video camera. Then she can watch you whenever she wants while you're gone! And you can talk to her on it too.

Make a chain (with her) with the number of days you'll be gone. Then every morning she can rip one off and SEE how many days are left till you are back.

You should definitely call too. BUT if she gets too upset with phone calls you may have to just speak with your husband instead of both of them. Each kids reacts different to that sort of thing......

And maybe you could pick up a couple small gifts and let her open one every couple days while you are gone. (You could MAKE the gifts also.) Even a card made by you would probably mean a lot to her.

Kids adjust well to changes and I'm sure she'll be fine. Stuff like that seems to be harder on us parents then on them.......

Don't worry- she'll be fine. She's not going to forget who you are or have any attachment issues. Just call her every day to check on her so she can talk to you. Otherwise, talk to her about how much fun she's going to have at so-an-so's house. If she seems worried, tell her you'll miss her, but she'll be fine, well taken care of, will have fun, you'll call her every day, and you'll see her in a few days. I've had to leave my daughter with Grandma a few times- in fact, she's there now because my husband is out of town working, and I have to work over the holiday. She's 4, and having a blast! It's all how you approach it.

She'll be just fine. My husband has been away for 7-day and 10-day work trips and our son would ask about him, I'd say he was at work and he'd be back and he was totally fine with that. And as I write this, my husband and I are away on a two week trip and our son is with his grandparents. I was very anxious leading up to the trip, wondering if we were going to cause him stress. I spoke to our pediatrician and some other moms who have been away long periods and all assured me he would be just fine and it would be harder on me. My in-laws report that he has been doing very well, is very happy, asks about us occasionally, but is fine when told we'll be back. This morning we talked on the phone for a bit and he said hi and goodbye to us and seemed very happy, wasn't sad when it was time to hang up, was already off running around playing. I, on the other hand, have had a couple meltdowns, but overall am having a nice time with my husband on our vacation. Good luck!

Can you bring her with you? How about suggesting to your employer that you are thinking of arranging for a nanny to chaperone your child and perhaps they have a resource to offer you?? I think if you are worried about leaving her for a whole week, you need to communicate this to your boss and see if you could bring her with you so you can parent her when you're not working. This is what I did with my little one at that age and my employer was cooperative and supportive of the fact that I am a Mom.

Then again, if you do leave her for a week she will be just fine. Just make sure you do not pass any bad stress to her that you may be feeling while you are out of town...phone calls each day can be more of a reminder of your absence than a comfort to her, so keep those to a minimum.

Someone recommended that I leave little notes or gifts for the time I'd be gone...This past summer I left my 3 year old son for 9 days as I traveled out of the country. He was home with his dad, but was going to be with a sitter during the day or grandma would be coming to our home, depending on the day. Prior to leaving I wrote a letter for each day I would be gone, some saying that I missed them, asking them questions or telling what I would be doing that day. Also in the note was a clue telling them a certain place in the house to look for an envelope or package - a mini scavenger hunt. Some of the treasures they found included a book, music cd I borrowed from my sister, game or treat (cookies in the freezer were a hit). I hid everything before I left, and dated the letters, giving them in a pack to Dad. Each day they made a ritual of reading the letter and searching, then playing and/or eating.
When my son was younger and his dad was to be gone for several days, we made a little video of him talking to us, saying hi and he missed us and some other funny stuff. I played it each day he was gone, sometimes several times in one day! We recently came across that video on the computer and it made us laugh.
Hope that helps...oh, and our son was a bit mad at me when I returned - presumably for being gone, but within an hour or two his attitude was better. The little toy I offered immediately seemed to help.

She is going to be FINE. You will have a harder time than she does, and she's with your husband, so all the more reason that she will be fine. Don't expect her to be willing to talk on the phone for too long, but I agree that you should at least try to contact her every day.

As a therapist I've run into a lot of children with different types of attachment disorders. I can honestly say our recommendation to avoid these are for mothers not to leave their children for more than 24 hours before 18 months of age. Doesn't mean if you do that your child WILL have this disorder, just preventative measure. So I would say ENJOY your trip!!! At 2 years old her little brain should be further developed :)

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A friend of mine's husband is a pilot and goes away for the first half of every week. They now Skype everynight so he can chat with their little one. I'm not sure what you'd need to do this-obviously a laptop and a video camera. It may be expensive to get into but it's another option. Personally, we left our two year old for 3nights/4 days and it was painful. We all cried when reunited at the airport but she recovered VERY quickly. Kids are very resilient. Good luck finding the best for your family! God bless!