Is It Safe for a Three-Month-Old Baby to Be Left Behind so Parents Can Take a Break in Vegas?

When it comes to parenting, there are many styles.

And often, this is where many people encounter opposing beliefs that depend on culture, religion, economic status, and other factors. However, it can be true even among siblings with their own families. They may differ in principles and points of view on child-rearing, which can lead to concerns and misunderstandings at times, just like in this story from a married brother.

Posting under the username u/Gloomy_Chemistry1822, the Original Poster related the following details on Reddit’s r/AmItheA–hole forum: “My brother just had a baby boy, and I absolutely love him. A few days ago, my brother asked me if I could babysit his three-month-old baby for two days so that he and his wife could go to Las Vegas and blow off some steam from the pregnancy.”

Why OP said no in spite of his fondness for his baby nephew? He wrote, “While I have the capacity and know-how to care for an infant, I think it is totally irresponsible for them to leave on vacation while the baby is so young. So I told him I wasn’t comfortable with their attitude towards leaving such a young baby overnight so they could go party and that I wouldn’t babysit.”

But, much to OP’s surprise, his brother and his wife did not agree with his point of view. He further said in his post, “He asked our parents, and they happily obliged, as they want to spend as much time with the baby as possible. I was actually pretty shocked that my parents weren’t more against it. Am I being a judgmental a–hole?”

In a clarification, OP also wrote that he has a two-year-old son and that he and his brother babysit for each other, about once a week for two hours. He added that his brother and his wife have gone out to date nights since the birth of their baby, whom OP and his wife take care of. On his family’s side, his son was very unhappy with anyone else other than his parents until about 1 year old.

What’s the verdict of the AITA community?

According to kathryn_sedai, “NTA, people are saying you’re being judgey but, good lord, there’s still a pandemic occurring (edit: and also good old-fashioned flu season), and they want to go expose themselves to everything in Vegas and come home to their baby’s fragile immune system? I think it’s pretty irresponsible of them, and I understand why you wouldn’t want to be the one caring for a very young infant so they can go party.”

MrYellowFancyPants also has this to say: “I feel like I’m on crazy pills reading most of the responses in this thread and the amount of Y T A towards OP for judging her brother for leaving their infant to go on vacation. I’m not saying parents should never take time for themselves or go on vacation (I’m a parent myself), but when you have a 3-month-old? It was hard enough doing daycare for my 3-month-old so I could go back to work, I wouldn’t drop her off to go party in vegas for a few days.”

BlueberryBlossom13 shared a similar concern: “An UNVACCINATED 3-month-old infant. (When it comes to babies, if they haven’t had all their shots yet, they’re unvaccinated in my eyes). The gods and CDC only know what germs they could bring home.”

While batclub3 has this experience to share: “RSV is spiking like crazy near me. My 2-year-old nephew brought it home from music class, and his one-month-old sister was in PICU for a week.”

Well, is it really worth risking a baby’s health just for 2 days of fun in Vegas?