‘My husband left our newborn home alone while he picked up takeaway’

“I’m livid, and he thinks I’m being dramatic,” the worried mum says.

What age is it ok to leave kids home alone?

In Australia, there’s no legal age, but the law says you’re obliged to make sure your child is safe and their needs are met.

In Queensland it’s a bit more clear: if you leave a child under 12 for an unreasonable amount of time, that’s a criminal offence.

My kids are 12, nine and four, and today I needed to pick up a script for the sick nine-year-old.

My eldest didn’t want to go out, the nine-year-old was too sick, so it made sense to leave them both.

But what about the youngest? The chemist is five minutes away on foot. He’d be with his brothers. In the end, I decided against it. If something happened, it wasn’t fair to put that kind of responsibility on the older kids.

In the case of babies, the decision is obvious - don't leave them alone. While my kids are old enough to run for help, use the phone, and make safe choices, an infant is totally helpless.

Which is why mum Bridget* was shocked to learn that her husband had left their newborn baby at home while he went out to pick up takeaway for dinner.

Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this.

The dad said he was only around the corner, and away for less than three minutes. Photo: iStock

Dad leaves newborn home alone while picking up takeaway

“We live in a downtown area of a large city,” she explained in a Reddit post.

“My husband left our newborn home alone while he went to pick up a food order.”

She tried to explain her husband’s logic: the restaurant was less than one block away; he was gone for less than three minutes.

But the new mum couldn’t get over the fact that her husband had left a defenceless baby all alone.

“I was livid when I found out and I feel this was extremely irresponsible. He said I was being dramatic and says the baby was completely safe, sleeping in her bassinet.”

She wanted to know what others thought.

RELATED: Life as a stay-at-home dad to a newborn 

RELATED: ‘Wrong to leave my kids with their dad?’

Reddit supports mum

Hundreds of people added their point of view to the comments.  

Many said that even though the husband was nearby, unforeseen circumstances could strike at any moment.  

“What if something happened to the husband? Hit by a car? Falls? Twisted his ankle and can’t walk home… what if a fire alarm goes off in the building and causes the baby distress?” one person asked.

“Once, before I had kids, I went to the shops and came back to the entire block closed for a gas leak,” said another. “Had to wait in my car for an hour and a half… imagine if I’d been like, ‘Hey listen I know you’re busy butttt, I have to retrieve my unaccompanied minor real quick’.”

Others shared that they would never leave a newborn alone in the house.

Introducing our new podcast: Mum Club! Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode.

“When I was home alone with my son when he was a baby, I didn’t leave the house unless he was with me, even if it was just to get the post,” one person said.

Others had stories about getting locked out and separated from the kids.

“Once we were on the balcony and the dog jumped at the patio door and manage to flip the lock and trap us in the back yard,” one person said.

“A friend took her young children to the chicken coop to collect eggs. Kids wanted to go inside. They left, closed the cook door, locked it and went inside. My friend was stuck in the coop,” said another.

“My toddler is why I have a house key tied to the inside of my robe and another buried in the yard,” said a third person.

Someone had a perfect solution to the problem.

“If he is hungry, he can cook or have food delivered,” they said.

*Names have been changed.

This article was updated in May 2024. 

Originally published as ‘My husband left our newborn home alone while he picked up takeaway’