Out of curiosity, do you have kids? Leaving a kid with a baby sitter under 9 months is totally normal. I left my son with my mom when he was not even a month old, so that my husband and I could enjoy our anniversary just the two of us. I left him with a friend so I could go to the bar for a couple hours when he was 1 month old. I mean, many women only get 6 weeks maternity leave from work (in the U.S.), then leaving their child with a baby sitter or daycare full time.

Babies are super demanding, and if the pregnancy was unexpected (as mine was) or she has post-partum depression (as I did) the adjustment is going to take awhile. I mean, I struggled so much I didn't even know if I loved my child until he was almost 8 months old. I know that sounds probably horrible to you, but I resented the major change it made to my life. I no longer had friends, because I hadn't been able to make any mommy friends and my old friends were still drinking and sleeping around, which I was obviously no longer comfortable with. I also resented the sleep deprivation, mine didn't sleep through the night until he was about 10 months old. Even for Mother's Day this year I am debating whether I want to ask for a pedicure (I will go by myself on a Saturday, leave babe with husband) or if I want my husband to arrange a baby sitter one weekday morning so I can really sleep in.

Parenting is rough, newborns can be very terrible and draining. If you haven't experienced it, it will be hard to understand. You see this little tiny angel, but you don't see how difficult it can be when they are crying inconsolably at 3am.

I don't see any reason at this point why you should get in the middle and tell your cousin to take her baby on the date with her. Unless she is leaving the baby with someone who is untrustworthy or there is some serious neglect issues, I would not get involved. It's her baby and she chooses how she parents, whether she does attachment parenting or not is completely up to her and has no relation to whether or not she is a good parent. Everyone has their own methods. As long as baby isn't being abused or neglected, it should not be an issue.

Attachment parenting sounds great in theory. But when you have to choose between "attachment" and sanity... you should pick sanity. Your kid will live if you leave them with a babysitter every once in awhile to allow yourself to feel human again. They don't tend to bounce back if you lose your mind and do something harmful to them or yourself.