Are sleepovers at Grandparents normal for children 1 - 2 years old

[hura2611]

@jackstack My kids started sleeping over at my parents house at like 6 months

 

[spiralpheonix]

@jackstack I and my brother stayed a weekend per fortnight at our Nan's house, from a fairly early age (maybe around 4 for me, and earlier for him?). We loved it. A break from whatever was going on at home, more contact with other parts of our family, and I'm sure my parents benefitted from the break hugely.

If you've got the option, absolutely do it.

 

[iambing]

@jackstack Just depends what you're comfortable with. I know my grandparents had me for days at a time starting the day my brother was born

 

[wizengeist]

@jackstack My boy has been sleeping at high grandparents once a month since he was about 6 months. They are a huge part of his life but also young since my mom had me when she was 17.

 

[guynad]

@jackstack No, it is not unusual. And for all the reasons you state, would be a nice change. I did it quite often as a child.

 

[sheenagreen21]

@jackstack I think that’s fine. Once a month maybe.

 

[tinyhomebiglife]

@jackstack Send your kids to grandmas house once a month for an overnight.

Send mom along to “supervise”.

Grandma is happy.

Mama is happy.

And dad gets a night to himself.

You’re welcome

 

[jep4christ]

@jackstack It really depends on the grandparents and the kid. They can even stay overnight when younger if everyone is up for it, from what I hear it was pretty normal when we were kids.

 

[singularityisnear]

@jackstack It depends if the grandparents are alright with the idea. Rich people usually dump their kids on to the grandparents' mansions for summer, winter, or spring breaks. They would refer to the practice as summer, etc. "My kid is going to summer in the Hamptons with my folks, they just got their bungalow and 2nd pool installed."

 

[dodgybob]

@jackstack Totally normal

 

[katrina2017]

@jackstack My in-laws took our first kid once a week starting at like a year old. Now that we have two it’s maybe once a month but our kids are super close with them and the in-laws are grateful for the time.

 

[katrina2017]

@jackstack Hell, I’ll let your mother-in-law babysit my kid

 

[born4mason]

@jackstack We left our 18month old with grandparents for a week while we went on an international trip.

 

[loreec]

@jackstack We are doing this to wean our 22 month old. But this is the EARLIEST we are considering it and he is staying with my parents because they are younger and more spry. And they actually have a bed for him. My in laws are salty over this but they are old enough to be MY grandparents.

 

[rahenson]

@jackstack My kids are almost like a split custody situation, lol. They pretty much spend every other weekend at grandmas house. It gives me and the wife some much needed alone time. We have 3 kids so it's super important to maintain a balance where we get to just be a couple instead of managers of a household where we seem more like coworkers than a married couple.

 

[need2besaved]

@jackstack My mum got a crib the minute I was pregnant. As soon as she could be away from me and feed, she had sleepovers at G-ma’s house. Almost 5 now and has less free time to sleep over there as often, so we really appreciate how much their bond was formed and really solidified through those sleepovers in infancy and toddlerhood. Yes it gave me breaks.. but wow, at the end of the day it gave them a really beautiful relationship. This girl and her G-ma have something really special now, I’m gunna tear up

 

[alcwj]

@jackstack Totally normal. I did this as a kid and so does my kid.

 

[gorphean]

@jackstack Take it. My kids 6.5 and 3 love sleep overs at grandmas house. Dad is 63 and mom is 61. Also like 20 minutes away.

 

[northernlight]

@jackstack Been doing every Friday night since he was 3 months old. It’s the only thing that’s kept us alive.

 

[logodesigner]

@jackstack

Grandma currently babysits 4 out of 5 days of the week, is late 50's, lives 20 mins away and has a spare room set up with cot.

That is an amazing resource. If both you and your spouse have a good relationship with that grandparent and don't mind being around them, then absolutely take advantage of that time to do anything but caring for your kid.

That's talking 24 hours to sleep, put away laundry, get an oil change, bang it out, clean up the house, get groceries, mow/kill the lawn, have a hard talk, bang some more, mix a few drinks, and/or deploy the toxic-but-effective stain removers.

We have a similar arrangement, with grandma's work a few blocks away - we have always gotten along well, and she will bend over backwards for her grandchild. She's learned how to do the food pump, mix formulas, and she's another source of interactive learning to help baby's brain blossom. She's even watched her a few days over the weekend.

Now, grandpa - not so much. Don't like him, don't trust him to follow directions, don't wanna be around him - the same arrangement would never work, even with the same level of convenience.

But as a compromise approach, I'd say work up to it. Start by spending a night there with baby now and then just to feel it out. And remember, you're only 20 minutes away if you need to dart out the door in the middle of the night.