Babysitting duties ?

[Sammie234]

I’m shattered and OH is too, daughter training for a job but with her husband on work as well we have been designated baby sitting duties, thankfully they go home in the evening when daughter got back . Love them to bits but it’s hard work looking after a lively toddler who was only two a couple of weeks ago and a 10 month old who gets frustrated trying to crawl and ending up going backwards changing nappies and doing bottles! At least OH was kept busy enough not to ask me too many repetitive questions and then he collapsed asleep 5mins after they left

 

[yak55]

I’m shattered and OH is too, daughter training for a job but with her husband on work as well we have been designated baby sitting duties, thankfully they go home in the evening when daughter got back . Love them to bits but it’s hard work looking after a lively toddler who was only two a couple of weeks ago and a 10 month old who gets frustrated trying to crawl and ending up going backwards changing nappies and doing bottles! At least OH was kept busy enough not to ask me too many repetitive questions and then he collapsed asleep 5mins after they left

Exhausting, as much as you love them to bits it's always nice to send them home Children are definitely for the young x

 

[Peachez]

spent a few days at Centre Parcs last summer with just OH and two of his grandchildren (7&9) . Was great, as was able to organise everything (even the weather it seemed) with no complaints and everyone was in bed by 9.30. Like having 3 kids with me, until the last day. OH was SO tired by then that things started to get a bit 'iffy'. To the point that the children turned round to me and said "what's Granddad doing?" when he decided to rearrange all the balls in the bowling alley !!!

 

[Chemmy]

I’m shattered and OH is too, daughter training for a job but with her husband on work as well we have been designated baby sitting duties, thankfully they go home in the evening when daughter got back . Love them to bits but it’s hard work looking after a lively toddler who was only two a couple of weeks ago and a 10 month old who gets frustrated trying to crawl and ending up going backwards changing nappies and doing bottles! At least OH was kept busy enough not to ask me too many repetitive questions and then he collapsed asleep 5mins after they left

Oh my, that would have been exhausting enough without your other half to look after too. Every grandparent I talk to is astonished at how it seems to be such a looooong day now that we're older.

Your daughter will be glad to get back to work. Is she expecting you to childcare on a more regular basis?

 

[marionq]

Oh my, that would have been exhausting enough without your other half to look after too. Every grandparent I talk to is astonished at how it seems to be such a looooong day now that we're older.

Your daughter will be glad to get back to work. Is she expecting you to childcare on a more regular basis?

Ah but the reward is when they reach their early teens and want to spend time with you. This has come as a pleasant surprise to me. My 16 year old grandson has now acquired a girlfriend but for the last few years he has flown up from London twice a year to visit us for a week.

My slightly younger second grandson and my 15 year old granddaughter quite often stay the night with us if their mother is going to a do. A lot of my knowledge of my iPhone and iPad comes from them and last week I showed them how to do a samba - without Strictly gymnastics!!

Love them all,

 

[jugglingmum]

There is truth in what Marion said, my mum spent a lot of time with my kids before she was ill and now they remember the pre illness grandma and make a lot of effort with her.

And based on the parents at work with young children, they carry a permanent haze of exhaustion about them if they have 2 close together like that, with the active kids in the day and sleepless nights thrown in, so not sure the young cope better, they just get on with it. In fact it is very easy to tell which parents have children who don't sleep, or in one case there was a grandad, whose grandchildren were regularly appearing in his bed in the middle of the night who showed the same lack of sleep exhaustion.

 

[Chemmy]

My daughter and SiL asked me to babysit so they could have a meal and go to the cinema a couple of weeks ago. In the end they opted for the 4pm screening and ate afterwards rather than face a late night/early morning. It suited me too - I was back home by 9pm

 

[Sammie234]

Well their back again 10 month old had an explosion in her nappy meaning a complete change of everything !!! She is now asleep the 2 year old I fed with a bowl of porridge earlier and watching Fireman Sam and it’s still only 11.10

 

[Sammie234]

Oh my, that would have been exhausting enough without your other half to look after too. Every grandparent I talk to is astonished at how it seems to be such a looooong day now that we're older.

Your daughter will be glad to get back to work. Is she expecting you to childcare on a more regular basis?

Yes she is, they definitely need the extra money and childcare is really expensive you end up working for nothing in the end. Had them again from 8 till 7 tonight that’s a long shift. Mind you they will have to organise themselves with working different shifts I definitely can’t cope with full time babysitting will be a complete wreck

 

[jugglingmum]

Girl I sit next to at work has just returned, with her MIL looking after her 2 in her house, 3 days a week, one is 8 months and the other 2.5.

I asked after her first day if her MIL was worn out and she said most definitely yes. Her MIL only has the 2 children, whereas you have OH as well, so please look after yourself and make sure your daughter is aware of the added issues of looking after OH, especially if he is in 'hostess mode' when your daughter is about.

 

[Sammie234]

Girl I sit next to at work has just returned, with her MIL looking after her 2 in her house, 3 days a week, one is 8 months and the other 2.5.

I asked after her first day if her MIL was worn out and she said most definitely yes. Her MIL only has the 2 children, whereas you have OH as well, so please look after yourself and make sure your daughter is aware of the added issues of looking after OH, especially if he is in 'hostess mode' when your daughter is about.

Your right, she does though understand the issues because she has spent quite a bit time of time working in care with both children, special needs and dementia. Yes OH does the hostess mode something I had never heard about before I came on this forum, now I realise what it is when he offers to do different things for others and says things aren’t a problem we can do them, what he should be saying is he will keep an eye on them for five so I can use the loo or make bottles or something for them to eat. Yet I darent let him take the eldest out for a walk because he doesn’t see the dangers or obstacles involved with a two year old you always have to anticipate what they may do and never take your eyes of them *stressful* hopefully though it should only be when their shifts cross over fingers crossed