Grandparents looking after kids, slow reactions

Brenny

Lol. Well, although with the best intentions, your concerns are unfounded. If the child wasn't in reins then grandmother at fault. As would any mother or father if they did same thing (I remember clearly the day a child in my care took off from the pushchair because I had overlooked making sure they were fixed in. But I was around 25 years old - a far more dangerous age for a child's carer if you ask me! )

And if one of my daughters decided to express concern that I wasn't aware of how fast a child could move, I would ask them where they thought I was when they were growing up....!

Georgiegirl256

Counting_Pennies wrote: »

I paused before I pressed send as I was sure I would get a barrage of responses to tell me I was being unfair and ageist and all the rest, but I genuinely posted hoping that if one person thought to speak with their parent as they dropped them off for child care that they might stop an accident.

Surely if that's your thinking, then that would apply to dropping your children off with anybody?

Scrapaholic

We're grandparents , early 60's of four 11, 7and 4 yrs . I'm another who thinks things can happen whoever is looking after the children . DGD ran into the road twice from her mam's side , just happened in a flash . Luckily no cars were coming . I do see some very mature grandparents with small children and have wondered how they manage to look after them . It's a big responsibility .

duchy

Grandparents grew up in a time where reins and holding a toddlers hand were normal and no one thought that not allowing a child to run amuck would damage their right to freedom of expression.

Idiots when it comes to child safety can be both parents or grandparents but arguably grandparents having raised children for longer are more likely to have seen a near miss and be more careful.

I'm not a grandparent but I have nearly step grandchildren aged from less than a year old to nine. I never let my own son as a toddler not hold my hand anywhere near cars and I'm no different with the grand kids and at 53 I am more than capable of moving fast. A grandparent of a toddler is more likely to be my age than the age the OP is assuming anyway.

seven-day-weekend

I was on a beach the other day. There was a couple with a baby sitting on the shoreline, the baby was sitting in the water, she looked about ten months old. She had no hair and no hat on a scorching day.

There was also a small boy at the other end of the beach, with nothing on at all, including no hat.

The boy started to cry. Both adults started going towards him.....leaving the baby sitting in the sea! I was just about to run towards her, when after about thirty seconds the man came back to the baby.

This was a couple in their twenties. Don't write us oldies off please!

LandyAndy

Counting_Pennies wrote: »

I was really shocked and my dd was crying too. So I parked the car and went to say something to her but she was gone.


It just made me think how many parents happily send their little ones off to the grandparents without the discussion about how much the child has sped up in the week, the need to always hold their hand and keep them attached to you some how, via reigns, strapped pushchair or held.

Her reactions obviously aren't so very slow then.

Mrs_Soup

I'm sure my mum is just as quick as I am when she is looking after my children. At least she wouldn't be chatting/texting on a phone like many younger people do around childrem.

I think you got a nasty shock and thankfully reacted fast enough to avoid a tragedy. But accidents do happen to all of us, not just to do with age etc.

dizziblonde

I think it's just people who don't have the constant day-to-day dawn-to-dusk exposure to toddler deathwishes rather than any particular age thing to be honest. If anything I'm slightly more laid back than my step-father in particular with the kids because I know a bit more what I can get away with (he was panicking because their wendy house outside didn't have carpet in it the other day and wouldn't their feet get cold on the cold concrete).

I tend to overstate the use of reins when other people look after my pair though more than I use them myself - although I use them a lot simply as it's easier to use reins as a backup if you have a walking toddler and one in a pushchair to push - purely because I know how tricky it can be now both of mine can walk so close in age to each other and that they rarely decide to go in the same direction at the same time.

My step father in particular had no experience at all of young children until I had mine and he really means well but is clueless about how much of a death-seeking-mini-missile my youngest in particular can be (she is a terrible climber - her sister's just a bolter)!

hunnie

Hi,
I am a grandmother and look after my 20month old grandson one day a week.
I totally agree with you OP that an update on the child's progress is needed when I only see him once a week (in general).
I find that suddenly he can climb on the sofa (and fall off!) where he couldn't the week before, or can reach things that were once out of reach. When progress happens on a daily basis you are aware but once a week contact means there are leaps in progress that the carer needs to be made aware of.
I also know that I am not as agile as when I was the mum!
So I take your points
regards
Hunnie

Morglin

As a granny, I wouldn't take a child of that age out without a wrist strap or reins.

But, there are a considerable amount of young mums putting their kids at risk, with constantly being on phones, not using restraints and not watching what their toddlers are doing!

Lin