Looking after Grandchild

Kynthia

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

My advice: don't offer 2 or 3 days. Offer 1, plus emergencies ...

I agree with offering slightly less days than you think you'd be happy to do, plus emergencies. Children can get sick quite often and need to stay home so there might be quite frequent unplanned days that need covering. Plus if they get a childminder then this person will need to take holidays and therefore close certain weeks of the year or occassionally be sick themselves, so you might be needed to help cover those weeks.

It's much easier to increase the number of days you help rather than decrease them.

smallholdingsister

My parents have looked after my children.
I have paid them £400-600 per month depending on how many kids/how many hours.

Beckyy

As others have said, you are being incredibly generous. You'll be saving little one's parents a small fortune in childcare costs. I hope they make you feel 100% appreciated.

Maybe a website like netmums may have some more helpful ideas and local activities/groups you can try.

duchy

My worry would be once they realize how much care from 8am to 7pm 5 days a week is going to cost that they will want tou to continue.

Ikamva

My parents would never accept any money for looking after their grandchildren, they love it

missbiggles1

Ikamva wrote: »

My parents would never accept any money for looking after their grandchildren, they love it

However much you love a child, looking after one of them for 55 hours a week is work and, personally, I don't think any decent person would expect someone to do that for free except in the direst of emergencies!

duchy

missbiggles1 wrote: »

However much you love a child, looking after one of them for 55 hours a week is work and, personally, I don't think any decent person would expect someone to do that for free except in the direst of emergencies!

Realistically no matter how much a grandparent @loves it@ it's a pretty rotten child that expects it of them. Yes childcare is expensive and if a grandparent wants to do a day or two a week that is wonderful but to expect someone of retirement age who should be enjoying their retirement to look after a grandchild for 11 hours a day five days a week on a permanent basis is very unfair of their children.

One of my Mum's friends once commented she had really looked forward to becoming a granny and enjoying her grandchldren but the reality of looking after a 2 year old was simply too much fulltime - but she struggled on because she didn't want to "let down" her daughter. Which really was a sad situation both for her and her grandchild.

pollypenny

The OP is only having the child full time until January, I think.

That should be fine, as long as she stresses the need for her daughter to start looking for a suitable nursery or childminder soon.

Jagraf

Irrespective of the money, I find that if grandparents look after a grandchild so much that it becomes a parental role, the relationship changes and there is the risk of "losing" that special relationship between the grandparent and the grandchild - you simple cant do the spoiling, late nights, naughty sweets between meals that grandparents are so good at. You run out of energy (like parents do).

missbiggles1

pollypenny wrote: »

The OP is only havi go the child full time until January, I think.

That should be fine, as long as she stresses the need for her daughter to start looking for a suitable nursery or childminder soon.

I still think the parents should make some sort of payment as well as covering any expenses incurred.

As it's only 7 weeks until January, I'd say they should be looking now rather than soon.