Managing tiredness

Yes I think both my DDs stopped because bibs just got taken off. GCs
very tactile with food too. However did I manage to get mine to keep bibs on and eat with toddler utensils ? id just hate the thought if all thst washing.

My daughter has tried using bibs with DGS2 but he just pulls them off over his head and grins at you because he thinks he is so clever.
He more or less gets his food into his mouth with his hands.

I'm 71 and have looked after combinations of grand kids for varying periods over the last ten/ fifteen years I find it harder now with young teens and pre teens as they don't want to engage with you (I m just there to make sure the house doesn't go on fire and get food etc etc ) I miss the getting down on the floor playing games

Yes kids do wear bibs I work in the kids section of a charity shop and we do them up in packs of 4 and they sell very quickly The cowboy type (triangular tie at the back) are the favourite boys ones I had one grandson who dribbled so badly my daughter used to have to put two big bibs on him he's a 6 foot blond Adonis now who doesn't dribble any more LOL

I have just come back from a day with my two grandsons and their mum. No1 is 4yrs and no2 18mnths. I will be 69 in February. Just watching and playing with them takes a lot of energy. Trying to keep one step ahead is exhausting.

They are lovely boys, the 4yr old is getting more sensible now, but the toddler is just a toddler and gets up to all sort of toddler mischief if he gets half a chance. Bless him.
There are very good reasons why we should have children earlier in life. Our energy levels are just not what they were.

DGS2 and I have just passed 40 happy minutes with me casting stitches onto a knitting needle and him slipping them off and unravelling them, then rolling the wool carefully back up, then again, and again. Fairly restful for me and a bit of counting thrown in. Unfortunately he's now moved on to painting very messily creatively...

He's 3, and we look after him Mondays and Wednesdays. We set off to his house at 0630h and get home at 1900h, so Tuesdays have been our rest and recovery days. As of tomorrow we're looking after DGS3, 18 months, on Tuesdays at his house too, so will have to raise our game!

They're gorgeous boys and we're delighted to be able to help out and build up close relationships with them. The housework can go hang.

Yes. Bibs are a must. Don't see how you can easily feed a toddler without them.

Good to know I'm not the only one who also get tired.
I used to think it was just me being lazy.

I'm nearly 70 and often look after two of my grandchildren - 8 and 5. I get extremely tired if not exhausted. It's particularly tiring if you don't have a partner to share the experience. My solution is to have early nights. I have been known to go to bed at 7pm. after a lot of babysitting.

I have looked after my 5 DGC now aged from 4 to 9 in various combinations since they were born. 3 of them stay with me and their dad 3/4 days a week and I often take them or pick them up from school or out of school activities on other days too, as well as attending school assemblies, plays, book fairs etc. To be honest their adult dad (DS) causes me more stress than they do! He is ultra laid back! It is difficult sometimes to be the disciplinarian rather than the grandma. I do get tired but half an hour nap in the evening usually cures it as it did when I was working.

By the way my house is a shambles!! Nothing new there!

You are all stars, wonderful grandparents, I take my hat off to you all. I couldn't do it, not now. for all of you.

Have you considered finding a Parent and Toddler group locally during the week? It's not just for parents and often gps attend as do Dads and childminders! They are a great place for toddlers to run off their energy and take a chunk of the morning or even afternoons away. It also keeps the house tidy!! For weekends try a paid play centre as they have toddler areas, but can be quite noisy I'm afraid, but again useful to consider.
Routines are essential so fill the day with a trip to the park, or to town (lots to see especially if you go to toy/bear shops) whilst the child watches from the safety of a prank/pushchair. Even a play in the bath allows you a chance to chill out on the loo whilst they play to their hearts delight. Or get some garden toys- sandpit, trike etc and a bench for yourself. Even 10 minutes on the kitchen floor with pots or bowls and a few spoons keeps them happy. And forget about tidying up and keeping your usual standards whilst babysitting as you can do it when dgc has gone/different days. Childminding is a full time job so concentrate on that alone when you have them! Plus if evening babysitting is regular then suggest they join a babysitting circle or find a regular sitter so you can rest. Don't overdo it and you'll be around and useful much longer.

I'm not 60 yet but I too am exhausted when they've gone. I have my two GC 5 and 2 for two or three days at a time every couple of weekends or so. Housework stops apart frond throwing things in dishwasher. We draw,paint, bake, have picnics ,play shops etc but I also use TVs and tablets to have time for a rest and cup of tea. The weather does make a difference ,if it's dry and you can't them to a park to run around then that it is great. I have another one coming in the next few weeks and after a year Im going to be looking after him/ her for a few days a week . I know I will be exhausted but it's better to feel tired and have aches and pains doing something you love than having similar feelings sitting doing nothing all day.

Thank you all for your suggestions. I only have gd one day a week as a rule although I do a lot of evening babysitting and sometimes have her for part of the weekend as the parents have to cope with a difficult shift system. They would put her in nursery for an extra day immediately if they thought I was having difficulty coping but I desperately don't want them to do that. I'm fit at the moment but I know that previous health problems are likely to return so I want to have as much time with her as I can. It's helpful just to hear how tired other older people get.

Josephine257 ... Thanks for suggestion re car seat & little step.

I think the solution would be to change my 3 door Corsa for a bigger 5 door car.

But I don't want to do that. My Corsa is great for the rest of my lifestyle

I have recently had 3 grand children to stay with the parents.it was thrilling to be back in the thick of it playing games etc.

My 5 y/O grand daughter is very disabled and has a sister of 4, we played wonderful games using what I have to hand. The melamine picnic set was used when we ran a cafe, this involved using all the remotes for tellies as pretend phones and ringing in ridiculous orders.....there was much crashing and banging of the plates and disabled GD was able to scoot about with my car keys pretending to get shopping for the cafe. I had to drink numerous cups of imaginary tea of course.......

Then we had a shoe shop and I could be all sort of customers, nice ones, old ladies, princesses (bloody picky they are abut shoes) then when we were bored with that, we built towers with the tea set from the cafe and disabled GD smashed them down amid howls of laughter.........

I save old perfume boxes and bottles and have a dressing up basket of stuff from charity shops and old scarves etc........I am shattered but love it. Also cover from polish types sprays build well into towers and come in all colours.

Plenty of stories and singing.big finish ...hold your arms up high, applause can go on for ages.

What is house work ??

Just a couple of suggestions for amusing children on wet winter days when you're stuck indoors.

A blunt children's sewing needle, shirring elastic and dried macaroni or any type of tube pasta and they can spend an hour or so making necklaces, bracelets etc. The pasta can be coloured by putting a few drops of food colouring into a plastic ziplock bag and shaking then empty onto a baking tray to dry.

Ice cube trays in different shapes (there lots of different ones) make or buy some plaster of Paris and pour into the moulds. When almost set, press a small safety pin into each mound and allow to set. The kids can then paint or colour the little brooches. Just be sure to buy a plastic tablecloth first!

I'm 64 and as I type I have my three Grandchildren here, aged 4, 3, and 1. Their mum is having a nap and dad is minding them upstairs. I get absolutely shattered when I mind them, even if hubby is helping. There's no way round it. Little ones are exhausting.

Bellanonna I find this odd too - my GS doesn't wear a bib and if left with me I either put a bib on or if it's hot, as it has been, take his clothes off and let him sit in his nappy to eat. He wants to feed himself so you can imagine the mess. He loves pasta and tomato sauce - I can never get that out of anything, even with special powder put in the machine, so stripping him off or even putting an old clean tea towel around his neck and shoulders, fastened with a peg, is a lot easier for me.

I'm 70 too and find looking after our 5 and 3 year olds very tiring, especially as they are usually taken out both morning and afternoon by their mum in the summer hols.

DH has more energy than me and often let's me have a lie down whilst the looks after the 3 year old.

We find Garden Centres and NT places good to take them and we always include a tea or coffee break. DH has in his bags about 10 little cars for them to play with whilst we are drinking our tea. We give them each a tray from the cafe so that the cars do not keep falling in the floor.

One of the most successful games at home is letting them empty onto a newspaper their money boxes, then sort and count the money and then replace it in the box. Our eldest GS must have spent over an hour doing this and we did a few sums along the way.

Oh yes, don't feel guilty about telly/ipad etc. I don't think I could've coped without Tellytubbies.

Childminding is hard.

Bellanonna my GS wore bibs or muslin squares when he was small - and then a plastic bib with a "catcher" at the bottom! I kept my muslin squares and he will still ask for one now and again if he is eating something messy (so does grandad!).

I'm so glad I had my DCs in my early twenties and they then did the same. It means at 69 I no longer have to worry about having enough energy to look after them because they're all teenagers now.

I remember the childminding days seemed so long and tiring. They were a joy to be with but I don't miss it.

WE have just worked for 30 minutes in the garden, planting garlic and broad beans, we are both in pain walking/standing, but got it done between us. Sat in the chair and I can feel an afternoon nap descending fast. Why is pain so tiring?

As a slight aside, do all small children wear bibs? None of my 3 do and clothes end up messy. I hate to see this, and do try to wrap something round them when I feed them. Mine always had bibs and plastic food catchers so I don,t understand this trend, or is just my DDs?

Gosh reading these makes me realise how fortunate a lot of young parents are! I am not sure I would have the energy for minding active toddlers in my 70's!

I am also 70 and find childcare for one year old exhausting.

Like you said Teddy 123, just getting them strapped into car seats, high chairs, and buggys is a struggle, especially if you have arthritic hands.

I now only look after dgs once a fortnight, as I feel ill after he has left and don't want to feel like that every week.

It takes a day or two to recover from these visits, don't you find.

But it is a joy to see them take their first steps and the progress they make.

Also, had forgotten how messy weaning was.

Oh the joys of being a gran!