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DD returning to work

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glammagran Sat 04-Jan-20 10:53:01

On Monday DD starts a new part-time job for the first time since having DGD now aged 16 months. She will be with other grandparents on Mondays, us on Tuesdays and nursery on Wednesdays which she has been going to for 3 months. She is very used to us as we see her a couple of times a week and we have a very good relationship and she is an absolute joy.

However, for some reason I’m feeling very anxious about the responsibility. I feel responsible not just for her but to her parents which is a different feeling to being a parent. We have just purchased a car seat and I’m even nervous about driving with her. I certainly wasn’t an anxious mother. DD is an extremely good mother, better than I was.

Any tips from other grandmothers who’ve looked after GC for the first time would be greatly appreciated. I really want to look after her and appreciate it will be tiring and it is only one day a week but may well include her nursery day on occasions if she is not well enough to attend.

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Luckygirl Mon 06-Jan-20 10:32:55

f77ms - they climb in and out of the car seat by themselves too and did so from very small. They got the hang of nit very quickly.

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Heather23 Tue 07-Jan-20 16:48:31

Totally understand your anxiety about the responsibility. I am lucky that my DH is almost always with me on grandchildren 'duty' day and he does the driving. I have steered (sorry!) clear of driving with the GC in the car and feel his bigger car offers more protection as well. I notice you say you have a travel cot - if you find this difficult to reach down into you might want to invest in a proper cot or perhaps toddler cot bed that will grow with the child? I have bought everything (apart from car seats) off pre-loved sites (buying new mattress), eg cot, high chair, buggy. I found it best to have our own buggy/stroller to avoid finding ourselves without one when parents drove off to work with theirs in the boot.
We visit local parks and soft play areas - always somewhere where we can have a coffee too. Now that oldest GC has started school and we do the school run once a week, I find that even more nerve-wracking as he uses his scooter and is some way ahead of us. He has been well trained to stop at every kerb but even so, I am a nervous wreck and have abdicated this duty to DH most times too while I stay with the younger one. I have also found the small backpack with rein attached a brilliant idea as children always very happy to have it on 'like Daddy'. Enjoy - it is over all too soon but hopefully lays the foundation for a long-lasting bond.

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glammagran Wed 08-Jan-20 07:55:47

Well we all survived our first full day of GD childcare. Husband picked her up at 7:20 and brought her back here for breakfast. She has a good appetite and ate more porridge than I did. We took her to softplay later on in the morning. Then lunch followed by Room on the Broom with which she is obsessed. 2 hour sleep next. She was upset then as she’s not used to anyone else putting her in a cot, but it was short lived. She was dropped back at 5:30 to DD’s partner who got home before DD. Went to bed at 9:30 - I was really tired. But a great day all the same.

Thanks very much all posters for tips and reassurance.

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