How much childcare do grandparents provide now compared with previous generations?

I agree with this.

And to be fair, just because you have children doesn't mean that you're destined to care for other people for the rest of your life; people are allowed to want to live their older years doing what they want. My oldest child is 27 and my youngest is 15. I've been taking care of other people for the vast majority of my life. At some point I'd like to be able to do what I want to do.

My grandparents were all dead by the time I was born, so my parents had zero support from them. They had also moved a fair distance from other family so had no family support whatsoever. My mum was absolutely clear that she would not provide any childcare support for me or my sister (kids now aged between 17 and 27) and never did. I will offer to provide emergency / occasional care if I have any grandkids.

My Grandparents weren't involved much. We would see them once a year. My mum died when I was 17 but my Dad and in laws aren't involved at all with my children. See them once a year if that. My.Ds has made me a Nanny in January. She's still in the hospital so I can't even hug her yet. I'm going to be as involved as I can. I can't wait.

We were constantly sent to my grandparents in the school holidays, for weeks on end. My mother has never offered to look
after my DC, and on the 2-3 occasions I’ve asked when desperate (2-3 times in 8 years) there has been a huge amount of handwringing and ultimately refusal. So she has never helped. Not even for an hour.

My own grandparents never provided any child care. My parents at the time were living with my maternal parents, and even though in the same house my grand parents wouldn't help at all. Grandparents were also still working

My own parents didn't provide child care apart from babysitting or odd emergencies. They were also still working full time.

I also don't provide child care for my grandchild unless required. I am a much older grandparent than my own parents were or my grandparents were.

I was always at my nans growing up, probably spent more time with her than my mum. I've got three children between 1 and 17 and I can count on my hands how many times they have baby sat. All are under 70 and have been retired for years and barely know my children.

Also, more women work full time today compared to when I grew up, when you had more sahm or part-time mothers. Childcare was expected to be done by the mother in those days (and you rarely saw dad at the school gates collecting their child).

Neither grandparents lived near, so no childcare at all, not even during school holidays.

With my dc (born turn of the century, ie, 1999-2002), both grand parents lived near us, but no regular childcare then either. Only occasional evening babysitting and maybe during summer holidays.

Inlaws did provide childcare (afterschool care) for Sil when she was doing a college course for a year but that was one day per week, and dc were older (junior /senior school age).

Absolutely 0

By the time I was 2 years old, 3 of 4 of my grandparents were dead so they had a good excuse not to babysit.

Nana was of a nervous disposition, once dropped her own newborn, and the only occassion she babysat me and my brother was when my parents took our newborn sister to an otherwise no kids wedding. I apparently baracaded myself in my bedroom and she was terrified of me (I was not quite 3 at this point, so as family lore goes, it was absolutely my fault and I was an awful child, not a normal toddler missing the parents that she'd never been away from before that point to be put in the care of a totally inept adult) That was the sole experience of grandparent care for me as a child, and it's still more than I've had to help with my DC.

DH's parents were dead long before I met him and mine are old so have never and will never offer care to our DC. It's the opposite in fact; we go over to support them because they have made no provision for getting old and refuse any suggestions of help that aren't their children doing stuff for free for them. 3 emergency hospital admissions for mum so far this year, dashing over at all times of day and night on a 2 hour round trip. Still refuses care, in fact sacked the free care provided on hospital discharge.

So, yeah. No help, never any expected and getting extra care responsibility thrown in for good measure. Bottoms up! 🥂

I think on average grandparents are probably older than they used to be as people have children later than they used to. Also, more people in their sixties are working for longer.

I was brought up by my grandparents, so my mother did nil parenting, but did look after my two for a week while I was having a hospital stay, I can't remember any other time. She used to take them shopping for their birthday and come and visit of a weekend.

MIL was much more involved, baby sitting if asked, and looking after my toddler one day a week when I attended college. She'd also be able to take over in an emergency. I didn't need school holiday cover as I was a SAHM, and later worked school time only until they were teenagers.

I look after my DGC for part of every school holiday, probably about a quarter of the time they are off school. They go to other Grandmother and holiday club for the rest of the time unless DD or DSIL are also off work.

I am not close enough to do ad hoc baby sitting, though other grandmother is very local and has them for an evening or if they are unwell. Of course if called upon I would drop everything and take over if needed.

Exactly the same as they received.
My dad's mum used to cover half the school holidays with me and my mum's dad did the other half. DH's nan did their childcare as she lived next door.
My parents have looked after DS for the first week of the school holidays and my in-laws are doing the second week.

We did not use either set for age 0-5 as we paid for nursery. They'll do the odd evening for us to go out for a meal.

My grandparents lived very close to us and we saw them a lot, they were usually there on days out. They would look after us whenever my mum needed to be somewhere, though we didn't ever sleep there. Every Sunday they would take us for a walk while my mum was cooking. Our house was a five minute walk away for them.
My mum spent a lot of time with my children when they were small, mostly not on her own but on days out etc. She looked after them once a week when I was working, but she wouldn't have done more, partly because she lives an hour's drive away.
If I have grandchildren I think the likelihood of living near enough for regular childcare is unlikely as my son has moved away. I think that's a shame as I would like to be present but could never afford a house where they live.

I don’t know anyone irl from my generation that was watched by grandparents. Our parents used childcare.

I don’t know anyone in my parenting cohort irl that didn’t just pay for childcare.

I have only seen this phenomenon online. I’m honestly not convinced it’s that common.

My grandparents never provided childcare for us. dh’s grandparents were very hand on because his parents were…let say….. not winning any parenting prizes.

My mum and dad provided childcare for one of their dgc because of difficult unexpected circumstances (marriage break down, dad was absent/lived a distance away and it supported now single SIL to be able to work and provide a home for dgc).

They never provided childcare for any other dgc because we didn’t have unexpected difficulties so as independent adults got on with our own arrangements.

If I am retired when ds starts a family, I won’t be pressured into childcare, no one should be, but with the fun I am currently having with my great niece, if I am still fit enough I might enjoy it - it’s (hopefully as ds is still at uni) a few years away though.

My grandmothers did zero childcare. But that was the norm, we all had to go outside and we were on our own. Oh, I was a latchkey kid from 10 on, grandparents sort of moved in and out. My grandfather occasionally gave me some of the food he cooked.

When my mom visited her mom, she took me along and I was expected to do chores, then go outside.

Not a grandparent so no childcare. I would in an emergency or covering appointments and such or very occasionally, but I would not be providing daycare all week long.

I saw my maternal grandparents every weekend and holiday, or if i was off school sick. My daughter sees my mum once in a blue moon. Thats a lot to do with my mum working and her mum being a SAHM though, plus living a bit further away.

I feel as though I practically lived with both sets of my grandparents. If I wasn't being looked after by them (pretty much every weekend), we were at their house (being looked after with parents present).

My parents and my in laws couldn't be less fussed about our 3 DC. I quite enjoy being a parent though - I don't think they did.

I’m not a grandparent (DC are teens and I was an older mum), but my maternal grandparents looked after me and my brother every day pre-school and after school, so my mum could go to work full time after being SAHM until my brother was 5 and I was 8. My dad worked full time and had a part-time job too.

We may have seen my dad’s mother 2 or 3 times a year so no childcare there and not much of a relationship either though I’m not blaming the absence of childcare. She was further away and mum of 11.

When I had my DC we were in other city. After each baby my mum came to help me for the first week and then DH took pat leave after that. I would take the DC to my parents for 3-4 days every month whilst on mat leave. I have very fond memories of that time. My parents have been such a brilliant support from 200 miles away. They’ve looked after DC in our home so DH and I could have a holiday a few times. They also took them for a week every summer holidays so we could make our annual leave work. I’m so grateful to them. Now the DC are teens and we all live a bit closer the DC go round to their new bungalow and help with jobs in the house or garden which is just lovely

None; too old or deceased but my parents got very good support from their own siblings. And vice versa, there was a lot of visiting cousins and aunts and uncles etc which made the long school holidays much nicer

My mum and dad - zero for us.
my grandma and grandad did loads for us despite mum not working. She had a selective memory about how hard they had it ‘with no money or help’ - they must think we have collective amnesia.

I baby sit every now and again maybe about six times a year. I work full time in my sixties and by the time I retire my youngest gc local enough for babysitting will be 12. My own parents, meaning mum, was there for emergency childcare but very much had her own life to get on with once her own kids were grown.

Im in my 50s, my grand parents did no childcare at all, we'd visit as a family or have a family event.

My parents would do the odd weekend, if we wanted to go away, or a night here and there. My sister would take my kids and now my grandchild at the drop of a hat. She has no kids and gladly takes any of the nieces/nephews.
I have my daughter and grandchild living with me. I do 3 days childcare while my daughter works and the odd babysitting if she wants a night out.

My grandparents on my dad’s side never looked after us, outright refused even though they lived under 10 minutes away. Even refused when my mum was in labour and they had no other alternatives.
My grandmother on my mums side lived too far away to provide regular childcare though I do remember staying on my own with her for a few days one school holiday.

My MIL looks after my kids occasionally and my mum the same. Both are too far away for regular childcare but they will have them for a day or overnight. I know my mum feels resentful that she got no help and though doesn’t want to do regular childcare she knows how hard it is when you have no help so she will help if she can