Grandparents babysitting

[HippoMumsy]

Just curious if anyone has allowed their parents/aunts/uncles/family to babysit their children recently during lockdown?

YABU - nope and I’m demented!
YANBU - yes and I enjoyed the rest!

I haven't, we haven't seen any of my side of the family since before lockdown started.

I'm working full time out of the house and it's been really tough not being able to access family childcare. My boyfriend is working from my house at the moment so that he can help look after my son, but he has caring commitments for his own parent on top of that so it has been difficult for us both.

My SIL asked my MIL to babysit. It was the choice between babysitting or leaving the kids at home. They are old enough to not burn the house down but (mostly the youngest) feel very upset and vulnerable to stay home alone for the whole day. A few hours after school in pre corona times would have been fine though (MIL babysat the holidays all the time). She's a single mum and her employer isn't very flexible or understanding. My SIL actually caught Corona and was made to work at home even though she felt too sick otherwise she wouldn't have paid her wage that month. SIL is looking for a different job now of course after that last stunt.

My mum has always helped with childcare whilst I worked but hadn't since March although on Monday she did come to mine for the first time and watched my baby and toddler whilst I worked upstairs.

Yes but they live with us so we isolate as a family.

My mum has had my twice on days I had to go into work

I gave birth so PILs looked after my toddler while my husband was with me. I had an exam (changed from exam centre to at home due to COVID) so PILs looked after my toddler again, my husband was able to work around it with the newborn but it would have been very hard for the 2yo getting distressed at me popping in and out to feed the baby and then disappearing again, and I would have found it very hard to concentrate. I’m sure that some on here would say I should have given birth alone or done my exam with the toddler around for the sake of COVID

Not yet but from next week mil is going to be looking after ds as both me and dp will be working days, I switched to nights during lockdown but have been told I now need to go back to my regular shifts which means we have no childcare for youngest ds from 9-12:30 four days a week. Mil is under 60 and has no health issues so has said she will have him. He is not in the year group going back to school however ds’s school is only small and already full with key worker bubbles as only has 3 available teachers so couldn’t go to school even if we wanted him to

Yes, we joined households after over 3 weeks of isolating as we both knew there was zero chance of having it after having not seen a soul for that time.

I wouldn't have been able to support my dcs online learning with their help.

But now kids back at school / nursery having to stop that again.

Some grandparents willbe in their 70s and 80s and others in their 40s, some healthy, others not.

My own parents and ILs fall into the top set, so no. But if grandparents were in their 40s and 50s with no health issues then I wouldn't rule it out if needed.

Of course not.

But I’m not demented, where would I be going that I need a babysitter?!

Megan2018 I think it’s fairly obvious that in this case babysitting means childcare generally.

I went to have another baby, and I sat an exam. I wasn’t doing social activities

I would if they’d offered!!

Megan um .. Work? A big shop that is not easy with small kids at the best of times?

I think Megan is assuming babysitter = going out for dinner, which is how I would normally use it myself, but the context of the thread shows it is being used more widely in this instance

I’ve looked after my dgc. They live half the week with me and half with dd and SIL. DD is frontline nhs and SIL Wouldn’t have a job to go back to if he insisted on furlough. Unfair but realistic.
It’s not ideal and I’m a bit concerned we’re bending the rules but it’s a compromise. DD and family have had Covid before lockdown and self isolated.
The dgc are a joy and I’m happy to homeschool.
I’m sure I’ll get flamed by some but there is no alternative, keyworker childcare simply does not open the hours DD works.

No, my mum looks after DD during school holidays but as i am WFH due to Covid i have been looking after her. My mum has seen DD twice since lockdown, once on my mums birthday where we stood at the bottom of the drive and sang Happy Birthday (poor neighbours) and once when my mum came into my garden to drop something off (social distancing was observed). It is sad a DD really misses going to grannys.

Not yet but as of this weekend they will be as I’ll be going to work. Just come off maternity leave last week. Both my partner and I are key workers so we don’t have a choice really. We only need them to do it every other weekend then they have to go to nursery during the week when we’re working.

MIL has, but she lives with us so not breaking any rules. Something SIL forgets when she slags me off on Facebook for getting “Granny in her 70s to babysit while I swan off* out”

*Generally I “swan off” to do the shopping

Yes but it was allowed as it was for medical reasons - I had to go to A&E to get a suspected broken foot checked out.

Since schools have broken up a grandparent has had my child 2/3 days a week so I can work.