Does anyone else not send their children to grandparents for sleepovers?

[nosleepoverss]

My child is 3 years old and he has never had a sleepover. Both sets of grandparents have asked about it and I just don’t see any need for it. We co-sleep, he still breastfeeds to sleep most nights and I don’t want him to sleep anywhere else/away from us and I see no reason why he should 🤷‍♀️ Surely I’m not the only one? 😂 I imagine he will be asking for sleepovers in a few years time but right now I just see any need for it?

Agreed. And again, who is it really for?

Spoken like someone with no experience of feeding a child past infancy.

@MrsSunshine2b yes, because breastfeeding a school aged child is completely normal 😬

That's correct.

I mean, I never found breastfeeding particularly fun. It's not something I would have done at all if it wasn't good for my child...
If those of you who stopped earlier think it's so enjoyable why did you stop? 🤔

As in the children dont need to sleepover at grandparents to build and keep a relationship. Plus many 3yo are not ready to leave a parent overnight.

As "school aged child" in the UK includes a 4yo, yes, it is normal. Not usual in this part of the world though. But there is nothing wrong with that as its natural. In our society we do many unnatural things with our children and see them as the norm.

No it’s not normal at all. I am educated in this. There is no nutritional benefits for a child to be breastfed after a certain age. It’s weird!

My son is almost 7 and I don't/haven't cause my parents live 1,000 miles away and my inlaws 4,000 miles away but if they were local I totally would.

I'm glad you clarified that you're educated in this! Can you link to the sources you've based your educated conclusion of "it's weird" on please?

There is more to breast feeding than nutritional benefits ;)

This is a ridiculous comment. Just because someone thinks extended breastfeeding is wrong, doesn’t mean they think breasts are ‘purely sexual objects’.

I doubt she can quote it and if she does there are several more articles and research based evidence to show otherwise. This silly idea that once a baby turns 1 the breastmilk suddenly has an aha moment and loses its nutritional value is pathetic.

My grandchild is 6 months and I've been having them overnight since 1 month. Not breast fed,which makes a difference,but I love it and their mum enjoys the peace 😊

I’m sorry but I still think it’s weird to breastfeed a child that’s not a baby

If you were actually sorry, you wouldn't have felt the need to air your ill-informed and ignorant opinion.

No you are right. I am not sorry. It is absolutely weird to breastfeed a child who isn’t a baby. Tbh it’s a bit sick

The thing I find more weird and sick is your preoccupation with what other people are doing with their boobs and how they care for their children. Are you as weirded out by cosmetic surgery or ultra processes foods? Those are certainly more unnatural than feeding a child until they naturally wean.

To me, deciding on a date to start withholding something a child has had for their entire life and still wants based on, what? Peer pressure? Utter nonsense. When else would you do that to someone?! "Sorry darling, you're.not allowed to eat banana anymore, it's a bit phallic and Mumsnet says it's weird. Yes I know it's an excellent source of potassium and I know you like it before bed but eeeewwwwww. No more."

Well yes - and I don’t think there is anything wrong with a child staying with a trusted adult if parents need to do something else.

Me and my kids spend allllll day together. A few hours or a night away is a droplet in the ocean and doesn’t take away from all of the other experiences we have.

Look, there is a difference between “abandoning” your children and having a break or going to work or going on holiday for a few days and coming back for them. Trust me I have seen it. I have a family member looking after a neighbours kid - he left her with them during the covid period to go to work and never came back. I have friends who were raised by their nans, never saw their mum, because well mum didn’t want to be mum. I know someone who dances in clubs to make money and prioritises that over taking care of her kids, she swears she’s a good mum but also that parenting isn’t stressful because she always has someone to leave her kids - what parent hasn’t experienced the stress of parenting? I certainly have and I’m a very calm person.

I do lots in my community so see a lot. I have just shared 3 real examples of people that haven’t just taken a break, they’ve f**ed off and left their children behind.

With that in mind - if you have a supportive family and people that are invested in your child AND you trust them (I never leave my child with people I’m not 100% familiar with - she’s a teen now and we barely do sleepovers - I have to know where she is sleeping) then have the break!

Telling parents they aren’t allowed time off for … 18 years … is kind of ridiculous!

edited to add that there is also a difference between leaving your child with absolutely anyone and not vetting the place vs knowing who your child is with. But we are also part of a generation where we tell our children to not allow anyone to touch them inappropriately and we are the generation that are friends with our children because we want them to tell us if someone has made them feel uncomfortable. I’ve stopped my DD staying with her dad before because he had a flat mate I wasn’t keen on when we separated - and I listen to what she says. On a side note (and a dark note) I also know many adults that have suffered sexual abuse as children - thats horrible - but again - parenting is part intuition, part wisdom and part common sense.

Not liking the breastfeeding shaming here, not your boobs or child not your business, anyway no mine don't have sleepovers at grandparents, the only exception was when I went into hospital, my older daughter stayed with my sister and my other 2 stayed with my mother in law but otherwise if we are home they stay at home, not because I'm against it as such but I just prefer them being at home and as we have 4 children my mother in law doesn't have the space (my own mum can't have them for medical reasons)

The natural age for a child to complete weaning is berween 2-4 years old @Goldengirl123.

No never offered or asked. There are no rules. Grandparenting is all about individual choice.