Leaving 20month old with Nan for a week

[Pennyfitzgerald91]

Hey,
My husband and I are going away for a week and we are leaving our 20month old son with his Nan. Will this affect his development? I am now worrying that we r are doing the wrong thing.Our son knows his Nan well as he has spent the night a few times and sees her regularly. My husband and I need this time together though. I will miss as him like crazy. Will he be okay? Thanks

Isn't that something you should have worried about before you decided to book?

No,it will not affect his development lol. It's good he is used to his nan. My two year old has never been away from us and she will barely go near other family members! My 6 year old however loves spending time with granny.. your son will be fine as he will be having a great time!

Have a good time away! I'd do anything for a week away with my OH haha. 😀

If he has a good bond with his nan he will be fine. Have a great time. I left DD with her grandparents for a few nights and she loved it.

My dh and I are considering a trip next spring when dd will be 18 months and I am wondering the same thing. It's not a full week, 4 nights, 5 days but I'm not at the point where I dare book it, still fretting.

Ultimately I think if you know they will be well cared for, are very use to the family member and have all their favourite things with them, what is the worst that could happen? Children are resilient and I don't think this would really do any harm.

I have understood the general recommendation to be 1 night away per year of age, i.e. one night for 1 year old, 2 nights for 2 year old etc.

Having said this I am leaving my 3,5 year old and 7 year old with their grandparents and cousins for 6 nights. My youngest is more able to understand time and where she is going, and where daddy and mummy will be during that time. She is also generally happy when she is with her sister, clearly draws comfort from her presence.

It's not bad. Enjoy the time off. It's also nice for your nan to bond with your child!

It won't harm him I'm sure, but it's understandable to worry and to put yourself in his shoes and imagine how he will feel. How long is it until you go? Perhaps you could let him have a two or three night stay to help him get used to more time without you and to feel secure that you will come back. It would also be helpful to take time to prepare him around what will be happening, even if you don't think he fully understands, talk to him about going away, what he will do with nan, where you will be and that you will come back soon. Will you be able to FaceTime etc while away? I'd say don't be tempted not to be in touch in case it upsets him, you can provide ongoing reassurance this way too.

Have a wonderful time - like pp said, I can only dream of a week away!! Would miss dd too though, try your best to relax and enjoy despite missing him.

Haven't heard of the rule re 1 night per year of age, nor can I figure out what evidence it's based on, sorry. By 20 months, our DS had stayed over at grandparents' multiple times. The first time we had to go away he was 5 months old. The first 24hrs were hard for us, but we were literally flooded with just about hourly photos and short videos of our giggling little guy (MIL is a keen photographer). Subsequent times we didn't even bat an eyelid. We are absolutely certain he's loved to bits. Without asking/suggesting, we get phone and email updates multiple times a day when we are away. In terms of development, he's growing into a well adjusted little boy, who adores his grandparents (but is appropriately weary of strangers). I grew up similarly with no ill effects (to my knowledge). By way of explanation, my husband and I travel frequently for work. Occasionally our travel either clashes or we actually go together. We don't know what we'd do if it weren't for our respective parents/in laws, who are fab. Enjoy your time away (after you get over the first 24hrs)!!!

Thank you everyone for chipping in and relieving my worry. My husband and I are back now from a weeks holiday and it was amazing, so glad we did it. My little one was a little unsure about me when coming home but recognised his Daddy straight away and was more than comfortable. His Nan said she had a lovely time with him and he was very good :) x