When we fell pregnant with ds (now 25 months), we chose to make our home in the area where we grew up and where all our parents, plus two of their new partners, live. And the great grandparents have now moved here too! We both had lovely relationships with our grandparents when we were little, but they lived far away, so we wanted ds to have his close by. They're all 10 minutes away.
By and large, it has worked out brilliantly. My sister has Down syndrome with quite severe learning disabilities, and my mum - being a full-time carer - hasn't been able to hold down even a part-time job with fixed hours for as long as I can remember. So when ds was two months old, we asked if she would like to do about 9-12 hours a week, at times that suited both of us, taking care of ds with me/helping around the house/babysitting so we could have dinner. My sister was able to come too, or ds would go to their house, and so by and large, it's worked out great for Mum; given her the job she so needs for NI/pension purposes, but with a flexibility she couldn't find anywhere else.
My parents' house is like a second home to ds; he's very settled and happy there, which I am so grateful for.
My FIL helps us regularly with our garden, so he sees ds loads, too, and my MIL is very involved (she's the only one around whom I frequently have to take deep breaths and count to 10!).
There are some down sides to them all being so close by/involved. Firstly, with my mum, I feel like I mostly see her in the capacity of childminder now, rather than mother-and-daughter. And there has been a time - though less so now - when she mostly did our housework (especially when ds was small), and despite it being ever so helpful, we felt uncomfortable with the idea of her doing our "dirty work".
Also, because all the grandparents are all so adoring, and in their 50's/60's still, we do tend to ask readily (too much?) if we need/would like some cover. They are our first (and until recently, only) babysitting choice. And I do wonder if my mum would ever actually say no. Hmm ...
We are very lucky, and I wouldn't have it any other way; I don't believe Nature intended child-rearing to be done by a mum and dad alone, since it's so bloody hard! But living so close to the grandparents definitely isn't perfect, and MIL does drive me to distraction enough for me to wish she'd move a very long way away sometimes.
EBAB