How many nights would you let your 4-year-old go to stay at their grandparents' for, without you?

[Pruners]

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errr... as long as they'd have them!!! you lucky lucky woman.

Depends how used the children in question are to their grandparents and vice versa.

I'm about to leave my DD (3.7) for four days and three nights at my parents house. That's enough for the time being (she stayed once for 11 days when she was much younger).

I would struggle with a week I think. No particular reason, I'm just soft!

I thikn probably 3 or maybe 4 nights tops and then I'd want to be seeing him. It's a personal thing though isn't it? THe child would not suffer - they'd have a ball! In some ways I'd love a week where I only had to think of myself and dh but I know I'd miss the boys like mad (mine are 7, 5 and 3 so I'm the 'ballpark' age!).

365x14

My DS2, who is 4 at the end of July is going with DS1 to stay with my Mum for a week in August. I guess it would depend for me on the quality of the relationship.... My kids know their grandparents well as we lived with them for 6 months and so I don't think it will be a problem. Also having his brother there should help.

Bad weekend Quattro?

As long as possible lol!!

Nah i am kidding,if you are happy with 5 nights i would go for the week and get away for a wee holiday Pruni.

I fear my mum will say no to 1 night looking after the dd's to let us get away for a belated 1st Anniverary night away so take full advantage!!

1 or 2. My DD loves her grandparents very much but we had this issue when she was 4 yo and she told me emphatically that she did not want to go for a week.

She is now 7 and she still does not want to go for a week. She will go for 3 or 4 nights this summer.

I don't think I would want to leave my DS for a week yet but like you can't put into words why not.

I live in the UK but I'm from the states and that's where my mother is. When DD1 was 4, my mom came here to visit and then took DD1 back with her for a week, then my sister brought her back and visited for awhile. DD1 had a ball and still fondly remembers lots of it (she's 9 now). It went really well, but DD1 was a very independent 4-year-old. No way could we have done that with DD2 at 4 or even now at 6. So, once again, I'm posting that it depends on the child (and on the grandparents).

my dad took my DD1 who was only 13mnths old to scotland for 10 days!

The kids can stay with my dad as long as they like!

I would struggle with a week
But then i would struggle with a night

at that age I stayed with my grandparents for as long as I could as often as I could tho

my mum lives in N ireland (we're in scotland). DD(4) has been to stay with her for a week - she loves it. My Mums knackered by about day 3 though!

My ILs live down south. dd stayed with them for 5 nights at Easter (she is 4). It was fine, she had a good time, (and so did we!) but that was long enough.

The most DS has been away from he is 5 nights, when he was 4, and he struggled towards the end and so did I, and he was at his grandparents who he stays with at least one night a week anyway, so was very used to them.

It's just quite a long time I feel, and wouldn't do it unless I had to.

It would depend which grandparents.

My mum - as long as she will have em (but I know from the honeymoon that I do actually miss them)

My dad - possibly 2 nights.

PIL - again, 2 nights max, but we see them rarely so I don't know how well either they or the children would cope. Chick especially because she doesn't do well with change.

both sets of Grandparents had DS2 from about that age for a week at a time. He loved it.

when ds1 was 4, he stayed for maybe 2 or 3 nights with PILs but only ever 1 night with my parents (and still has only stayed 1 nihgt with mine aged 6)

however, now that ds2 goes with him, they have stayed 3 nights with PILs and will probably stay 4 in the summer holidays. DS2 is 3

I would feel jittery for any longer. But that is my issue - they are more than capable of looking after them and the boys have a great time

I've always gone with one night for each of their years, so dd1 who is now 3 has been on holiday with grandparents for three nights. When she was younger she was usually just away for one night but I would have felt ok with two nights.

2 nights probably but I am soft. I have done 2 nights once with DD and twice now with DS the second being this May, just two weeks short of DD's 4th birthday.

A week.

I know it's a bit different, but Ds has spent every other weekend with his dad/grandparents since he was 2. They took him to India (without me) when he was 4. My mum has had him for a week at a time, 3 weeks on the trot when my dad was dying.

So he loves your dad, they have a fab time, he wants to go, it sounds lovely. Do you have safety concerns or something? When my dad was alive he was a bit daft about child safety things, for example, he once took ds on a fairground ride and wasn't watching him as was distracted with getting his own seatbelt off so 2yo ds undid himself and nearly jumped over the 10ft drop side of a high ride, that kind of thing.

He was 3yo when my dad died btw. He has regularly spent a couple of weeks at a time with Ex ILs.

DS1 went on holiday to Spain for a week with my dad (+1) when he was 3 1/2, 4 1/2 and 5 1/2.

my kids are going up to my parents for 4 nights during the summer. they will have an absolute ball (dd is a rubbish sleeper at home but fine for grandma ). they went at easter for 3 nights. dd is just 3, but ds is 6. i wouldn't have sent ds at her age but am confident everyone will enjoy it. we talk a lot on the phone when they're away, & e-mail lots of pictures.