How much babystuff do the grandparents keep at their house?

[beatie]

My inlaws and parents are at opposite ends of the spectrum.

My parents have a massive amount of baby gear at their house so if my dd stays over there I don't have to pack much more than clothes for her.

They have:
highchair
cot
buggy
bed rail
bedding
potty
toiletries - babybath,lotion toothbrush/paste,hairbrush, nappies, wipes
Toys, videos/DVDs, children's music,books
Children's plates, sippy cups, cuttlery, bibs
Toodler friendly-food/snacks

In contrast my inlaws bought
a cot

We had to supply the bedding! They have a few toys and books at their house which we left.
What's normal? My mum seems to be living her second motherhood and takes the attitude that she couldn't afford it/it didn't exist in her day so she's going to buy it now. It's great that we only have to pack clothes for dd but then if she's babysitting my mother has a tendency to ignore the way I do anything and won't use dd's grobag, cloth nappies or the homemade babyfood we prepared. She's just loving the modern conveniences

On the otherhand, my Inlaws take the attitude that they didn't have it in their day so why can't we do without it. When we visit and unload the multitude of baby equipment, we get gasps of horror. Sometimes I'd like it they'd keep the odd thing in their house so we didn't have to pack toys, toddler cuttlery, bibs and sippy cups when we visit. Sometimes we leave things purposely so we won't have to remember to pack them when we visit and MIL puts it in an envelope and sends it back to me

So, what do your parents/inlaws keep at their house? Who is 'most' normal? My inlaws or parents?

My parents have a box of lego that we left there once and a totally un-childproofed house, but we hardly see them... My in-laws have a travel cot, bedding, spare sets of clothes, a highchair a pram, a toy box, books, bibs, bowls, spoons, beakers etc.... the cot, highchair and pram are all borrowed from my MIL's sister in law though, as her babies are too big for them now!

My mum keeps nothing at hers, so I have to lug everything over

Both had cot and toys, parents had a high chair and inlaws used to borrow one. I didn't expect them to provide nappies, food and feeding stuff - I was more than happy to bring those.

They also both supplied endless enthusiasm which is the only important thing.

Neither parents bought loads of stuff for their own place, as DD hasn't stayed over without us anyway. And we do only live about 30 mnutes away from them both.

When she was little we had a travel cot which we took, along with bedding. We also took anything else we needed.

PILs have a car seat (from her being in the 9m plus one, as they look after her every Tuesday.

Both sets of parents borrow our buggy/pushchairs.

Both sets of parents do have a potty, some toddler plates and cutlery and sellection of toys/books (some from us - making room here; some they have bought).

When she was small, both would have spares of nappies and baby food in, but I always provide spare clothes even now.

Soupdragon "They also both supplied endless enthusiasm which is the only important thing. "

I agree so much. Far more important than providing anything else at all. Both sets of parents are great with DD and adore having her to visit.

As both DH and I have cars, taking our own stuff has never been an issue, and is often easier as we have a say in what DD does/wears/uses.

My parents and inlaws are the same. My parents have everything you can think off but inlaws has a small box of toys which we have left there over time. so when ds and dd stay there we also have to pack everything!!

My parents have the same amount of stuff that we have as DS spends a lot of time with them. DH's parents have nothing as he hasn't spent more than about 10 minutes at their house. He gets coughy and annoyed becuase they're heavy smokers and he doesn't like the smell.

"I didn't expect them to provide nappies, food and feeding stuff - I was more than happy to bring those. They also both supplied endless enthusiasm which is the only important thing."

Awww - I just knew someone would make me sound like a selfish g*t

I'd like my Inlaws to keep some feeding stuff a their house just because it's the stuff we most often forget when we pack. I'd happily supply the stuff, it's just my Inlaws always return it when we do leave it there!

I keep trying to leave extra bits at my parents and try to encourage them to get bits, like a bed soon, but so far to no avail (they haven't even got a spare bed for me since I moved out years ago! If I've gone back its always been on the sofa or floor!!!) seems very odd to me, as they have two spare bedrooms and love dd to bits, but I still have to lug everything over....bar a colouring book n some crayons!

my MIL has a little flod out bed thing for our DD1 and she has a traavel cot already for DD" even thought I'm exclusively BF at the mo and she won't staying over for quite a while
She also has for my DD1 sippy cup, plates, cutlery, clothes, toys, bubble bath, towel, bath toys, kandoo wipes, actually quite alot but she asks to have her to stay and buys quite alot herself so it would stay there. you know like the clothes she has there have been bought by her, some of them come home just like some of her stuff from home ends up staying there sometimes. bit early this morning so sorry if I'm not making sense

Oh yes - I forgot to add. My parents have also bought a back-pack carrier and mountains of garden toys, tunnels, paddling pools, UV shade tent. It seems excessive that we end up borrowing things from them for our dd!! I wish they wouldn't spend so much money on this stuff, especially when there's such a vibrant secondhand market for this stuff. I suspect it all began when they used to look after my nephew a lot and my SIL and brother were always forgetting to put stuff in for him, and then slowly began to expect things to be at my parents' house.

I don't want to come across like that - I just want my ILs to embrace some of the baby items that are around today (e.g. one teeny-weeny colourful plastic beaker) instead of rejecting everything as unnecessary.

beatie,

Our situation is was exactly the same as yours, my parents are great and have got everything, I didn't have to say anything to them, they just went ahead a nd got it all.

My inlaws again were like yours, didn't get anything for their house, We decided to say something as they were wanting us to visit more often, but it was getting such a chore for us having to lug travel cot, buggy, food, etc.

So I left it in my dp's hands and he asked them if they would get a cot, they were very hesitant about it, and instead got my dp's old cot from out the loft and repainted it, which I don't mind but I insisted that we got a new mattress. At the same time they got his old highchair down, and all his toys, I was amazed to see how much they had stored for 30 years.

When we go now , we do cheekily ask if they could get nappies and milk etc

my inlaws have a booster highchair, a box of toys, nappies n wipes, cups and cutelry. My mum has nothing at all at her house so we never go there.
We have the travel cot but ds has never stayed away from home. mainly because the inlaws r quite old and ill.

am amazed at this - neither set of grandparents have anything at their houses - we take everything when we visit - I never thought anything of it.

mind you my mother stays at our house to babysit for us, rather than send the kids to her

this makes me laugh - when dd1 was big enough for a highchair my parents bought a great big state of the art one, along with a new car seat, and beautiful buggy. Toys were all of our old ones and books too......anyways my sister tells a good story that when her ds was ready for a highchair - the old one was taken down from the attic and our brother's crumbs and spills were brushed off from the last time he used it.....back in the early 80's!

Both sets have a cot and a buggy. And some toys.

i can't stand hefting baby stuff around so my dd has always sorely missed out on 'baby essentials' eg High chair - my lap seems to work perfectly well. Baby bedding - just use ordinary bedding, Cutlery - just use teaspoons, Bibs - just use a tea towel. Bathing - just use soap

Toys - My dd does play with toys but usually more interested in books, photos, dominoes ie do not need 'age specific' toys.

when ds was born the in laws got a cot given to them, decorated the spare bedroom, bought a pram. I gave them a high chair and box of toys.
However, ds has never stayed over or used the cot. He uses the high chair regularly and always plays with the toys. I just take a bag of nappies and wipes, oh and food because i dont want him having crap.
My mum has my sister living there with her 3 year old so there is tons of stuff, but we have only been to her house a hand full of times.
Ds has kind of taken over th IL house!

My parents live in Scotland and I don't drive so when I visit them it is nice not to have to take too much.

The have:
cot & bedding
highchair
pushchair
potty
tiolet seat
toys
bowls plates cups & cutlery
nappies (but dd is out of them now)

Mum also buys lots of clothes for DD and I have left some clothes up there too, so I don't need to pack much at all when I fly up there.

My inlaws also have a lot of things for DD so All I need to send over is the clothes and her favourite bear

Both sets of grandparents also have a car seat, which is good as the one in DP's car is an ISOfix one especialy for his car.

My parents - in UK we stayed for 3 weeks when ds was 6 months. No plans to go back soon.

A travel cot
1/2 packet of organic baby food (I just know my mum will still have it!)

Inlaws - live 20 minutes away.
A straw cup
2 bowls
A bib
Some blocks
Ancient toys that dh played with
Ds has also claimed his own chair and a spot behind the sofa as his own.

FIl - nothing at all (but then we've never visited him either

my parents don't really have much stuff either - no space.

My Mum and Dad don't have anything at theirs except a couple of videos! I don't expect them to tbh - they live a significant distance away so it's not like we are there every week and they live in a small cottage so no room for kids paraphenalia. No problem to me to take it with me.

MIL doesn't really have anything as we don't stay there. Usually stay at SIL nearby her and she has a dd so got toys etc.

Tbh, I think it's a bit much to expect grandparents to fill their house with baby stuff! Although when we were little my Nana had about 4 cots in one bedroom for when she had me and my cousins over. JT is not like that at all - not very into have all the baby stuff around but she will get food in etc if I'm visiting.

Don't need plastic bowls etc - I just normal stuff when visiting.

If JT babysits overnight she tends to come here as it's easier than carting stuff for 3 little ones up to her.

Don't worry though, when they are older they will all be packed off to The Lakes for the weekend!!