Ground rules for first time grandparents

The grandparents adored our son immediately, and said they were surprised by the intensity of their feelings. Not only did they say how much parenting advice had changed in 30 years, they were very thankful and open to leanring new 'tricks'.

Preparing for our son to be born, they spoke to their grandparent friends and read a few parenting books. Dad also did lots of research into baby gear such as pushers and bouncers. Once he had arrived, mum was particularly good at doing whatever needed to be done - cooking, cleaning, baby changing, etc - while still giving us time to snuggle with our new baby.

We are lucky to have parents who wanted to be involved, and who asked us how we wanted things done. But for other new parents, I would really recommend speaking with your parents before the baby arrives so that you're all on the same page about the degree of, and type of, involvement you'd like from them.

I think the most important agreement we all made was that everyone had a "get out of jail free" card if things weren't working. You can't anticipate entirely what you will want or need (and it will depend on your baby's personality etc.) until they arrive, so it's important to ensure that you are comfortable to speak your mind when you need to!

Posted in: Grandparents In this together Late pregnancy Your needs