Grandparent lessons - Saga mag article

I’d happily go to GP classes as long as I had paper/shareable copies of what they consider to be the new best practice to share with the parents.
Sleeping practices changed between my first and last child. Eating practices changed between my first and last grandchild.
No guarantee the parents will be following the newest best practice and I can’t imagine them being keen to be told about it either.
Easiest to let the parents tell you what they want and then do it.
The only thing we ever disagreed in was SIL who cuddled baby 1 to sleep on his chest but couldn’t persuade DH to do the same. We put her in her cot in the currently prescribed position. It worked fine *as long as the parents weren’t hovering by the door to see if she cried.
By the time baby 2 came along, SIL had decided it was too time consuming to cuddle until baby slept.

I was shocked when a friend recently told me a 'funny' story about a grandparent friend of hers, who, while looking after her small grandchild, had deliberately done what baby's mother, her daughter, had specifically asked her not to do.
I tried to explain that once the laid-down boundaries are breached, trust is gone. My friend was adamant this wouldn't happen as she knew them well.
Not much point in going against what health professionals say in 2025 because we did things differently in 1990s

When I had my children, (I’m in my late 60s) the “Back to Sleep” message was well established and the warnings about cot bumpers and duvets and overheating. I suspect that message isn’t news to any new granny. I suspect there’s a lot of new research on best baby care I could learn though.

I think it’s an insult to most Nans My children must have felt comfortable with how I brought them up, as they were happy for me to look after their children in the same way. If there were any needs like how much milk to use or what time to use it I d be told or if they were rushing out to work I ask them to leave a note about any timings That was when they were small as they got bigger it was left to me to look after and entertain as seen fit They are all fine grown up people and we have lovely relationships

My mother taught me everything about nutrition for children, psychology for behaviour, and how to feed and hold babies, etc. Also came in handy when they were ill as she trained as a hospital nurse in the WRAF and a nursery nurse when she married.
With my 3 children the first slept on their front, the second was put on their side and the 3rd slept on their back. That was how it changed over the years. Can't imagine lessons in grandparenting teaching me anything I can't find out on the Internet

Me either,it's called experience....my mum taught me things and vice versa. My daughters are same 2 way street. No need for classes for grandparents...new parents possibly but grandparents???? Been there done that.

Smileless2012

I agree M0nica.

I would also tend to agree Monica although there are some sensible ones who listen to the nth degree to parents; follow everything they wish etc but still end up being the wrong apparently.

Dummies delay speech development
Not talking to your baby has an even worse impact.

Routine (anything) disempowers infant autonomy
Or
Children thrive on routine.

Sleep training?

Stuff I never learned from my granny, mother, baby brother, aunts, sister, and raising my own brood of chickens;

Baby-led weaning (hard raw lumps)
Spoon feeding bland soft puree is wrongity wrong
Dummies delay speech development
Baby signing doesnt.
Routine (anything) disempowers infant autonomy
Sleep training.

You could fill an entire semester of Granny School just with that lot.
Advanced Class only; potty training.
Potty training now takes longer than a Ph.D, but is harder.

The idea of grandparent lessons is a new one, but there is a good reason they exist. Today’s parents are generally far more particular about how things are done, and many grandparents start off wrong footed for lack of awareness. Not just awareness of what’s changed, but also about how best to support new parents, what their role will be, and how to navigate the changing relationship with their adult child. The best grandparent courses cover all that.

Becoming a grandparent is a new role in life, and it deserves preparation like any other important new role.

Mollygo

Grandparent lessons?
You’d need to be sure that the parents know what is being taught. Otherwise some parents would still disagree and still want to do things their way.
Nothing wrong with parents wanting to do that, but it makes GP lessons pointless.

Sarnia we often have grandparents turn up for sessions we put on for parents.
Maths today is one, and that’s run for several different year groups.
Others cover reading/writing or sharing what is done for children with reading or writing difficulties (The teachers/TAs have already done the workshops because the strategies can benefit all children).
My favourite? Computer lessons when parents /grandparents come in and the children show them what they are doing.

I really enjoy these mornings. Maths is an eye-opener. Long multiplication is taught very differently these days. The only difficulty for me is getting up from a small chair after an hour or so.

Grandparent lessons?
You’d need to be sure that the parents know what is being taught. Otherwise some parents would still disagree and still want to do things their way.
Nothing wrong with parents wanting to do that, but it makes GP lessons pointless.

Sarnia we often have grandparents turn up for sessions we put on for parents.
Maths today is one, and that’s run for several different year groups.
Others cover reading/writing or sharing what is done for children with reading or writing difficulties (The teachers/TAs have already done the workshops because the strategies can benefit all children).
My favourite? Computer lessons when parents /grandparents come in and the children show them what they are doing.

I agree M0nica.

agnurse

Sarnia

I think often the purpose of these classes is to educate grandparents about practices that have changed since they had children. For example, it used to be very common for parents to be advised to put babies to sleep on their stomach, for fear of them aspirating if they vomited or spit up. We now know that this increases the risk of SIDS/cot death, and it's much safer for babies to be put to sleep on their back.

Yes, but so much was written in news about the changed sleeping position and why and is so common in the main news media these days that anyone who doesn't already know that probably doesn't want to.

Grandparents faall into two groups, the sensible ones who listen to the childs parents and do as they wish and the awkward and difficult ones who always know right. One does not need lessons, the other ones would just argue with the tutor.

Sarnia

I think often the purpose of these classes is to educate grandparents about practices that have changed since they had children. For example, it used to be very common for parents to be advised to put babies to sleep on their stomach, for fear of them aspirating if they vomited or spit up. We now know that this increases the risk of SIDS/cot death, and it's much safer for babies to be put to sleep on their back.

I interpret this 2 ways. One of the Primary schools where a granddaughter goes holds grandparents lessons twice a year. The morning consists of sitting in her class and working in a group with them on whatever subject they are doing rounded off with tea and biscuits. On my last visit they were learning about the Stone Age and were making a settlement. I sat very happily making a selection of cooking pots out of plasticine.
I have wonder if Saga think we need teaching to be grandparents. I far prefer option 1.

I think I might have just gone for the fun of it, as long as it didn't cost much.