3 Tips For Preparing Your Elderly Loved Ones For Watching Your Kids

For many kids, being able to spend time with their grandparents or other elderly family members can be a great experience for them. And while you might like the idea of having someone take your kids off your hands for a while, as a parent you might be worried about how capable your elderly loved ones are of watching your kids. Luckily, there are things that you can do to help them get ready for this experience.

To help you see how this can be done, whether your parents are younger or are in a senior living community, here are three tips for preparing your elderly loved ones for watching your kids. 

Consider How You Can Make This Time Special For Them

Being babysat by grandparents or elderly family members is going to be different for your kids than being watched by another babysitter. While your family members are going to be in charge of caring for your kids, they also likely want to use this time to help develop their own relationships with them.

With this in mind, you may want to think about how you can help to make this time special for both parties. If there’s something you know your elderly loved one likes that you think your kids might enjoy, encourage them to try this thing together so that they can build memories and positive experiences with one another. 

Ask Them To Check With You Before Breaking Routines

Sometimes, when family members are watching your kids, they might want to make sure that the experience is fun. And while this can be great, you should remind your parents or other elderly family members that they should check with you before breaking out of any routines that your family has put in place. 

In order to do this, you’ll have to share with your loved one about what routines you have with your kids that you’d like them to follow. While it’s good for everyone to be flexible, if there are things that can’t be missed, it’s vital that you stress these things and request that they check with you before going off script. 

Don’t Burn Them Out

Although it’s nice to be able to call your parents or other elderly family members to watch your kids when you have other plans, it’s important that you try not to burn them out from this type of childcare.

Watching young children can be hard work for older people. So while they might enjoy it, keeping the babysitting sessions short and giving them time to recover in between can help ensure that this is always a positive experience for everyone. 

If you have elderly loved ones that you want to watch your kids for you, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you prepare them for this event.