When a couple has a child, they have the right to enjoy paternity and maternity leave for a certain period of time. In the case of men, it does not happen, at the moment, of the two weeks, while in the case of women it is 16 weeks.
Once the casualties are over, parents must make a decision regarding the upbringing of their child. Some parents decide to take leave of absence, others ask for reductions to spend more time with the baby, others stop working directly to live on a salary and others return to work to leave the care of the children in charge of a relative or a daycare center.
If our child stays in the nursery, the problem is basically to choose one that is close and that we like. If it is a family member (in this case I have talked about the grandmother, although it could be any other family member) sometimes doubts arise: That they come home to take care of my son or will I take him home?
The answer, as you all imagine, is simple: It depends. There are many factors that can lead to decide one thing or another. The decision must then be made by assessing these factors and weighing the benefits and disadvantages of one or the other option.
The best for the child
If we focus on what is best for the baby, Ideally, it should be the family member who moves to the parents' house (and of the baby). It is the best known territory for him, he has his clothes, his toys, his safe environment, the right temperature, the smells he already knows, etc.
In this way, in addition, you can fall asleep when dad and mom have already left and have been relieved by the grandmother, who will have the baby's food more at hand, either the milk extracted in the fridge or the milk bottles of formula , either the food in the fridge or even the child's favorite cutlery.
The best for mom and dad
If we talk about what's best for dad and mom inertia leads us to think that it will be the same as for the baby, that the caregiver moves to his home. This way they don't have to wake up the child to take him (I know mothers who take their son out of bed at 5 in the morning or before, because at 6 they start working) and save that round trip before and after work.
The best for grandma or family member
Finally we must talk about what's best for grandma, since it is the person who selflessly offers to take care of the baby (or child) and, for this reason alone, should be taken into account.
In this case, everything depends on the energies and the desire you have. There are very active grandmothers who have more energy than me and there are others who use the stroller taca-taca.
The ideal is Rate each possibility individually.
For grandma duracell It may not be a problem to travel daily to your grandson's home to take care of him. In this way, a baby is available within a friendly environment, with all the resources of a house already adapted to him.
For grandma aged, forcing her to make round trips every day can be the beginning of the end of the energy reserve that she has left and, personally, I am very sorry to see grandparents and grandmothers take care of their grandchildren with a look of extreme fatigue and with the "It is what there is" on the lips, although it is what it is.
In the variety is the spice
Perhaps it is best to take into account, above all, the caregiver and the caring baby and, if possible, in the first months, take care of the baby at home to, later, when it is somewhat older and autonomous, be the child the to be transferred to grandma's house.
So the grandmother can take care of her grandson without neglecting her house at all (many return from the grandchildren's house and still have everything to do), so she can offer the porridge cooked by herself (a grandmother's meal cannot be compared to nothing) and so the grandson can know other environments and other environments. Over time, grandma's house will also end up being a known environment and it will be indifferent who moves.
Photos | Flickr - rsgranne, eyeliam
In Babies and more | Grandparents babysitter, Spanish grandparents are the ones who spend more time caring for grandchildren, what is the best thing about being grandparents?
