Tips for Busy Parents

Grandma & grandson

If you live far from your family, becoming a parent can often leave you ready to up sticks and move back home for babysitting & support on tap… Sound familiar? Before you start looking up house prices on Zoopla, here’s what you need to do:

– Be open to meeting new people: Finding yourself some parent friends with similar-age kids is crucial for your sanity. Strike up conversations at stay-and-play sessions, at soft play, in the park, or even in the doctor’s waiting room. You’ll be surprised how many other people are hoping someone will talk to them too!

– Let it go: We know that leaving your little ones with strangers is tough. Try creating a babysitting circle with some friends or use key workers from nursery for a familiar face. However you do it, make sure you are not missing out on that all-important time for yourself and with your partner.

– Find good role models: Enrol the kids in classes or encourage them to join sports teams. When relatives are far away, it’s important for children to forge relationships with other adults that they can talk to, look up to and trust.

– Keep in touch: Video chat is great for building relationships between kids and their distant relatives and older children can be penpals with their grandparents! One of our mums even created a simple flipbook for her toddler using photos of her family so he could get to know their faces.