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[quote=Anonymous]I think being able to drop the kids with grandparents over night is pretty rare, I only know a couple of families that have that set up. There’s always something to be jealous of, so you just can’t dwell on what you don’t have.  DH and I had kids at a younger age, but grandparents were still too older and overwhelmed to babysit on their own. We took our first ever kid-free vacation when our kids were 6 and 8, and we used a combination of sleepovers with neighbors, school/ended day during the day, and our regular babysitter spent the night. Next year or the year after we may send both kids to a sleepaway camp with friends while DH and I have a couple nights away!

We would have been comfortable leaving them overnight with a sitter starting around age 3 or so but with two we wanted to wait until they were in school full time and more self sufficient. I have friends with nannies who have done overnights at much younger ages, because the Nannie’s were already so familiar with bed time routines, kids food making, laundry and the house workings in general. We had a higher learning curve with just a general evening sitter.

I second the PP who said it’s important to build your village and help each other. Regardless of how old or far away parents are, or how many kids you have, you will want neighbors and family friends who can help out in an emergency. I had to go to the ER in the middle of the night while DH was out of town once and a friend came at 2am to stay with my then toddler. I have rushed to a friend’ house to watch older kids while the mom is having a baby. We all help eachother out. [/quote]

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