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They Say: Granny Daycare Makes Kids Fat
Granny daycare is supposed to be the next best thing to being able to stay home and care for your own kids 24/7. But a new study out of Britain claims letting your parents watch your kids could be bad for their health.
Granny and Gramps might just be making your kids fat.
Published in the International Journal of Obesity, the study examined the weights of thousands of three-year-olds and looked at who was caring for them. They found “informal” daycare arrangements – typically with a grandparent – put kids at a higher risk for childhood obesity than a formal daycare setting or staying home with a parent.
The risk was heightened if the granny daycare arrangement was full-time.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say this won’t surprise many parents. Because what is a grandparent’s prerogative? You got it – spoil the bejesus out of that baby.
I would estimate ninety seven percent of all junk food that enters my home came from my parents’ house. Just a few weeks ago, my father picked up my daughter for an overnight at their house and made a stop off at the grocery store – ostensibly to pick up more milk. One box of Barbie fruit snacks, one bag of sugar cookies, one Pez dispenser and that gallon of milk later, they exited the store. Now imagine that on a full-time level.
Most parents I know with nearby grandparents say their kids eat the sort of thing at Grandma’s house that they weren’t allowed as kids. There’s that spoiling thing, but it also can’t be ignored that grandparents are traditionally better of financially now that their kids are out of the house. They feel like they have expendable income and who better to spend it on? Besides, when Mom and Dad aren’t buying Barbie fruit snacks, there’s nothing like that illicit treat to guarantee a smile.
Also a likely factor? The older you get, the less active you typically can be – throwing much of the activity level out the window. Even a hands-on grandparent who engages kids in crafts and worksheets all day to stimulate their mind needs to be aware that they need to get them moving as well.
The researchers suggest laying down ground rules for Gran. But how many of you feel comfortable telling your parents how to parent?
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[...] In some families, grandparent child care can be a challenge. Generational gaps and miscommunication can lead to arguments and mistrust. And a recent study even found that grandparent child care might be contributing to the obesity epidemic. [...]
Grandma Camp - A New Twist on Summer Fun | Strollerderby commented on Feb 22 10 at 5:30 pmNaomi commented on Feb 15 10 at 11:05 amI would imagine that the Barbie snacks are more of a rare occurrence than represented. What about the home cooked meals, eaten at the family dinner table–or, the tomatoes, fruit or yogurt that are left for snacks during the day? What about the grandchildren being taken for nature walks? All part of Granny babysitting. But the other question is, how much exercise is the parent giving the child?
PlumbLucky commented on Feb 15 10 at 11:23 amEh, doesn’t shock me. Even if we lived closer, we wouldn’t use Granny-daycare (many many reasons for this but suffice it to say that my MIL through both words and actions has blatantly and subtley told us that she has no respect for us as parents) mostly because it just wouldn’t work well for us.
JCF commented on Feb 16 10 at 5:51 pmMy kids’ diet would be just fine if they stayed at my parents’ house regularly, but my in-laws house would be a whole different story. The in-laws just let them snack non-stop with no division between meals, thus making them too full to ever eat a meal. Not to mention, the snacks aren’t necessarily that sugary, but are mostly refined carbs. Even when I’m there, the food is just set out on low tables for everyone’s snacking pleasure, so it is really tough to regulate. There are plenty of other reasons I wouldn’t use in-law daycare, but that would be one of them!
tlr commented on Feb 17 10 at 8:45 amThe truth is, we would all use granny day care if they weren’t outright abusive and it was the best option we had! There are a lot of unknowns out there when you are looking for daycare and if you simply can’t afford good daycare, of course we’d use grandma and grandpa. I would try to avoid it simply because I think it makes it hard for them to be grandparents. They WANT to spoil them not parent them. I would want the grandparents to be able to do that. But, if there is no other choice because of financial reasons, what is one to do?
I could totally see it being hard for the grandparents to get the kids out and moving enough. I have a hard time doing that as a stay at home mom sometimes! Especially in winter!
Andrea commented on Feb 22 10 at 9:27 pmI have used granny (and granddad) daycare full time since I returned to work when my son was 1. My parents are healthier eaters than I am and the food my mom cooks for my son is full of healthy stuff like broccoli, okras, spinach and pumpkins. However, I can definitely see why there may be a lower activity level. My son is a ball of energy and you really have no choice but to move along with him but that older caregivers have less energy and less inclination to get physical makes sense.
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