Grandparent Only Vacation

We just let my son go over Labor Day weekend. He is 3 years & 3 months old. He has spent a lot of time with them so he was comfortable with the idea and they know all his routines. He had a great time and only asked for me once when he had an owie. We had asked him a few months before if he wanted to go and he said no; this time he was super excited about it. I guess he knew he was ready.

In a heartbeat. I'd let either set of grandparents take her. But I am also VERY comfortable with them, and have no doubts in their ability to care for her.

That is such a subjective question...so many things factor into it. First and foremost would be the relationship between your child and the grandparents...and whether the grandparents respect your parenting style and are not going to be doing things that you wouldn't approve of.
My oldest grandson will be 3 in December but I know that he is not ready for an extended visit without Mom. First of all, he still nurses at naptime and bedtime...so that eliminates the possibility right away!!! But he is also very attached to Mama and would not do well, no matter how much he loves us and how much we love him, without his Mama around.
If your parents, or inlaws, live close enough I would start out with "play dates'...let the kids go over for an afternoon and spend some alone time with grandma and grandpa...then extend it to an entire day but come get them before bedtime...ease into it. No one wants a melt down...not grandma and grandpa...or you!!! You certainly don't want them hundreds of miles away on vacation when they decide that they want to be at home with you!!

My sister and brother-in-law take their four grandchildren in the RV quite frequently. It's a win - win - win for all concerned.

Generally speaking it would depend on the health and habits of grandparents because even though my sis and her husband are pretty fit, after a few days with the grands, they are tired!

Blessings.....

As a grandparent, my answer to this question is that it totally depends on the children, the parents and the grandparents. Because we are the caregivers for our grandchildren while their parents work, we have been trusted more from the beginning than some grandparents would be. It also depends on how well the children respond to being away from the parents for an extended time.
Our two granddaughters went for a weekend trip with us this spring at ages 6 and 4. They were a bit homesick at night, but had such a good time they are looking forward to the same trip next spring.
For some families, this wouldn't ever work. For others it's possible that much longer vacations would work at an early age. You just have to know the dynamics in your family and go accordingly.

Day trips, sure, no problem. My kids are 9y and 3y. Never an overnight without me tagging along.

My nephew however is 7y and has gone on almost every vacation with them without his parents since he was 3y.

totally agree with Nanaglanda...it's all bout the individual child's readiness and the grandparents ability to handle that child 24/7. And of course your trust in the grandparents! If it doesn't feel like 100% the right time, then it's probably not.

I am saying that it is all depending on the age of the child and the maturity level, and where they are going. My children went places with thier grandparents( my husbands parents) at about 3(,But I made the mistake of letting 2 go with my father and step mother one weekend and it literally took years to get them over it) now with them as adults with children of thier own we have started as early as 16 months of them coming with me. I have to say that as a Grandparent having the specail time with my little ones is so dear to me. I also get to teach for sure all the things that I may not have done as good a job with thier parents-- could be I was coping to get through the day like most parents, plus I get to have the added maturity of age to help enjoy and have teaching moments of telling them how important they are and how loved.
This is just got to be a hard decision for you to be making. Good Luck

After reading thru all of the responses, I find it funny that most of us are all cool w/our kids having extended trips w/our parents but not our in-laws! I agree. My MIL may only be 74 but she asts 94. She favors our older son & has taken little interest in our younger plus I jsut dont' trust her. I was interested in the responses cuz I've been thinking about letting my boys (9.5 & 5) go on an RV trip w/my folks w/o me. See, every summer, my boys & I take an Rv trip w/my parents & leave Daddy at home. We started the tradition when our oldest was just 6 months & our youngest took his 1st trip when he was 2 months. We've done extensive traveling thruoughout the Southwest & have gone as far as Ohio. We all have a really good time & my boys love helping Poppa set up the RV. I'd consider this cuz my kids generally behave SOOO much better w/their Meme & Poppa! But, like others have said, it depends on everyone's comfort levels. The suggestion of trial runs is a good idea, too.

As soon as my children could walk, they were spending the summer with my parents, in Georgia, in the heat(they have a A/C home), where they eat many things we don't eat at home, and have differnt rules. They know when they come back home it's "back to reality". My parents did the same with us as kids and we survived. But some folks would never consider that, but me and my husband both work, and we prefer letting them go there than spending the summer days in a camp or some summer program where we spend major $$$ for strangers to keep them.

Well as soon as I weaned my kids mom had them for extended weekends while we lived in IL. During the IL to NC move she took my 9 year old and 3 year old while we lept the baby, 6 months. Then when we moved from CA to VA she took the girls who were 5 and 8 for a month. With my first and since he wasnt' nursed they took him as an infant to their summer cabin. My dad took the same one to FL to see his mom when he was 8, He also took my sister's 5 year old but not her 3 year old.
How comfortable are you handing over the children to your mom or your hubby's? My mom is perfectly capable of handling children, so is my MIL but she lives in MN so it's way too inconvenient to get the kids to her by themselves. I would leave them with her though.

Depends on location of vacation, length of the vacation, your relationship with and trust in the grandparents, the kid's trust in and relationship with the grandparents.

Definitely depends on the relationship with the grandparents. My oldest is 5 and spent 1 night with my inlaws when she was 1 but has never again since and she will never again. When she was 2 I let her stay a weekend with my BIL/SIL but I've never left her longer than a weekend.
If my parents were still alive...I'd probably feel comfortable leaving her a little longer. So it basically just depends on how comfortable you are.
I have some friends who left their babies as young as 3 months!

It depends on what the vacation is. my duaghter is 2, and has spent an extended weekend at one grandma's, since my husband and I went on vacation, so it was a vacation for her, and just a few weeks ago, went to my parents for 10 days, after I gave birth to my son. She saw that as a vacation.

I trust my parents more than the in laws to have my daughter so long. If you trust them with the kids why not.

Some of my most cherished memories are vacationing with my grandparents! Last year my father and his wife took my two sons (at the time they were 4 and 6) to Disneyland. They still talk about what a great time they had. Even though I was nervous I think it was a great bonding experience for them all and I wouldn't hesitate to let them go again.

My kids (4 and 2) have an excellent relationship with my parents, whom I trust completely, and I would let them go on vacation with them anytime. However, they don't have the same relationship with my husbands mom and step father and we've never even let them spend the night with them. I know it sounds bad, but it's true. It depends on your relationship and your kids relationship with the grandparents.

My parents have taken my 7 year old for a weekend to the beach...it made me nervous, but I knew she was in good hands. We see my mom daily and my dad at least a few times a week (he works LONG hours). My mother-in-law called and asked to have our daughter for the summer. That will NEVER happen. They do things VERY differently in Mississippi (as far as kids playing outside alone, house WAY too hot, eat foods my daughter doesn't like, everyone feels the need to punish everyone else's child, etc...) so I doubt I will ever give my blessing for that. I went on my first alone trip when I was 12. I flew from Bermuda (where we lived) to my grandfather in VA, then another flight to my grandparents in KY, and then back to DC for more time with my grandma. Then back to VA. I think I was gone two weeks. But it really depends on the relationship of the kid with the grandparents as well as the parents with the grandparents. And the responsibility of the child as well.

I'm in the minority but never. I actually don't even understand leaving children with grandparents overnight. I never did this growing up. My parents and in-laws already raised their children and my children are my responsibility and there is no reason for them to spend anywhere overnight with grandparents. I would never expect them to either. If they want to come on vacation with us that's great but never without my husband or I. The only time I would leave my child with grandparents overnight would be in an emergency situation and I had no other choice.

That depends on how active the kids are and how capable the grandparents are to keep up with the kids. Grandparents usually set the ground rules and the kids are more docile with them than they are with their parents. If Grandma and Grandpa know your kids well and are willing to take them on vacation, then I'd say go for it..... apparently Grandma and Grandpa feel capable, they wouldnt take them if they didnt think they could handle them.

My kids all started spending the weekends with grandparents at about 6 months old. As soon as they had fairly good sleeping schedule. the Grandparents were ready to take them way before I was ready to let them lol. I was a little bit leery of letting them go thinking the grandparents might not be up to it. But they loved having them. When the my daughter was 8 my inlaws took her and 2 other grandchildren that were 6 and 7 all to disney for a week. At the last minute I freaked and told my hubby no way. We booked a trip and went to. We ended up taking the 3 kids with us for some of the time so that the grandparents had a break. Other than that week long trip though they have only had weekend trips. I am glad I did it though as my mother in law passed away when my younger sons were 5 and 6. if they hadn't been allowed to spend the nights they would not have gotten to know her nearly as well.

I guess it depends on your relationship and your kids relationship with the grandparents. I would let my kids go as soon as they stopped nursing. Now that being said, I would only let my kids go with my parents and not my husband's. Sounds terrible but I just wouldn't trust his parents judgement and my kids are not as comfortable with them. So I guess you just need to decide if your kids would be comfortable and have a good time or if it would be too difficult.

Good luck!