The value and importance of grandparent and toddler groups What grandparents say

Last Updated on Tuesday, 18 October 2011 13:04

"The group was wonderful for us because when we came to this town we didn’t know anyone. You can go to a mothers’ group but you don’t fit in."

"You learn from other people in your own family; different people do things with children in different ways. Grandparent toddler clubs extend all this to other families – you can see how other people get on with their grandchildren, see how they do things."

"Young mums have the school gate, I have gone past that. I also go to a mum-toddler group but it tends to be `cliquey’ – I would rather be with grandmothers."

"I chose this group because I wanted to be with other grandparents, rather than mums. I went to a mums’ group once, you’re not on the same level, but this group is invaluable. There are times when you need your own peer group."

"I don’t socialise with other members outside the group, but I sometimes bump into them and chat, for example when we’re out shopping."

"It’s easier to communicate with your own age group, and you swap ideas to amuse the children."

"What I like is that it’s grandparents – mutual support, empathy, understanding, companionship, similar experiences."

"It’s taken [my granddaughter] a while for her to play with other children in the group, but now (aged almost 3) she does. She is an only child."

"At first she didn’t meet young children often because it was her dad who looked after her, he was excluded to some extent from the circle of mums and that meant it was more difficult to find playmates for."

"The children in the group get on well, they interact. That’s especially important for the first child in any family; my two grandchildren are both first children."

"When the children were first at the group they didn’t interact much, then they began to do so. And they began to relate to different adults as well. They connect with each other in different contexts now."

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