When our 3-year-old, MJ, was 8 months old, Mr. P and I went on our first weekend trip, leaving our little one at home with his parents and mine. 

It was incredibly stressful. I constantly worried about her when we were in Florida and called my dad at least twice a day to check on her. Even worse, I was positive my friends and family thought I was an awful mother for leaving my child for four days. 

However, at the end of the day, my dad, Big Al, assured me of two things. One, he and my mother had managed to raise my brother and me without any major disasters. And two, because children devour your time 24/7, it’s essential for parents to take time every once in awhile to reconnect and revisit why they fell in love. 

To help parents ease their concerns about leaving their little ones with the grandparents for a few days, I turned to my in-laws and my parents for their suggestions on making the weekend easier on everyone. 

1. Prepare for emergencies. Be sure to provide your parents with contact information for your child’s pediatrician as well as a copy of his or her insurance card. It’s also a great idea to complete a “Permission to Treat” form, available from the St. Louis Children’s Hospital Web site, allowing your parents to make medical decisions if your child becomes sick or injured.
2. Set some ground rules, but be flexible. When our parents watch our 10-month-old, we give them a meal plan that outlines when and how much she should eat. We also ask that they keep both kids on their usual bedtime schedules so they’re not out of whack when we get back. Other than that, anything goes. We know our parents are going to spoil them, so if the kids get brownies for breakfast and Pop-Tarts® for lunch, so be it. We’re not there to deal with their sugar high.
3. Bring special touches from home. Kids need to arrive with extra sets of clothing, medications, and if applicable, plenty of formula or breastmilk to last the weekend. For your little ones, a special pillow or stuffed animal from home can ensure a sense of comfort. I know if we don’t bring MJ’s blanket to Mr. P’s parents house, no one’s getting any sleep that weekend.
4. Demonstrate what they need to know. Playards can be hard to set up and car seats difficult to install. Either set up the kid accessories yourself or be sure your parents know how to do it. I learned this the hard way when I tried to install MJ’s car seat in my dad’s car even though I had never done it before. That huge oversight culminated in my dad yelling at me in the McDonald’s parking lot and me crying to my husband on the phone as he walked me through it.

The biggest tip of all? Relax! This is your special time to spend with your special someone. Read books on the beach. Order multiple bottles of wine at restaurants with cloth – not plastic – tablecloths. Heck, just lounge around your hotel room naked for three days without worrying about a 5-year-old barging in.

The weather is gorgeous, and summer is right around the corner, so there’s no better time to plan a weekend getaway for you and your honey.

Big Al says so! 

By Nicole Plegge, Lifestyle Blogger for SmartParenting