Many parents consider asking help from a relative for taking care of their toddler is a safer option than sending him to any day-care. But childcare by the extended family has its advantages and disadvantages. You need to have a very strong relationship with your extended family members and should trust them so that you can ask their help taking care of your child. You need to understand that they are his well-wishers and will take good care of your baby in your absence.

In today's world, most of the parents are working and they need an extra hand in bringing up their children. Child Care of the Rolling Hills Estates, CA teachers have observed that more often this parents bank on family members as reliable caretakers for their little ones. While there is always the satisfaction of taking help from dear and near ones, you must understand the advantages and disadvantages that are involved with the process.

Advantages of childcare by extended family:

• The most important reason to ask relatives to help you in bringing up your child is your dependency factor on them. You can trust them and rely on them. No other childcare option will give you that much contentment and peace of mind. When your little one is with any of your relatives, you can feel at ease and assume that they would genuinely be concerned about your child’s well-being.
• According to the Child Care of the Rolling Hills Estates, CA teachers, being from the same family, your relatives may agree with you on the decisions regarding your child's disciplines, diet plan, and other activities. This will assure you of his good care being taken by somebody shares your values.
• If your child already know the relatives or babysat by the same relatives before, it would be easier for both of them to adjust with each other. This is a better option than bringing in a brand-new percent for childcare.
• Children feel safe, comfortable and confident in their own houses. So, any member of your extended family would be the perfect option to take care of your child at home. As the experts say that staying in a family environment is always better for the toddler.

The disadvantage of childcare by extended family:

• Your relatives may have their own set of rules and procedures in taking care of a child and those may differ from yours. You may have a clash with them on how to feed the kid or how to put him to sleep or how to teach him discipline. Having two sets of guardians can confuse your child and the difference of opinion could have some adverse effects on him as well as your relationship.
• In the opinion of the expert child psychologists, taking care of running, jumping and exploring toddlers can be strenuous for your elderly relatives. They may lack the required physical fitness and confidence to take care of a growing child and can make a regular fuss about the child's behavior.

Childcare by relatives can work for some families but not for all. To reduce the chances of future conflict with your relatives, it is better to sit with them and decide upon some basic ground rules right from the beginning.