Parents wish grandparents would move closer to ease up childcare

Parents are relying on their own mums and dads to supply them with childcare, even if we don’t all like the way they do it.

Grandparents are used by eight in ten parents to look after their grandchildren at least once a week.

A third of these wish they would even move closer to them to do so.

Whilst it is difficult for financially strapped parents to be fussy, 35 per cent of parents said the main issue with using grandparents for them was that they implemented different rules.

A further 12 per cent worried their children were getting too attached to their grandparents.

Nigel Lewis, property analyst at FindaProperty.com, the company conducting the research  said:  “Living close to your parents may not be your first priority when looking for a new home but in reality, when it comes to issues such as childcare, it can actually be a great help and so should be more of a consideration.

“With the uncertainty surrounding the future of childcare vouchers and child tax credits in the political party policies, grandparents could be needed for free childcare even more in future.”