The New Granny’s Survival Guide by Gransnet

The New Granny’s Survival Guide: Everything you need to know to be the best gran by Gransnet

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’m not a Grandparent yet, but I was delighted to read and review this book on behalf of both Mumsnet and Gransnet. “The New Granny’s Survival Guide” is a guidebook which will help you navigate your way through the complex role of Grandparenthood. The foreword is written by Janet Ellis who shares her own role as a Grandma.

The book is full of helpful quotes and examples from members of Gransnet who share the good and the bad of being a Granny. I was shocked to learn that there are 14 million Grandparents under the age of 65 in the UK. Gransnet was launched in May 2011 providing support and comfort to a vast network.

Did you know that 5.8 million Grandparents regularly look after Grandchildren for an average of 10 hours per week? It saves parents a whopping £11 billion in childcare. You are either for this or against, but 97% of Grandparents don’t get a penny for the childcare either. The facts and figures really brought home to me how important Grandparents are in our lives.

The book deals with all aspects Grandparents must deal with, from the delight of the “birth” and coping with ever changing advice on feeding, sleeping and clothing a new born. To competition between Grannys and even what name to chose for yourself. I thought the section on Mother-in-Law/ Daughter-In-Law relationships gave some very useful advice and opened my own eyes as a Daughter-In-Law.

When to bite your tongue and when to offer help and advice are discussed with emphasis on taking a deep breath and a step backwards before plunging in with unwanted words which alienate your relations with the parents of those precious Grandchildren. The “Wisdom of Experience” chapter was an absolutely brilliant summary of Grandparenthood.

I think this book offers its advice in a fun, easy to read format, which is up to date and will benefit families of all ages. I have no hesitation in giving it this 5* review.

Find a copy here on Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

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