Becoming a grandparent is a time of immense joy. A time of looking forward with the hopes and wishes for the new parents and their child.

It is also a time of looking back. Memories of our own pregnancies and early years as new parents flood our minds. Long forgotten thoughts and recollections are remembered and shared.

I’ve spent more time than usual thinking about my own grandparents, the influences they’ve had on my life. I’ve thought more about my children’s grandparents, the variety of relationships, each one valued and unique.

I’ve viewed family and friends with a wider lens, more observant of how they relate as grandparents in today’s world. Especially those who are also “long distance” grandparents.

So I want to say a huge thank you to the role models in my life, those who have travelled before me on this wonderfully exciting journey. Bless you.

Women have been having babies for millennia and many aspects have stayed the same.

But some things have changed significantly in just one generation. When I look at today’s gadgets and gizmos and “stuff”, I’m amazed that we coped and that our kids survived, back in the last century!

~ There’s an app for that
There is an app for new parents to enter the details of the early days, times of feeds, how long, how much. How many wet nappies, how many dirty nappies. No more scribbled notes on scraps of paper. No more pins on a bra, to indicate the side of the last feed.

~ Nappies
I’ve learned that the pictures and patterns on today’s disposable nappies (diapers) are not just for visual effect, they have a practical use. The lines change colour when the nappy is wet.

~ Baby monitors
So much choice, so expensive. Today’s monitors sound like full on video surveillance with sound and movement sensors, that MI5 would be proud of!

~ Gro bags
To me, a Grow Bag is a container of soil where I’d plant seedlings or tomato plants. Today, they are baby sleep bags, some tight swaddle bags, others with a bit more room for movement.

I showed our daughter her baby book. She slept on her stomach, at the top end of a cot with fabric bumpers around the inside of the cot bars. All of those things are discouraged now. The “back to sleep” campaign, placing babies at the bottom of the crib/bassinet/cot so they don’t snuggle down under the covers and the removal of bumpers continue to reduce the incidences of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). We did use disposable nappies but they were much bigger, bulkier items. We didn’t have a monitor, we left our babies in another room and listened out for when they stirred or cried.

I wonder what changes the next few decades will bring?