Thank goodness for grandparents because without them, Eric and I would not be getting ready to head overseas for a toddler-free (and much needed) vacation.

Thanks grandma Kathy for volunteering to babysit Jake for 10 days!

We are thrilled that we are leaving Jake in good hands. There is even research to give us additional assurance. The reseachers at Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy conducted a study a few years ago that found grandparents are a safe source for childcare.

The study, published in the journal Pediatrics in 2008, found:

For working parents, having grandparents as caregivers can cut the risk of childhood injury roughly in half... Compared to organized daycare or care by the mother or other relatives, having a grandmother watch a child was associated with a decreased risk of injury for the child.

Grandparents are a great childcare source, especially if they live close by. And even if they don't.

I remember a New York Times story a few years back where a grandmother flew in almost every other week or so to take care of her grandkids. The headline was great: The Incredible Flying Granny Nanny.