Grandma Leaves Her 13-Month-Old Grandson Hungry For Hours Because She Thinks He Is Too Young For Solid Food Unlike What His Mom Believes

He refused to eat yogurt or puree, so she didn't offer him the sandwich, crackers, fruit cups, or cauliflower tots his mom packed for him

Chelsi

• Published in Interesting
• October 8, 2023

A mom decided that her mother-in-law is not a trustworthy babysitter — it's the latest installment of her saga from the Just No MIL subreddit. Her history with her MIL and her family taught OP not to care about their opinions.

She and her husband decided to leave their 13-month-old son with MIL while OP went to the salon. Their son was with his grandma from noon to 4:40 p.m. while OP got her hair dyed.

Her MIL sent photos to OP throughout her salon appointment. Her son looked like he was having a ton of fun with his grandma, so OP, for once, had no worries.

OP's distrust came back swinging when she picked her son up from her MIL's place. OP was told that her son refused to eat the yogurt or puree she packed for him.

He hasn't had lunch, not even a snack. OP stood frozen; she was confused because she packed a variety of food for her son to choose from.

He preferred solid food at that time, so OP made sure to include a crustless peanut butter and jelly sandwich, cauliflower tots, Goldfish crackers, and fruit cups in his bag. He could have eaten those when he rejected the puree and yogurt.

For a reason OP couldn't fathom, her MIL refused to give her son solid food. OP suspected it was because she wanted him to stay a baby since she didn't spend a lot of time with him when he was little due to the pandemic.

OP talked to her husband when she got home

They decided to keep their opinions to themselves for a while so as not to upset MIL who just celebrated her birthday

They also thought their advice would fall on deaf ears. They just won't let her babysit for some time.

Looks like OP is finally done worrying about her MIL's approval

Other parents think that OP's MIL believes that she is a better parent than OP

To her, it was better to ignore a child's needs than to admit that OP correctly gauged her own son's eating habits

OP packed age-appropriate food for her son. MIL just didn't want to admit that a toddler needs more than pureed fruit and yogurt.

This should be enough reason for MIL to never babysit again. OP's kid may have had fun, but is it worth him going hungry for hours when food is within reach?

MIL really went against the cliche of grandmas feeding their grandchildren throughout the day because they are always too thin in their eyes

OP is not the only parent maneuvering around their in-law's outdated parenting philosophies to the detriment of their own kids

OP made the right decision to suspend her MIL's babysitting privileges indefinitely. She must have had a lot of self-control not to rage on her MIL when she found out that she allowed her son to stay hungry for hours just to prove she knew better.

Given OP's reaction to the latest stunt her MIL pulled, I don't think this is her worst offense. OP and her husband should be wary of leaving their son with his grandma in the future.

Chelsi