Having grandchildren is one of the most proud moments of your life. You want to spend every moment with them. Watching them grow, helping them learn how to ride a bike, you don’t want the angst of arthritis holding you back from being the best grandparent you can be. Unfortunately, it can be tough. You want nothing more than to hold your grandchild, but arthritis pain could be holding you back. While you’re on the road to living a pain-free life, what can you do in the meantime to savor every moment with your grandchild? The answer may surprise you and be a whole lot easier than you think. Don’t let the fear of arthritis pain keep you from making memories that will last their lifetime. We’ll show you how to spend time with your grandkids without the fear of arthritis.

Spend Time with your Grandkids Without the Fear of Arthritis

The first thing to remember is that you’re not alone. Even if you were a single parent without any help, remember that you have help. If you need a break, swap out with the parent, ask another family member for help, or even just switch up the game to something less exerting. Don’t let minor flares turn into debilitating incidents that can last days or even weeks. You want to be ready each and every time. Not to mention, the more people engage with a child, the more social skills and development that child will have.

Find Pain Free Activities to Share

Board Games

Kids don’t like to stay in one place for too long. Chasing them down, lifting them up, and playing their favorite sport is all well and good until it’s not. We mentioned that you can switch the activity to something less exerting. Board games are a great way to keep a child’s attention while simultaneously keeping yourself in a comfy chair. If just imagining manipulating small pieces in your hands brings up flares, remember that there are larger-sized versions of almost every game. Giant Jenga, Big Connect Four, and countless others But even so, teaching your grandchild the thrill of chess or the pain of Monopoly is a lot safer on your joints than chasing them down on their scooter or bicycle.

Outdoor Activities

If your little one is more of the outdoorsy type, there is still plenty you can do with them. Maybe that hike up the mountain is out of the question, but a round of golf is almost like a hike. Plus, kids love riding in golf carts. Swimming is always a fan favorite for everyone. Not only does the water keep weight off your joints, but kids love any size pool on a hot or cold day. Don’t think swimming is your only outdoor activity. Kids love helping in the garden and learning about plants and bugs. Even a simple walk around the block is good enough for them. They may not say it, but they love spending time with you just as much as you love spending time with them. Take your own pace, while maybe they can run up ahead. Let them take the scooter and see how fast they can get a house or two ahead and come back. Just make sure they stay within eyesight of you.

Share a Hobby

One of the greatest things you can do for them is read to them. The only muscle this requires is your imagination. Find your favorite story you liked when you were their age and share it with them. They’ll remember it for the rest of their lives. Speaking of sharing knowledge, there are tons of hobbies your grandchildren will love just because you do. Cooking, quilting, knitting, and woodworking are all surefire winners. Share your loves with them, and you’ll see how easy it is to work on something together. They may even surprise you with their own skills. After all, they got it from you.

Holding Your Baby With Pain Free Techniques

The most frightening thing we hear from grandparents with arthritis is that they are afraid to pick up their baby. Their muscle flares might make them drop the baby. Don’t ever fear holding your grandchild. Just make sure you have a plan. It may not be the same way you held your child, but with the right technique, you can safely hold your grandchild in a pain-free way.

If you need to pick up a child from the floor, lower yourself to one knee. Then tighten your stomach muscles. You’ll get a lot of strength from your core. Lift with your legs instead of your back. Sure, no more leaning down to pick up your grandchild, but you’ll be surprised how old they can get, and this will still work. To put them back down, take a knee again and make sure they’re balanced properly when you put them down. Your knees aren’t doing the work here. It’s more about removing the strain from your back. Sometimes you need to lean down, like when you put the baby in the crib. Make sure you bend at the waist instead of the shoulders.

Having arthritis doesn’t mean you need to spend less time with your grandchildren. You just may not get to do the same things you did with your child. However, there are now new and perhaps even better things you can do with that time. Your grandchild doesn’t know or care what they’re missing. They just want to spend time with you. Find ways to spend time with your grandkids without the fear of arthritis.