We don't ask my parents to help a lot. We will call them every once in a while when we have something planned in advance. It's hard because they live 2.5 hours away. His parents are no help and just come whenever they please, which is completely useless.
How often do you ask your family to help you out? Maybe you need a babysitter or just need an extra hand around the house for a while.
squash / 13208 posts
Thanksgiving break - I ask my mom to come up and watch the kids (no school)
April - every year DH has a big banquet and we get a hotel and stay over night
(she lives 3 hours away)
eta: the rest of the time we use our babysitter
hostess / wonderful grape / 20803 posts
Rarely - maybe every few months. They live 1.5 hours away so it usually has to be planned.
persimmon / 1447 posts
Now that we live 11 hours from all of our family? Never. When we were 3 hours from family, our in-laws (retired) visited every couple of months, so we would just plan things around their visits. They were on call with both of our pregnancies, and did come for one false alarm (and were wonderful about it).
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
My mom already helps to watch DD so we try not to call her for anything else! My in-laws are further away and don't drive so if we want their help we have to either shuttle DD to them or get them to our house which is just too much work!
pineapple / 12793 posts
Eight weeks ago when DD3 was born....before that it was when DD2 was born.
DH's family is fairly useless. We've asked MIL for help a few times, but her foot might hurt so she doesn't do it. 
grapefruit / 4988 posts
We ask my dad for help about 1-2x per month (he lives 30 min away) and we ask MIL for help maybe every 6 weeks or so (she lives 60 min away). We weren't asking for help at all until LO was about 2 but once we started, it made a world of difference for us and the grandparents clearly love seeing her more so it's been a win-win all around.
grapefruit / 4355 posts
DH's parents live 30 minutes away so they'll watch DD for the afternoon 1-2 weekends a month.
eggplant / 11716 posts
2-3 times a year, but pre-planned, since our parents live very far away.
pear / 1521 posts
They watch our daughter twice a week and have come to our house to babysit once in the past year and then have watched her several evenings at their house when we've gone out with my friends in my hometown.
I feel pretty guilty asking them to help out more (they obviously do a lot already!) than that, though we'd love to have a few more date nights. However, they are going to watch her next month when we go to Florida for a weekend getaway! 
persimmon / 1427 posts
My parents live close, they are retired, and they are very close with my LOs. They frequently offer to babysit which is awesome! We ask for help when either LO is sick and can't go to school and when either DH and I are traveling and the solo parent needs extra help (late/early meeting, etc).
pear / 1593 posts
About once every 3 months with my in-laws; we have a few aunts that leave close by who babysit about 3x a year also.
My family - never.
coconut / 8854 posts
A lot! We try to alternate my mom and DH's mom. But we probably ask them each once a month at least. My mom a little bit more since she only works part time.
wonderful pomelo / 30692 posts
Twice a year. My parents come over (an hour drive) to help me clean and prep for the kids' birthday parties.
Although now that the boys are older and I'm not nursing, I'm looking into the boys having an overnight with them so that Hubs and I can have a date night.
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