To be freaking out about school holidays

[SeriouslyStrongCheese]

So my DD is 2 and for some reason today I am already freaking out about school holidays when she does go to school.

I work 9-5 Monday to Friday
DH works 9-6 Monday to Friday.

I work for a large flexible company, I can buy holiday and I could change my hours but through negotiation I.e do 6 days a week but shorter hours each day during term time or I could negotiate dropping a day but obviously a large pay cut. My DH works for a small local business and only gets 20 days holiday per year + bank hols (the absolute legal minimum is that's all they can afford due to being a small business) he cannot cut his hours or be flexible. Neither of us can work from home. I'm having a panic about school holidays- apparently there are 65 days a year school holidays plus inset days. How do working parents manage this?! Please impart your wisdom and stop me panicking! Just to add we cant afford for either of us to become a SAHP or take a career break.

[SeriouslyStrongCheese]

Sorry I get 26 days holiday plus bank hols and can buy another 14 days max.

[AssassinatedBeauty]

Holiday clubs!

[SeriouslyStrongCheese]

What are these and how do they work. I'm literally clueless. Is it like nursery for 4 to 10 year olds?!

[PlainSpeakingStraightTalking]

Child minders

Holiday clubs

Scratch back parenting (you have theirs for a week, they have yours)

[bigchris]

Childminders

[Freshprincess]

Take your leave in the holidays
Grand parents
Holiday clubs
I had to drop to part time for a while

[Solasum]

Google your place name and holiday club. There will be lots if a teasonable sized places my local Council swimming pool do 8-5.30 for £35 a day. Other camps are significantly more expensive, up to £70 a day here.

[Tunnocks34]

Our primary school offers holiday club, it is £16 a day for 9-3 or £24 a day 7.30-6pm.

Rubbish but you can use tax free childcare to help subsidise this, assuming neither you or your OH earns over 100k!

Some private nursery’s will also do it too, so it may be worth asking your current provider if they do any day time clubs there for school children.

[AssassinatedBeauty]

Yes, holiday clubs are like nursery for older children. Like this sort of thing

www.ultimateactivity.co.uk/programmes/UAC

[bigchris]

And grandparents if you're lucky

Me and dh couldn't afford paid childcare so hardly ever had holiday together , just went away for long weekends

[Thehop]

Childminder or holiday club

[GreenTulips]

Holiday clubs are run by schools or community centers or children’s centre or council

There are also art clubs drama etc run a week at a time cost about £140 a week here

Sports centre do day clubs different sports £30 a day bring own lunch

Childmider

Current nursery may run one

[Collectingcpd]

There is another current thread about this
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3552287-To-wonder-what-working-parents-are-meant-to-do-in-school-holidays

[Redcrayons]

Holiday clubs are kind of like nursery. Theyre usually all day, put on loads of activities. For older kids there are 'themed' ones usually around sport.

[SeriouslyStrongCheese]

Thank you all so much. I'm in Portsmouth if it helps anyone give me local advice. I'll read that other thread too.

[Helix1244]

Many schools do breakfast/after school clubs. Ours however works out pretty expensive at £15 a day oer child. So expensive with 2!
Holiday clubs are £20-£50/ child per day.

[SeriouslyStrongCheese]

I worry because I'm a massive introvert that I wont be able to offer swapsies with other parents. I guess my DD will have friends though so I'll have to make the effort with their parents and not be a anxious mess like usual!

[LL83]

Feb - DH 3 days
Apr - me 5 days, dh 5 days
May - me 2 days
Summer - me 2 weeks, dh 1 week and 1 week together. Family/sports club for 3 weeks.
Oct - me 5 days
Christmas 1 week together. Family 1 wk.

Trick is booking AL early so you get what you need. There are lots of sports clubs. It will fall into place. Dont worry about it.

[xyzandabc]

Childminders, holiday clubs, a few weeks of your holiday, a few weeks of DH holiday, maybe 1 or 2 weeks together as a family, childcare swaps with other parents, negotiate term time only working, grandparents/other family members.

Most people manage with a mixture of the above. Our local churches come together to do a big 1 week club in the summer that hundreds of kids go to. Some childminders have term time only kids do have spaces in the holidays. Google holiday clubs, some schools do them, lots of sports clubs, nurseries and leisure centres will do them. Round here cheapest is about £12 a day most expensive around £40 a day. Do you have any local parenting Facebook pages? Ask on there what's available locally.

[Pandasarecute]

Our local secondary school run a holiday club for primary age which is very popular and reasonably priced. Your area may do similar?

[xyzandabc]

I've just googled Portsmouth holiday camps, you'll be fine, there's loads.

[LL83]

The fact your employer is flexible is a huge bonus. Get dh key holidays booked as soon as he can then work yours around to cover as much as you can. Holiday clubs etc are good too.

[SeriouslyStrongCheese]

Thank you all you have no idea how calming it is to hear how you all cope. We'll make it work and shes only 2 so I need to chill out!

[Nicknacky]

I pay a childminder. I get set annual leave and am only off it it falls in my leave period.

[snop]

Me and dp take it in turns to cover the school holidays, and we all have 2 weeks together in August. I'm not going to lie it's not easy but we make it work. We struggle in the six weeks off and use a holiday club then for the other 4 weeks we need. We don't have any family who help look after the kids.