When did you start enjoying holidays with the kids?

Been taken ours literally round the world both living and holidays since the oldest was 6 months old. They're 24 and 17 years now and we still can't shake them off. Can honestly not remember ever not enjoying our holidays, in fact had at times to literally dragged them back on the plane.

You need to find the right holiday for both you and the DC.
The most active holidays can actually be the most relaxing, when both parents and DC are physically and mentally engaged, but away from the every day stress from home and work.

I've always enjoyed holidays with mine, but we've always done fairly active holidays. I wonder if it's worse if your idea of a holidays is relaxing somewhere peaceful as I can imagine that the introduction of toddlers might spoil that somewhat

People keep advising me to do a foreign holiday before ds starts school due to crazy prices. But I can only imagine it being stressful with the heat, water, tiled floors. I'm a single parent too so couldn't do the tag team approach.

I used to love beach holidays, reading a book a day and eating late, then sitting watching the sunset with a cocktail. Sob!

We went abroad when DS was just 12m too. It was horrendous, scratching his legs up crawling off everywhere, kept standing and falling on the tiles in the apartment, trying to keep him in the shade, wanted to get in the pool but didn't like it once he was in there. Grrr. I said never again. He got sick on day 10 and the next 4 days were emergency drs, pharmacy and indoors :( Almost a cancelled flight home as he had a reaction to the meds they gave him!

He is almost 3 now and we recently went on a lodge break with friends. He loved it, was able to do more, did tobogganing, kids club activities, pool (with no tears).

He loves sand now, if we go somewhere with a beach/sandpit he will sit for hours digging. So summer holiday in the UK this year and know we will have a great time, single parent now and not braving abroad with DS just yet!

I wouldn't choose to have a poolside holiday with a nonswimmer, that must be terribly unrelaxing. We went once to a villa with pool booked by some friends. They had a non mobile baby so could lounge, read etc but we had 2 preschoolers so had to go for loads of excursions. The evenings were fun though.
Other than that we have chosen depending on the age and stage of the children. Once they were all swimming we had pools but before that we had accommodation without pools and would travel to the beach or municipal pool if we wanted a swim. We once stayed in a large villa complex with shared pool that worked quite well, they were tiny then and we had the convenience of popping back to the house for siestas. They were pretty good in restaurants as long as engaged . It's a different type of holiday but nice all being together , I think.

We went abroad for the first time when ours were 5 and 7. We wouldn't have done it earlier because it would have been just like being at home only warmer! I don't feel like I've had a holiday if I can't relax in the sun with a good book.

It also depends on your children. Mine are quite well behaved eating out so can manage restaurants fine, but some kids get really bored. My eldest didn't enjoy kids club much... just tolerated it whereas her friends love it and want to get involved with all the entertainment. It was a bit noisy fir us so we probably won't do that again. Travel wise, we bought some in- car dvd players for them which will make our next eurotunnel trip a lot easier!

God I thought it was just me! I used to live for holidays before kids. Now I hate them. My kids range from 2 to 7 and it's just torture. None of my friends seem to feel the same and seem to have a lovely time. It's just such hard work and paying through the nose for the privalege. I hope once the youngest is maybe over 5 it will improve

I don't think holidays with young children are a waste of money. We've done UK cottages, caravan parks withe entertainment etc by the sea- not really our thing but plenty to do. France in a villa with our own pool and another year in a mobile home. Mallorca twice- once half board, once all inclusive in a massive complex aparthotel. We're trying European center parcs this year- lots of activities and more personal space.

Things we have learnt: we like having space so we booked a 4 bedroom cottage for our last UK break. Our kids love beaches but not in the height of summer... Easter time in wetsuits on a UK beach is ideal for them. We don't really want to do all inclusive again as although it's easy, in August it was too busy. Entertainment isn't really our cup of tea, we're happy with a glass of wine and a board game or TV.
Definitely adjust your expectations but make sure there's something in it for you. I insisted on a siesta every day on sunshine holidays - luckily the children complied and DH went out for a walk on his own. I also have managed swims on my own, looking round local shops etc... we take turns quite a bit at home so we do on holiday too. In a cottage we eat out several times in a week so minimal cooking.

The only one I didn't enjoy so far is when we went with my mother. We get on well now we don't live together, we should remember that 2 weeks self catering is a lot like living together...
But we have always done lake and mountains type holidays where we self cater (but eat out in the day so no real cooking happens), have a plan for each day to go out but very unambitious like go on a boat, do a forest walk. Nothing like the city breaks or beach lounging of my pre-child days!

DD will be 5 on holiday this year and each year has got more pleasant. , so fingers crossed...

I remember that feeling of holidays just being an added stress and an unwelcome break from a working routine.
The first holiday I remember enjoying was when DD was about 18 months and we went to Prague just the two of us. We stayed in a nice hotel; had lunch at outdoor cafes; went to museums and parks. It was lovely.
As she got older, we opted for hotels in the UK with kids' clubs or self catering apartments in touristy areas with lots of activities for DCs.

I really started enjoying travel, holidays and activities once the youngest was ten.

Everyone could follow instructions, be reasoned with, carry their own stuff, walk long distances, manage disrupted bedtimes and changed meal times, and are able to read so can amuse themselves.

By ten they remember holidays, have some understanding of what they are seeing and they seem to have some appreciation the effort and expense involved.

I'm another one in the camp of make sure there's a creche/kids club as you do then enjoy family time and me time. DH used to book 2 weeks self catering in seaside town. Ghastly as I was doing everything and more than I did at home and in a less well equipped environment. I eventually flipped the year he had some extra leave and thought we could have an extended SC holiday and said he could go on his own.

We then found a great hotel on the beach in Cornwall which cost an arm and a leg but had childcare for all ages which meant lots of kids around so we all had a really good holiday (even if we could probably have gone to Mauritius with what it cost us).

I
I took my kids travel cot to the beach and poolside and plonked them in it with toys. In the pool I got one of those floats they sit in rather than holding them constantly.
It's totally worth having a child free day or evening sighrseeing/lazing with your DH and getting a local babysitter to mind the baby.

Lucky you Tawney. I personally have struggled to enjoy 3 preschoolers at the beach while pregnant with hypermesis 😂

The only way is up!

What do you mean, start? I have always enjoyed my holidays with children, at all ages.

Another one who has always loved holidays with the kids.
But then we weren't really lounging around the pool people to start with.
Mine are now 9 and 5 and we've pretty much always done self catering beach holidays in the UK with them, and always had fun. I don't worry about cleaning etc - not like at home. It's just a case of 10 minutes to keep it decent. Out all day, visits to castles etc. Beach. Ice creams. Job done. We do fly long haul every few years to see family in New Zealand and that's fine too. For the first time this year we had a few days in Singapore on the way through. It was hot but as we knew it was going to be we had hats, sun cream etc and the kids loved it.

But we haven't had to change what we did pre kids all that much. And my two have always loved the beach which makes it all easy and lots of fun. If you like to do the sort of holiday that kids don't fit into so well it's probably a lot harder! There are certain things we want to do but will wait until the kids are bigger. We went on safari before the kids were around and loved it. We want to take them but they need to be a bit bigger.

Once we stopped trying to do the sorts of holiday's we'd done pre-kids! We now have a caravan, we don't travel more than a few hours drive and we do things the DD will enjoy with a few pub meals, take aways etc.. for the grown ups. It is so much more relaxed than trying to squash a kid round our old life. I don't think even my 7yr old DD would enjoy a hot foreign holiday with nothing but a beach to do.

I didn’t leave the UK with mine until the youngest was nearly 5 - I couldn’t face it before then. They are 9, 8 and 6 now and we’ve really enjoyed the holidays we’ve been on - mainly beach hols (long and short haul) but we've just come back from South Africa, our first trip where it’s been mainly sight seeing, and it was fab too!! A kids’ club helps if it’s a beach type hol and you want to relax - ours went in the morning, then we’d have lunch/the afternoon/dinner together. They enjoy it, they make friends, have fun and get to feel a bit independent - we get to sit on a sun lounger for a few hours!!

Choose a holiday around the kids. Mine used to love UK breaks, beach, park and animal feeding. It's the only way till they are about 7. I find it easier and usually cheaper.

My youngest is 4 next month and we've just come back from the first holiday where I truly feel like I've been able to relax and kids have pretty much entertained themselves.

Are you somewhere that has hotel babysitters? Assuming you feel comfortable with it? I remember when DCs were 1 and 2 and we were somewhere very hot. We ended up getting a babysitter over lunch when they both had a nap in the room. Was reasonable and gave us all a break!

Also we always preferred hotels so we didn't have to cook or think about cleaning or breakfast but looked for ones with a room with a terrace or balcony so we could sit out in the evenings or during nap time.

1 is probably the trickiest age. I think you need to find your holiday routine and you can't compare to pre-children holidays. We used to carve out some down time by sharing time by the pool whilst our DS had his long afternoon nap. So one would chill out in the room with the baby for half the nap whilst the other was by the pool and then we'd swap. The mini paddling pool idea might work. Pools are great with small kids. Take a bucket, books and toys? Beaches not so much I don't think except for a quick trip. Sandy and sticky!

I think from 2 plus they are really enjoyable as long as you don't expect to be able to lounge around all day.

At 4 and 6, we took ours to Menorca and it was great. Obviously it was still work and we still had to be with them and watching them but it was suddenly fun and not as stressful. They'd go off and do activities with kids club for an hour in the morning and just after lunch there was a cinema club for the heat of the day. We'd sign them in and they'd sit and watch a movie with the ladies and other kids. It was lovely, a very chilled out holiday and lots of fun with them. Suddenly our world opened up and we've been happy holidaying ever since