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Original poster

To HATE going on holiday with a baby

80 replies

Al991 · 06/09/2024 09:30

This is a rant, just a warning.

Have gone on a UK hol with my 12m old and oh my god I’ve hated every second of it.

Despite initially struggling a lot with PND I handle parenting pretty well at home now. I feel in control, have smiles and laughs with her and enjoy it but OMG being on holiday with a baby is shit.

First of all as soon as you arrive, you wish you didn’t have a baby. I never feel like this normally but everyone is having a lovely bloody time drinking wine, going on long walks, playing cards into the night and am I?? Bloody no!! I’m cleaning up sick, trying to get her to eat, trying to keep her entertained without her usual 5000 toys. It’s awful. I feel guilty for hating it and for thinking how lovely this would be if she weren’t here!!

Her sleep is shit while away, don’t know why, the travel cot looks really uncomfortable tbf. I’m sick to death of rocking her back to sleep.

Honestly I am shocked, I thought I was passed this stage of just hating parenting. Woke my partner up in tears at 4am after the FIFTH atine trying to put her down in her cot just saying how much I bloody hate this holiday and how shit it is.

We are going home today thank god. Fingers crossed her sleep goes back to normal and she doesn’t keep doing this cos it’s a nightmare.

I stg I don’t know what’s wrong with me, loads of people I know travel abroad and stuff with babies all the time and seem to enjoy it??? So why can’t I get the hang of this?

OP posts:
Flittingaboutagain · 06/09/2024 09:45

Sorry you didn't enjoy the holiday. We're all different as partners and parents with different strengths and areas to grow in.

It does sound as if you're still struggling with your mood and maybe your expectations of your baby and you. Have you had any support from your local starting well team?

As an aside there are some lovely heuristic play ideas you can do on holiday and I have found this really helpful in travelling with two under two and then two under three. You don't need "toys" as such.

Original poster
Al991 · 06/09/2024 09:41

YouveGotAFastCar · 06/09/2024 09:36

Different people enjoy different things. It sounds like you’ve had a rough start to parenting but you’re doing well at home now, and perhaps you need your routines there to keep you level and happy. A lot of it depends on your child, too. It sounds as if yours may also not like being away from home?

I loved travelling with mine, but he loved to travel, and I often found it easier than being at home. He’s been on loads of holidays, I don’t hesitate to jump on a plane with him. It might be a different story if he didn’t like it so much, though!

Who were you with? Just your partner? Or a group of people playing cards/drinking/etc without children? Choosing where you go is important too. Holidays have changed. There’s not really any long dinners and talking the night away in the same way - someone had to walk him round until he fell asleep, or we needed to be back in the room so he’d go to bed, but we planned for that type of thing, and we could do cards/chatting/wine once he was asleep.

It’s okay if travelling with her isn’t for you right now. It’ll change again when she’s a toddler; and then when she’s a child.

i appreciate the understanding especially since you find travelling easy! Unfortunately there was no ‘when she was asleep’ because she’d go down for half an hour then hours of battling starts (which is not how it is at home). I’m ok with holidays changing, I think, but maybe need to wait until she’s older so I can do activities with her and stuff because I think she was bored and hated the cot.

I was with friends who don’t have children 🫠

OP posts:
Eenameenadeeka · 06/09/2024 09:40

It does get easier as they grow, but yeah for some babies it's just not a great time. Sorry you did not enjoy your holiday

MidnightPatrol · 06/09/2024 09:40

Sorry to hear you are having a shit time OP - a UK holiday in this weather is never going to be much fun.

If you are with other childless people it can feel like you are on very different holidays - as you can’t just hang around in the pub for hours etc, go for a long bike ride in quite the same way.

Have you got a carrier? Mine would happily be strapped into that and taken for long walks. I’d also be drinking lots of wine (why can’t you drink wine?).

The best holidays with children of this age is where they are free to move around a bit - which is why the classic beach holiday is so popular. And then at least it’s warm, they can snooze in the pram while you have a nice lunch outdoors etc.

YouveGotAFastCar · 06/09/2024 09:36

Different people enjoy different things. It sounds like you’ve had a rough start to parenting but you’re doing well at home now, and perhaps you need your routines there to keep you level and happy. A lot of it depends on your child, too. It sounds as if yours may also not like being away from home?

I loved travelling with mine, but he loved to travel, and I often found it easier than being at home. He’s been on loads of holidays, I don’t hesitate to jump on a plane with him. It might be a different story if he didn’t like it so much, though!

Who were you with? Just your partner? Or a group of people playing cards/drinking/etc without children? Choosing where you go is important too. Holidays have changed. There’s not really any long dinners and talking the night away in the same way - someone had to walk him round until he fell asleep, or we needed to be back in the room so he’d go to bed, but we planned for that type of thing, and we could do cards/chatting/wine once he was asleep.

It’s okay if travelling with her isn’t for you right now. It’ll change again when she’s a toddler; and then when she’s a child.