To ask if you take your children out alone

Have confidence in yourself OP, is someone telling you that you won't manage?

DH’s business operates mostly at weekends and during the summer (wedding related), so when mine were young I had to.

The YHA, and tents, were my greatest friends!

Yes, all 4 of them.... isn't that normal?

Yes, all 3 on regular camping breaks and days out to the theatre in London etc😄.
One is autistic. You just have to be organised and fairly good at setting and maintaining some rules.

There’s only me, so always have done - days out, theatre, restaurants, mini break and hols - we love them and why would you not go?

When my children were little - 18 months and up I used to take them out to the Huntington botanical gardens, Getty Center, Kids Space (a children's science centre), parks, the Queen Mary, and museums regularly. The only place I found a problem was restaurants because I couldn't leave one in their seat while I took the other to the toilets, and if I took both I was worried the waiters would think I was skipping without paying the bill. We got around that by going to cafes where I paid for the food up front or we took picnics.

Er, yes I was a single parent for about six years so if I hadn't done we'd never have left the house.

Yes, usually (three of them). My husband is much more introverted and often prefers not joining.

Yes lots, I worked pt when the kids were young so always out and about the 3 of us, sometimes with a friend and their kids, sometimes alone, soft play, beach, pool, muséums, hiking, cycling, skiing, holidays and flights.

I think if you always do it then you just adapt, we had little techniques to manage for example if I had to go to the toilet and couldn't find one that would fit à pram, I would stand the kids outside and we would sing together - annoying for other users but I could hear them and knew they were safe and it's just à minute to pee.

The only problem I ever had was at Gatwick airport. Youngest was a baby plus 4 year old. I was carrying the baby a changing bag and 2 large cabin bags, 4 year old walking and I fell down the escalator, ripped all my jeans and leg underneath, 4 year old was at the top of the escalator crying, me, ds and bags in a heap at the bottom and people were just stepping over me!! After that I took only one small backpack for the 3 of us, everything else in the hold.

At this age I'd just do whatever is easiest for you. You're in the trenches, so don't feel pressure that you "should" do anything. If the trips out are enjoyable or easier than being at home then have at it, if you find it stressful then don't bother and just become very well acquainted with the local park.

I mean, mine are teens so obviously yes, but Indid when they were tiny too. Maternity leave would have been hell if I had never left the house!

I used to take my two out for the day, holidays in the UK and abroad. All on my own. Didn't occur to me not to.

It depended on their age and the activity. For example, I didn't take 3 children under 5 swimming alone, but I did when they were all over 10.

Luckily our jobs mean we are off work at exactly same times so we tend to go out as a unit but my OH goes abroad each year in their own so I do half term by myself
both my kids are hard work with additional needs so it is always nice to have additional help

why do you ask ?

It's just practice. We first went for a "big" day out (zoo and farm park) when my oldest had just turned two and my littlest was a week old. And have been doing it regularly ever since. Pick somewhere you know relatively well and don't worry if things go pear shaped. You've got all day to get it back on track x

Pre-school yes I did for the oldest and youngest. The 2 middle ones not so much.
Oh, I misread. I thought you meant one on one. Still not that often. Sometimes though.

Yes, regularly. I've also taken them on short breaks to other parts of the UK without DP also.

Had to with DS as his dad was a selfish got who refused to do anything that wasn't directly for his own benefit.

DD (3) is a thousand times more demonic than her big brother ever was, and frankly I can't guarantee I can manage her - if I needed to carry DS out (happened once, that was enough for him) I could, but DD is much more strong willed, more dramatic and just plain wilful... I can't even lift her when she's kicking and screaming! I obv do take her out but I choose very carefully and tend to save 'day out' type trips for when DP can come so we can share the joy and not throw an expensive entry fee down the drain because the delightful toddler is having a moment!

I was a single parent for 13 years and went on holiday, days out, theme parks etc with my DD. It made us extremely close and those memories are so precious. So yes, we do.

I'm not understanding some posters surprise here? At themeparks/zoos etc it is primarily families or 1 adult 1 child so it does seem to be the norm. Obviously there are times where 1 parent takes 2 or 3 children, but even then it's often with other parents as a group to make the dynamic easier then too.

Absolutely, I take my DD on trips overseas for the day and she's still a pre-schooler. And considering there are a number of single parents, I can't imagine they just sit around the house all day doing nothing as the children would run riot.

Smaller activities or days out yes. So going to the cinema, the beach in summer, local science museum, the zoo (when we had a membership) or nearest big city to do museums or shopping/activities would be done woth just one of us.

Bigger days out like theme parks, or a weekend away would be as a family. Our budget is lower so we would maybe only go for one weekend away or two or three bigger days out a year so we do these as a family. Plus we have two dc and they don't always want to do exactly the same thing. So two adults can split up easier.

Not that I’ll ever confess IRL, but some of the loveliest memories with my 3X SDCs were when we left their dad at home 😅 going where I wanted, working to a timetable that suited just me.

It depends on the scale really. I probably wouldn’t fancy a theme park on my own as I don’t really enjoy them/find it easier to have the option to have one adult to each child but smaller days out to a farm park then of course. What I find much better though in all honesty is 1:1 time. I love taking one child into London to go to the theatre or a museum. I don’t particularly enjoy taking both at the same time on my own. I enjoy being able to let them bed led by what is interesting them and not having to compromise with each other/bicker.

Cost wise I don’t think I’d do a holiday abroad without my husband- by the time you’ve done one adult and 2 kids it’s not going to be much different price wise to 2 adults and 2 kids. If I was a single parent I would though.