To ask if you take your children out alone

How old are they both?

So what happens in school holidays?

Once we moved here there was more on locally - though did walk across entire city for some council put on actives but between swimming - they were catching up - and local art cinema and local walks always seemed lots for them to do.

I was encouraged to go to city DH worked in - train journey and had some awful experiences - I think if I'd gone to other nearby city or know buses from nearby stop went there we'd have continued to go further afield.

We don't drive but manged three kids prior to move her via buses trains and walking just didn't think about it planned it out and did it. I think once moved here there was stuff locally and my confidence was knocked and DH was around much more - and without realising my confidence in my ability to get about waned.

I really do think it's a confidence thing - more you do more routine it gets and less an a daunting prospect it is.

I'm a single parent so yes all the time.

I ignored naps. I took a sling, carried on with what I wanted to do. My age gap is 4 years though and both DC dropped naps at 18 months.

We do both! But out of necessity we have to split annual leave to cover pre school/school holidays, so both I and (very present) DH will take all the children out alone otherwise we’d get pretty bored.

I would but their dad is very present and wouldn't like to miss out on that's stuff so it's always organised when we're both available. But if dad wasn't in the picture? I suppose so but I wouldn't do half as much and I wouldn't enjoy it very much either.

All the time.
Day trips into London, museums, galleries, beaches, country parks, castles, theatre.
Most of the time, I decided what I wanted to do then just dragged them out with me.
I didn't even worry about taking the buggy on the underground as I knew someone would help and they always did.
I prefer driving somewhere though.

I take my 4 and 2 year old out everywhere all the time. I've got friends who find taking their kids out alone too stressful.

It's entirely up to yourself but for me it's part of the reason I had kids.

For some unknown reason, I actually find taking mine 4 & 2 on big days out easier than taking them to the park/soft play. Don't know if it's because I have to plan it more or be more organised or what. Whereas soft play I wait till my partner's off as well and we go together

Yes, mum of twin's and DH worked long hours up to school age. So didn't really have a choice.

They went everywhere with me for normal days and then we also did long 'going out' days just the 3 of us. They were both highly energetic & mischievous and loved to run off. So I was typically the mum on high alert looking slightly dishevelled at all times!

However, I loved our time together and have wonderful memories of those days...including their various antics!

My only recommendation is to keep it simple e.g. anything in nature was a much better fit for us when they were little. Have fun x

Oh that definitely sounds like a struggle! Is she definitely tired when she naps? What I used to do was just wait until they were actually obviously knackered then put them in the pram. At home nap time tended to be around 2pm, but if we were out it'd change. So I didn't bother sticking to any schedule and just scooped up and put in pram when they looked ready to drop! Stopped the battle a bit.

I have in the past but not very often. We usually save big expensive days/ trips away as a family as we both want to experience the trip. We wouldn’t be able to afford to go separately.

I do, because if I didn’t, we wouldn’t go anywhere over the summer (and a good chunk of the spring and autumn too!) due to DHs work. He just isn’t around! I only have one at the moment, and know that’s obviously rather easier than two or more, but plan to carry on as we are when our second arrives in a few weeks. All cases are different, just do what works for you!

I'm very disabled and yet I took them longhaul, alone, for almost a month.

If I don't do it, nobody else will. Ive wasted enough of my life on (justifiable, and even at one point medicated levels of) anxiety, it became time to grab the bull by the horns. In small and larger ways ,it saved my life, this breaking out so uncharacteristically.

@ijustdontcareifhedid
Mine both always napped in the car or buggy
so we could go pretty much anywhere easily. I regularly got flights back to my home country to see my parents on my own with both DC from 3 months old onwards.
But I had friends whose kids didn’t/wouldn’t nap anywhere other than in a cot and yes going anywhere was much more difficult for them! Everyone is different and I wouldn’t compare yourself to anyone else - just try to figure out what works for you.
I remember travelling with my youngest when they were 6 months old and I was at the airport with the buggy, car seat, loads of stuff and got talking to someone on her way to a conference with a 6 month baby in a sling, no buggy and just one small bag. She was even presenting at the conference - I was just in awe at the time thinking I could never do that. But now I realise that would never have worked for me anyway as my DC were huge heavy babies and it would have killed my back carrying them with no buggy for respite.
You do what works for you and get help when you need it. Things change so quickly with small children that whatever is difficult now probably won’t be in 6 months time.

When we had to fly back from a family funeral seperately, my only concern about it was that passport control might have got a bit funny about us flying out as a family and DH bringing DS2 back on his own as they have different nationalities of passport. It was fine.

I've never otherwise needed to take them abroard on my own, but it wouldn't have been an issue to have done it. I've done several long haul and short haul flights solo, and an airport's an airport. They tend to be the most formulaic places around the world.

I've always been free in the school holidays so have always taken them out and about including overnight in hotels and camping when they were 5/7.

I did adjust when they were in the headless chicken phase so about 1-2/3-4 to places where they were more contained and both entertained. But their interests at that age aren't that deep anyway. It wasn't that I "couldn't" take them to places like museums, it was just that I was selective about places that suited where they were at at the point of development they were at. As they became a bit more portable and rational, other options opened up. I remember taking them on trains to a science museum in a major city at 4/6. Another outing I remember I gained my friend's 4yo on an INSET day and we went to an interactive museum at 4/5/7.

Generally being close in age and similar in interests has been and advantage at choosing places that mutually suit them.

I like taking them out. It's interesting and stimulating. Plus they'd nap on the way home when they were young.
They're much harder to get out now they're secondary age!

I always took DS out alone, and travelled internationally with him alone, but I imagine it was easier for me than someone who had two or more young children. I wouldn't worry about other people's reactions, OP. Do whatever works for you and your family. I got some strange comments about how "brave" I was to take DS out for big trips or travel on my own, but I think that shows their concerns about their own family rather than a reflection on my actions.

How old are they? When mine still needed naps, they just napped in the pram or sling. I never really made naps into a "thing"; my sister did with her first and advised against it as she felt trapped. Both of mine just slept wherever and noise/light, etc. didn't make much difference, so I didn't find that too bad.

Could you try something like that?

Can you time a car journey to co-incide with naps? DD is an only. I imagine the logistics are more difficult if you are outnumbered.

Yes, though generally not expensive ones just because we don't have the money to do expensive things too often so DH would miss out. Though if there was something expensive he really didn't fancy doing for some reason, I guess I'd take them without him.

I also take them to stay with my in-laws by myself, which sounds a bit strange but I get lots more leave than DH.