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Tips for solo s/c with kids please?

4 replies

Breckenridged · 14/07/2020 13:15

I’m taking my 3 kids away (6, 4 and 1) to a caravan for a week - I have a DH but he can’t take any time off this summer so thought I’d give the four of us a change of scenery. Now I’m stupidly feeling a bit worried about it so looking for your tips to make solo holidays with small kids as relaxing/enjoyable as possible... definitely planning to lower my standards on the cooking front!

OP posts:
BiddyPop · 14/07/2020 13:39

Takeaways, or very easy meals. Maybe get pizza bases and sauce, grated cheese, and let them make their own pizzas with a range of toppings to choose from? (Doesn't need loads, a couple of slices of ham, some pepperoni, 1 mushroom finely sliced does a large pizza, sweet pepper, onion, pineapple, …. whatever they usually like - and mostly any leftovers can be eaten as snacks while it cooks or used again another time).

Bring snacks, and organise easy snacks for when you get back from outings/swimming etc to keep them from getting feral. Carrot and pepper sticks, bread sticks, chunks of cheese, crisps, bite-sized pieces of fruit, and something to drink. Different nibbly-bits every day, but prepared in advance or bought while out to pull out once you get back to the van. (A few Ziploc bags can be very handy for pre-preparing snacks or ingredients for meals!).

Bring a deck of cards and a favourite or new board game. And a couple of favourite DVDs or download some movies to an ipad from Netflix etc before you go. And a football or frisbie.

Extra socks!! And a warm jumper/hoodie each for any cooler evenings. And waterproofs if you have them, so weather doesn't matter nearly so much.

Ignore dirt - persuade them to swim frequently, wash occasionally, and embrace the freedom of outdoor life.

If it does rain, pull on waterproofs and go out anyway - jump in puddles, splash in the sea, explore rock pools, notice different wildlife in woods in the rain, play football or frisbie, …..

Tell everyone to bring a reading book, for quiet time when you are needing to cook/organise dinner etc. Or for older ones to read during naptime for younger one(s). (And if either of the older 2 need a nap, encourage it - you can do things differently on holidays, and there might be a night they want to stay up later/they might wake earlier with light/birds so they might need some extra sleep another time/day).

Give the older ones some pocket money to buy a trinket/icecream/sweets etc for themselves.

Also, give the older ones some jobs - like sweeping the floor while you organise something, or tidying the outside furniture, or setting the table for meals - make them more responsible because "Daddy (is so sad he) can't come so we all need to help so we can all have fun".

Breckenridged · 14/07/2020 14:16

Thanks BiddyPop, some great ideas there. Especially the pocket money and jobs! Smile

We are very outdoorsy so all the gear will definitely be coming! Sadly youngest only naps on the go and older two definitely don’t nap but oldest is good at reading to middle so I’ll bring a new book for her.

OP posts:
averythinline · 14/07/2020 15:01

More snacks ! And water bottles/cartons of juice/juicy water make sure you have spares..

Ricekrispie22 · 14/07/2020 18:49

Order a supermarket delivery to your caravan on your first day so you don’t have to worry about everything fitting in the car, or any fresh food going off.
Research and book tables in advance at local child friendly restaurants/pubs for a couple of nights to save having to cook and wash up.
Perhaps take disposable BBQs for other nights.
If it’s a big site and you’re happy to let them go off and explore, take walkie talkies so you can stay in touch.
I always try and bring a roll of sandwich bags and a selection of Tupperware to make packing up the daily picnic simpler.
This might sound strange but I always try and take at least one digital alarm clock with us, not to wake us up but in fact quite the opposite! My kids tend to wake up pretty early (especially if they are sharing a room on holiday) so to allow us adults some semblance of a lie-in (and when I say lie-in I mean 7am, which for most parents is as good as it gets). By giving the kids a digital clock that they can all read it means we can tell them to keep it quiet before 7am therefore preventing any unwelcome 5am wake-up calls.
If you love your own pillow then it is probably wise to take it.

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