Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Flip

Original poster

Talk to me about first holiday with a toddler?

19 replies

JardinVibe · 19/08/2021 10:56

We are going on our first holiday with our 1 yo in September, to Mallorca. He will be 13 mo. We have an apartment near a beach with a small garden and pool and a car.

What do you recommend for us for how to manage routines and also feel like we get some kind of break ourselves? (DH & me).

DS is still on two naps. How do people structure their days around this when on holiday? Any tips?

Also do parents give each other a break or just share everything? I'm very aware that a holiday with a toddler is nothing like how our holidays used to be and will be more 'same shit different location'. But any little tips for coming away feeling like we did relax a bit?

OP posts:

ElephantOfRisk · 19/08/2021 11:03

Just keep stuff low key, if you want to go out somewhere in the car then time it for nap time. Leisurely meals at home during the day, one gets to head out for a stroll or swim each nap time and the other gets to chill with a book. Be prepared for their routine to change though. Comfy pram for going out in the evening and they might drop off to sleep and you can take a stroll and have a drink.

Just try not to put any pressure on for it to be perfect.

blueberrywaffle · 19/08/2021 11:06

What time is the flight ? We found early flights are best around 6.30am as we leave early hours so by time we sit on plain the kids are asleep before take of an wake up about 30mins before we land so usually have some food and a drink then we're of !!

I wouldn't take swim nappy's as they sell them over their in the tons of little super markets they have and their fairly cheap and good. The dodot brand and are usually about £6 euros for a big pack (cheaper then here but go to the supermarkets away from the Main Street as they are cheaper specially if you have a car) and saves room in the suitcase !!

Pack light for hand luggage ! First time I went I did a toy back an nappy bag and hand bag full of shit. Jesus Christ was it a waste

Literally one bag - plastic folder in it for your documents so their all together (print as much as you can so it's all in the folder an no faffing on the phone (locator forms, insurance, flights etc) , nappy's, wipes , set of spare clothes and a bottle and your phone. Maybe a toy or 2!

Lots of sun cream to get you through as it's about 20 euros for an okay bottle we're as it's only £10 under if you go home bargain for the same stuff, travel plugs !, mosquito snap bands or something for the kids as they are expensive over their compared to here!

Also depending on your airline your flying with. You can mix tour allowance so I know TUI is 25 max, kids get 10 you usually get 15 so we did 2x 25kg save taking 4 cases and a buggy like we seen some people struggle doing. We had 2 cases and a buggy. Was a lot easier !
X

blueberrywaffle · 19/08/2021 11:09

Iv just been to the same place with 3 under 5

We used to feed the kids dinner at the room etc and feed them in the room at tea time as it's cheaper and put them in the buggy's as by this time it was coming to 7pm, they used to fall asleep by the time we walked to the restaurant for our tea and we used to eat in peace, have a walk, maybe a little bar an go back. Carry them to bed an that was it for the day !!
You'll find they sleep more as they get more sleepy been in the pool! Mine never slept in the day when we was away but was certainly ready for bed when it came ! X

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Families Holidays

Original poster

JardinVibe · 19/08/2021 11:10

Thanks for all the tips! I think we've prepped well for the flight and have timed those around naps. What I'm really interested in is if/how parents get any sort of break at all, or feel like they have, and how we can ensure this.

Using nap times for a break is a good idea, when not napping in the car.

OP posts:

HappyAsASandboy · 19/08/2021 11:14

We took loads of holidays with our baby twins to squeeze them in before the kids turned two and costs grew!

Take a folding buggy and a sun shade for it.

Take a few bowls/spoons etc with you so you can feed baby in your room if you want to. We also took a tin of formula and a box of weetabix to help with this. You can buy fruit etc when you're there.

My DH and I tried to give each other a break (him giving me more breaks, actually) when the kids slept. We made the day look a bit like this;

Babies got us up far too early.
Feed babies weetabix made with formula and/or fruit in the room to keep them going while we slowly got up/dressed/coffee etc.
All went to breakfast together.
All went back to the room for pool/beach stuff and then to the pool/beach.
Quick play all together and then the babies went in the buggy and DH walked them round until they slept. Break for my while he walked/they fell asleep.
Break for me and DH while babies slept in buggy. They tended to sleep for a good chunk of time by late morning because they'd had two meals and a restaurant experience and a play on the beach/swim by then!
All go to lunch.
Repeat the morning in the afternoon!
In the evening, we'd bath them and get them ready for bed, then either go for an early dinner with them, or feed them in the room and then take a long walk to dinner so they'd fall asleep in the buggy. If we did an early dinner with them, then they'd go in the buggy after dinner and then we'd walk them to sleep on the way to the bar for the evening.

All in all, you can have a fairly relaxed holiday if you don't expect much more than eating, sleeping and pool/beach!

My twins are now 10 and we have smaller kids too. I long for those holidays when it was just two tinies in a buggy to accommodate! DH and I got lots of lovely holiday evenings together while the babies slept in the buggy

Pissinthepottyplease · 19/08/2021 11:28

It all depends on what works for you. It takes a few days to get into the swing of it. We used to take an hour out each every day. Be prepared for nap times to be different and to just go with the flow.

We now have to work out how to manage it with 2 children.

Caspianberg · 19/08/2021 11:32

If it’s hot and little one gets up early, take turns taking 1 year old out whilst it’s cool and the other gets an hour lie in. That’s what we do now with similar age baby on weekends.

AllAroundTheWorldYeah · 19/08/2021 11:55

@JardinVibe

Using nap times for a break is a good idea, when not napping in the car.

You should change your mindset. Holidays with young children are never going to be a "break". They're harder work than being at home. The enjoyment comes from seeing your DC enjoying experiencing new things.

FinallyFluid · 19/08/2021 12:00

There is no such thing as a break when they are that small, it is just childcare in a warmer climate, once you accept that and work around it, it will work out.

minipie · 19/08/2021 12:07

For me holidays at that age felt like a break because I had DH around unlike weekdays at home! So adult company and the work halved. Sunshine helps too. Nothing like a holiday pre DC of course but better than day to day UK life definitely.

Mine wouldn’t sleep in the buggy so we tended to try to eat dinner all together at child tea time (sometimes at home sometimes out depending on DC mood that day…) and then DH and I would have wine and crisps after DC was in bed. I envy those who could take their sleeping toddler to a restaurant!

Try to relax about nap schedules and toddler diet (ie amount of veg/salt) both will probably go out of the window so just go with what works for the holiday. For example they may sleep less at night and more in the day. And will eat a lot more chips than usual

pilates · 19/08/2021 12:10

We did villa holidays when the children were very small. It worked really well, we just made sure they had siestas in the afternoon which meant we could go out for meals in the evening quite happily without over-tiredness.

ElephantOfRisk · 19/08/2021 12:14

It depends on your circumstances too. As a working mother, holidaying with even small DC is a break, a change of routine, time to spend with DC without feeling guilty about whether the house is tidy, or work things on your mind. If you are already a stay at home parent I can see that it would be different and just your normal childcare but without your usual facilities.

Silkiescatz · 19/08/2021 12:56

Our first one was to an apartment in Maderia and was lovely but we could get all our meals there and there were several pools on site. We relaxed bedtimes etc, didn't take too much and either used things from hotel or bought from supermarket. We certainly felt like we had a break as meals were provided, could swim and different scenery and did a few trips out.

LouNatics · 19/08/2021 13:08

My first holiday with a toddler was camping and I was a single parent, so perhaps the parameters were different. But there whole thing was a break, because a change is as good as a rest, even if the dc in question did wake up with the dawn every day at 4.30am. I enjoyed watching the dc discover new things - play in the mud, stay up late round the campfire, eat marshmallows, feed farm animals etc. We didn’t have a nap schedule but if dc was tired they would sleep in the carrier and I was free to roam, walk, hike. At bed time I’d get them to sleep in the carrier and keep them with me when socialising as I’d meet up with friends, then I’d sneak them down in the pitch black tent and cuddle up till morning

I remember it fondly.

41sunnydays · 19/08/2021 13:26

Our holidays including Spain & Mallorca pre children were a mix of sightseeing and beach / pool. It wasn't much different when we had babies. We took our 9 month old to a city break in Barcelona, and various beach holidays.

Just being with my husband was a help as we had two people looking after the baby. We would either go for a drive when our DS napped or sun bathe, we still went out for dinner at night. Apart from getting up earlier it wasn't too different

thelegohooverer · 19/08/2021 13:50

My advice is to work around your dc’s schedule but at the same time don’t be rigid because it’s likely to change a bit on holiday.

If you can both accept that there will be naps and plan around that, it will be easier than feeling frustrated that the naps are cramping your style.

Self cater the dc food even if you eat out yourself. Being able to feed dc immediately is the secret to a good holiday - it is awful having to wait in restaurants, make do with menus, etc, try and calm a fractious hangry child.

Bring or buy a fan. It can be hard to get them asleep in heat, and the white noise will help too.

We’ve had lovely family holidays. A lot of it is down to mindset and dropping expectations though. We definitely need more words for holiday in English!

minipie · 19/08/2021 14:27

Being able to feed dc immediately is the secret to a good holiday

Absolutely! Half my suitcase used to be toddler snacks (ok slight exaggeration but not much…)

Bunnycat101 · 19/08/2021 14:51

Tbh having low expectations. I took one of mine at that age and didn’t feel like we had a holiday but enjoyed it much more from 2. I remember wanting to make sure one of the naps was at home in her cot so we could have a swim/relax properly without having to worry about supervising.

Silkiescatz · 20/08/2021 01:25

We found it fine in restaurants and much easier than doing own shopping, cooking and washing up but it was important to get family friendly ones. Ours were on the complex so very close and got food immediately with loads of choice. So 1 parent sits on table with toddlers and 1 brings food in 2 mins or so. What I would avoid is expensive restaurants were people don't want to hear kids or ones were there's a long wait for food or eating late. I loved our holidays with toddlers.

Flip