Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

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

Original poster

Holiday with 1 year old - where?

15 replies

AwkwardPaws27 · 28/02/2023 17:21

We have a British Airways voucher which we've just remembered need to be used by the end of September (from a trip that was cancelled due to covid what feels like forever ago...).

In the meantime we have had DS, who will be 15 months in September. No other DCs & we've never travelled with a baby so I'm not sure where to go.

Wishlist:

  • not too hot, but warm enough for pool or beach (we'll probably go in early or mid september; doubt we could go before anyway as I need to get DS a passport)
  • not going to be full of people partying (I have visions of accidentally booking a Club 18-30s type destination!)
  • under £2k (flights & hotel) for two adults & one infant, including at least breakfast

My ideal week would look like: read book by pool, take DS for a paddle & look in rock pools, maybe a day or two sightseeing (DH would like a nice historic church or ruins), good food, beautiful scenery.

Any suggestions?

OP posts:
showstopper100 · 28/02/2023 17:22

Read a book by the pool?

😂😂😂 Those days are well and truly over!! 😂😂😂

DappledThings · 28/02/2023 17:48

Malta. We went when DS was 8 months. Really easy to navigate the whole island by bus and tons of historical (and prehistoric) sites. Locals eat dinner early so we didn't stick out like a sore thumb trying to eat when DS might want to. Very friendly.

Beaches aren't great I hear but we had a pool although yes your pool time will be limited!

showstopper100 · 28/02/2023 17:50

Jokes aside, Majorca.

You can stay close to Palma and get the best of the city and beaches.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Holidays
Original poster
AwkwardPaws27 · 28/02/2023 19:51

Malta is a good shout - I'd suggested this to DH as I went as a child and enjoyed it, and have always wanted to go back.
I'll look into Majorca too.

I'm hoping DH will pull his weight so I get a good few responsibility-free hours over the course of the week Grin

OP posts:
grayhairdontcare · 28/02/2023 19:52

Athens

showstopper100 · 28/02/2023 20:41

We went to Lanzarote when our DS was about 18months and it was awful 😂

Our DS wouldn't go in a buggy at all ( sounds ridiculous now, but it's really true )

DH and I spent the whole holiday just chasing DS around and taking it in turns with him while one of us rested on the sun lounger 🤦🏻‍♀️😂

DC was constantly running off and taking things off people's sun beds.

We spent the week apologising to everyone about it. Luckily everyone saw the funny side but we were knackered! 😬😂

Original poster
AwkwardPaws27 · 28/02/2023 23:05

@showstopper100 oh no... I can see DS doing the buggy thing, he's already perfected the "stiff as a board" move to avoid being put in the highchair at 8 months. He's not crawling yet so it's hard to envisage what it'll be like once he's fully mobile.
Is it just not worth having holidays when they are little? I thought it might be something nice to look forward too - and don't really want to just lose the money - but if it'll be shit then maybe I should just stay home & book a massage instead!

OP posts:
DappledThings · 28/02/2023 23:15

Is it just not worth having holidays when they are little? I thought it might be something nice to look forward to
Loads of people will say it isn't. On these threads someone always pops up to say holidays with small children are just "same shit, different location". I just don't get it. For us the different location was everything and the "same shit" of naps and entertaining a possibly fractious child fitted into that as it would at home.

We had to plan our days a bit more and can't be quite so free and easy and where and when we eat. But ever since DS1 was a baby we've still had good holidays with seeing the museums and cities and sights we still want to. With sunshine and ice-cream and swimming. Yes there's less (nearly none) lounging by the pool with a book but there's everything else.

gwrachod · 28/02/2023 23:19

A lot depends on what kind of toddler he turns into. My eldest was a runner! It was seriously stressful doing anything adult with him in tow. We still tried, but would end up taking turns e.g. to eat our dinner while the other took him out of the restaurant / pub / picnic wherever as he just wanted to run and nothing would convince him he wanted to sit still or hang out near us.

My youngest was totally different. She wanted to be with us, and was much happier hanging out with us, and didn't want to run off all the time.

Totally different toddler years for each of them.

The absolutely best places I could take my runner-toddler were places with fences! We have one lovely playpark at home which has a cafe inside the fence, and loads of space to run about this was great as I could actually drink a coffee without having to chase after DS, for once.

So, don't get somewhere that has hazards like a swimming pool directly outside your door, or you'll have to watch him like a hawk and it'll be stressful.

My ideal at that age would have been a lovely self catering place with an enclosed garden that's nice to hang out at, near a beach. Much easier to have our own place than have to deal with a rampaging toddler and other people. Basically somewhere that's nice to be and safe for DC - that's part of the holiday, not just somewhere to sleep and then go out.

I've flown with the kids within the UK when they were little, plus loads of trains. The shorter the flight the better, if possible.

Original poster
AwkwardPaws27 · 28/02/2023 23:40

I guess half the challenge is that they change so quickly at this age, so I can't really know what he'll be like 6 months from now.

I really wanted to avoid self catering as then I don't feel like I'll be getting a break - even just breakfast included would be ok, & we can eat out for other meals, but I don't want to be cooking or doing a food shop.

Reading a book sounds highly unrealistic, I'll scrap that dream, but not having to cook / shop for food for a week would be amazing.

OP posts:
cheapskatemum · 28/02/2023 23:43

Menorca ticks all your boxes. I loved Mahon & Cuitadella for churches.

BananaCocktails · 28/02/2023 23:50

I went to Lanzarote for a week in February with a one year old on my own buggy and all lol and it was fantastic not too hot in the day and cool at night, it was quiet and everybody so friendly

afinethingindeed · 01/03/2023 06:09

We went to Tenerife for an all inclusive holiday in November when DD was 19 months old. It was brilliant. She'd have a mini nap pool side in the morning and then a long nap after lunch in the room (tbh we all had a little siesta at this time!)
I didn't have to worry about food or entertainment. She loved it and we had a great time. Yes there was a lot of running around after her but she loved being in the pool and our hotel had a toddler splash park which she loved so it was easy to stick in one place.
Obviously I think it all depends on the kind of toddler you have. I'd just recommend picking somewhere super family friendly if you can as that'll help.

Paturday · 01/03/2023 06:18

Relaxing holiday is perfectly doable. But people on MN love to piss on your chips 😄 you say you’ve got a husband who pulls his weight (which should be where the bar is set tbh), so you’ll get plenty of chill time. Also I’m sure you do want to spend time with your child too.

The only thing is at that age I would try and go for a short flight - pre-walking or 3+ is good for flying I’d say. But in between they don’t understand just sitting in one place for hours.

ScrumpyTree · 01/03/2023 06:40

Majorca/Menorca for sure.

Short flights. Nice beaches.

Majorca was our go to 'first beach holiday' lovely trips. We just made sure we had AC in our accommodation.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page