To leave a 5 year old at home by herself ??

[mandy214]

Obviously I won't but just at the difference in the cost of a holiday for 4 people and the cost for 5. And its tempting !

Am looking for next May half term, we are lucky in our area in that we get 2 weeks at May half term whereas most people only get 1 week. If we go away the 2nd week, prices are usually better having been reduced from the extortionate prices that holiday companies somehow get away with during mainstream school holidays.

Older 2 children will be 10 - thinking somewhere like Mark Warner because I think they will love the activities and we'll get a break. Cost for 2 adults and 2 children, about £2800. Still expensive but about £700 per person. Add an extra child?? She's 5. Its an extra £1400 . £4200. Its outrageous. I knew 3 children would be expensive but drives my mad!!

Sorry, rant over.

[LoxleyBarrett]

It's a great deal KoKo - it's like having and extra child at times though!

[Andrewofgg]

Send them Unaccompanied Cargo?

[mandy214]

Koko I think you might have a point.

Loxley that sounds like a good deal!

[LoxleyBarrett]

We have 3 as well - I take my Dad with us and he very generously pays half and shares a room with one too!

[KokoLoko]

With the cost of pizza at Dominos are you sure it wouldn't actually be cheaper to take her on holiday after all??

[mandy214]

Fillybuster alas, it would have been a perfect swap for my 3 (DS/DD 9, DD5), we are North west based, I could drop my children off en route to Heathrow, you could drop yours off en route to Manchester airport. Whilst they wouldn't bat an eyelid probably at us leaving them for a couple of weeks, my DD1 loves meat above all else .

[Fillybuster]

Maybe we need a MN child-swap rota? A bit like a dating agency, but it would allow us to match demand and need across the childcare spectrum.

Happy to go first:

I've got 3 dcs (ds9, dd6, dd4) - any takers, offers or swaps for the summer? I'd love to go away for a week of sleep passionate tv with dh. Happy to take additional children for any time in August in exchange We're vegetarian, London-based, Waitrose & Tesco shoppers. Anything else you need to know?

[mandy214]

Well volunteered Loeoleole. Packing her stuff up now and will stand Dominos down, daily pizza (and pepsi) deliveries won't be required after all

[Oleoleole]

Send your five year old to me. All my six year old's friends are away just now and she's desperate for someone to play with therefore on my case from morning to bedtime

[Vintagejazz]

I think it would be okay, as long as it's just for a few nights and you leave her some recipes and clean clothes.

But you will get judgey types coming on to berate you

[fishchipsandmayonnaise]

Grunt- Well last time we left DS for a week, he complained about having to eat pizza every night for a week, so we installed a giant letterbox so that when we leave him this year, he can mix it up a bit and on Tuesdays and Thursdays he'll be having an indian. Such refined tastes my boy has!

[Gruntfuttock]

fishchipsandmayonnaise "Gruntfuttock- Water?! I'd just instruct dominoes to send a 2lt bottle of pepsi with the pizza. That would do!"

Ooooh! Hark at you, showing off about yer giant letterbox!

[Tortoiseturtle]

I've looked after my DSis's 2 children for a week while she and her DH went on a foreign trip he got free as part of his job. They now have my 2 for a week every year, but like you I use it to work (sadly). I don't think there's anything wrong with going on an adult only holiday though, if the children are having fun where they are. My DCs go on loads of holidays that I don't get to go on. I haven't been abroad for years, but DC1 has been on trips to France and Germany, lucky thing. And lovely activity holidays that they do while I keep on going into work.

[CheeryName]

Mandy - oops, sorry I should've winked at the end, I didn't mean any of what I said!

[ThatBloodyWoman]

Jeez Louise!
I was heading for yet another deletion in response to this, but now I am left with adrenaline gushing everywhere and nowhere to direct it

[fishchipsandmayonnaise]

Gruntfuttock- Water?! I'd just instruct dominoes to send a 2lt bottle of pepsi with the pizza. That would do!

[Lilaclily]

Ah Yes this is why some of us stopped at two, so we could still afford holidays

[LadyGnome]

Here is the solution - they can travel in the hold then
telegraph.newsprints.co.uk/view/27895001/tg4242845_matt%20cartoon_jpg

[Gruntfuttock]

fishchipsandmayonnaise Fri 11-Jul-14 13:56:40

You forgot about leaving her some water to drink as did I once, but I got away with it otherwise, good advice.

[mandy214]

X post Cheery - I am looking for a family holiday and was joking about leaving 1 (or all) of them behind. The MW thing was just because we've never done anything like that and it does always sound fab to have a little bit of childfree time (obviously providing they're well looked after) to have a nice dinner together for example.

We are lucky in that GPs do look after them in the summer holidays for a couple of weeks (whilst we work) but that's just so we can save our annual leave to make sure we get a family holiday of some sorts. My mum would probably have them for a night for us to get away as a couple, but would be less than impressed (quite rightly) if we even suggested having a holiday whilst she had the children.

[CheeryName]

The children deserve a holiday too! I know this is a jokey thread but at those saying leave them with GPs. That's so unfair to deprive your children of a lovely relaxing holiday encountering new experiences, chilling, playing, having fun, making new friends.

Get GPs to take them camping, that's much more like it.

[mandy214]

Actually, we had a couple of nice holidays pre Number 3 because we were a family of 4 and the other 2 hadn't started school yet. So become a family of 5 AND be limited to school holidays and its a nightmare.

Just yearning for a nice holiday as a family of 5 at an affordable price on the basis that we're probably camping in Normandy for 5 nights this summer and I want to have a proper holiday to look forward to.

[Panicmode1]

Not if I can leave my 4 and 6 year old with your 5 year old We haven't flown anywhere with 4 of them for some time, and costing up a skiing hol for 6 next year caused me to hyperventilate!

[mandy214]

I can see I'm not the only one to have thought this through.... sounds like others have similar plans

[Tortoiseturtle]

But seriously, leave all 3 children behind for a week with grandma, and have a nice holiday with your DH. The kind that young children wouldn't appreciate anyway.