To ask for survival tips for a holiday with toddlers?

[Waitrosesaysimessential]

I am off on holiday with Dh and three small children under 5 tomorrow. I am dreading it. We are going to Spain which should be lovely. But after a very trying holiday last year I am wondering why we are bothering. We booked on a whim on a bleak winter evening. The kids slept very badly, continually had accidents around the pool and we were all tired and grumpy. I know I should be happy and grateful to be going but I really don't feel it.

I wish I were more chilled out but I can't change personality overnight, so please share your survival tips to cope!

Have low expectations. If there are ten things you'd like to do during your holiday, aim to actually do 3.

Just back from turkey with a 5 and 13 yr old. Found it made life so much easier to take colouring books/pens/activity books and they were sooo expensive and hard to find abroad anyway.
Take favourite doll/toy/teddy and beakers if used as well as cutlery from home, my dd likes her own.
Also lots of baby wipes, saw a lady paying around £4/5 for a packet in our hotel.
If in a hotel then go to reps office and see if they do a swap shop, my dd borrowed loads of stuff.
Invest in a tacky but large inflatable creature of some sort, worth every penny.
Take snacks from home such as raisins/ cereal bars etc as often hard to find abroad.
Take books for yourself as it's your Holiday too :)
Make use of any kids club if one and try and position yourselves next to the kids pool.
Above all- enjoy!

We're definitely 'go with the flow' approach generally & we're happy to gear everything towards the kids on holiday. We did 2 weeks in Spain in an apartment last year with 2x5 yr olds and a 3 yr old and I was early pg with no4. We mainly did beach am, pool pm interspersed with days out doing river paddling or sightseeing for a few hours (but it was really too hot for that). After a disastrous time trying to keep bedtimes normal on previous camping trips, we now just let them stay up til they're ready to drop. Little 'grown-up time' but we find it easier. Big shop early on with plenty of simple food everyone would eat & mainly ate at apartment or took picnics out with us. We decided against taking iPad & not sure if that was good or not as our lot are 6am risers! Luckily the apartment had a tv & a few English DVDs so it was ok.

We had a great time & are going to (different part of) Spain again this year. Only difference is that we've decided 10 days is long enough and I made sure our apt is on the beachfront (& we now also have a 4 month old!).

Depends on how old they are exactly. When invent they were a very trying 2yo and 3yo and it was just v tiring. But I did go with extended family as i thought that would be easier, but really it wasn't, as I was constantly feeling I had to curtail them:fit in with others and fancy restaurant plans and actually I came back more tired than when I went. Didn't go again anywhere for 2y.

On our own was much better but older kids tbh probably easier too.

Totally agree with leaving food angst at home and tbh bedtime angst too. Bring them where you want go. Eat out with them. They can sleep in buggy, it does not matter, it is a holiday!

Looking back over the thread it struck me that the key really is to take the pressure off yourself.

So leave the routines, the diet worries, the tv ban, the sleep nazism , whatever it is you agonise over at home

Give yourself a break, two weeks of benign "neglect" won't do any harm x

A paddling pool (seriously) and a sun tent!
Paddling pool outside next to the sun tent. No moaning from children cause they want to go into the sea/pool and a place in the shade at all times. Just fill it using a bucket from the pool or sea, my then 16 month old loved it.
Mind not sure how we will get on this year as she won't touch sand now! Absolutely hates the feel of it on her hands let alone bare feet!

Travel is exhausting and heat makes for grumpy kids. After a few days we seemed to find a holiday routine - afternoon naps, later bed times and lazy mornings. I used to keep things simple and try not to do too much sightseeing or days out as it just adds to the tiredness. Try to take DVDs or iPad with lots of CBeebies downloaded from iplayer - maybe as wind down before naps or bed.

you probably have these already but shoes like this: www.sportsdirect.com/character-aqua-childrens-shoes-225121?colcode=22512193 are great for round the pool. I've just been to Cyprus with my 22 month old and she didn't slip around the pool once and she could wear them in the water. I agree with everyone else to take the pressure off yourself. I found myself being a lot more lenient than I would be at home because who wants their holiday to be one constant tantrum? it hasn't affected how she's behaved since we got home. she only ate pasta and chips for 10 days but I just had to get over it and think it's 10 days out of her whole life...she had a nap after dinner which was a lifeline to us, I found she got tired a lot more easily than at home because of the heat. and use the kids club if there is one! good luck...

We've just been on holiday with our 2 year old and it was great, though constant! Buy a few new toys, use DVDs, get out and about as much as possible, baby proof as needed - we had to use jumpers to loop through cupboard door handles to keep her out. Toys for the pool, bucket and spades for the beach, and just accept there will be ice creams and treats. It worked well wearing her out, but so much more a holiday for them than you in a sense!

Just back last week from hols last week with 3 DC, 5, 3 and 20 month old. Had a great time, although was hard work.

Used to have breakfast then go to kids club, have lunch then nap, and then a good few hours in the pool, which they enjoyed the most, dinner and then head out in the evenings when there was less heat. They slept so well on holiday as they were exhausted.

Bring spare set of clothes in hand luggage, infant was sick in car on way to airport and 6 y.o while landing.
Calpol and lots of baby wipes.
Cheap toys, colouring books and portable DVD player for plane and keeping them amused at hotel.
I got lots of inflatables from poundland for the pool, a ball, a banana, a lilo and ring and it kept tem amused for hours.
I took snacks just in case they wouldn't like the food, but they tried so many new foods and fruits, that they weren't needed.

I always book overnight flights if going long haul as there's no way you can get young kids to sit for long periods, so they sleep most of the time.

When my daughter was younger we always took a travel cot that we positioned in shade. After a swim she would crash out or just play in it and my sisters children could also have a nap and we always knew where she was!

Last year when we came back from Portugal with our 3 (2 older boys and a 13 month old girl) we swore that was it and we wouldn't go away again til the youngest was at least 5. We've booked for Menorca in August . I can't even really remember what was so bad about it except that DD ended up with German Measles and was quite ill but the local drs kept saying she was fine and only gave antihistamine which she refused to take. She cried a lot, I remember that, but she was sick so maybe this year will be different.

We were also away with some family which probably didn't help as we felt awful about leaving them to get on with it on their first ever holiday. And the weather turned really bad so we were cooped up all day with a sick baby and 2 bored kids.

WTF were we thinking booking for this year?? But I can't help it, I love the idea of a holiday. Have very rarely loved the holiday whilst there though but that's because we aren't really people persons and would rather rent a villa but I just don't feel like they offer much safety when there's only DP to 'protect' us if anything happened.