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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think going on holiday with a baby/toddler is never fun?

170 replies

Makeupbabes · 13/06/2016 22:38

Is it just me who finds this?
We went away last year only to Prestatyn but my god did I find it hard, so much so that we actually left a day earlier as I couldn't wait to get back to normality.

I found my 18 month old DS to be a bit overwhelmed (& wouldn't sleep well or nap) by being away & we did seem to struggle with ways to entertain him. It's actually put me off going away this year.

Also the thought of going abroad & taking a toddler on a plane makes me feel very anxious! Does anyone else find holidays with toddlers hard?

OP posts:
DisgraceToTheYChromosome · 13/06/2016 23:17

Cornwall at 18 months with PILs. Fantastic time. Northumberland at 2.5 on our own, pretty good. After that she was pretty sociable; I remember her chattering to a little French girl in Caen about hairstyles. Language? Smiles and gestures worked.

Pinkheart5915 · 13/06/2016 23:19

I had a now 9 month old ds. We took him to San Francisco at 5 weeks old, Brugge at 5 months and a few uk breaks ( Stratford, bath, Chichester) it's always been fairy easy but I think that must be because he's so small might be a nightmare the older he gets.

AmyInTheBoonies · 13/06/2016 23:23

YANBU still yet to brave a holiday with my four year old!
Only thing that saves our sanity is our routine we've got in place now. So without our regular extra curriculum classes, food she will eat, CBeebies to watch I'd certainly not be relaxing I'd be working twice as hard as I am now to keep things on an even keel.

I know most of my friends have had some ghastly holidays with kids roasting on the beach and overwhelmed.
Others go everywhere and must enjoy it though. Not for me unfortunately. I hope when she's about 7 we will return to travelling.

LazyJournalistsQuoteMN · 13/06/2016 23:27

I hope YABU because we're planning on taking our young dc abroad this year Confused

WankersHacksandThieves · 13/06/2016 23:27

We loved taking ours away - we have brilliant memories - yes it was sometimes harder work than at home but overall the joy we got from the holidays outweighed the work. Maybe it depends on your children though? Ours are 13 months apart and and we've done a mixture of abroad and at home but have always down 2/3 trips a year including the US, France, Holland, Turkey, Menorca, the canaries etc. And all sorts of places in the UK. Now they are teenagers so I guess we don't have many family holidays left.

ishallconquerthat · 13/06/2016 23:33

YABU. It's not relaxing, but the fact that it's hard work doesn't mean it's not fun!

I've been to Venice, Florence, Paris, Stockholm and Amsterdam (not all at once!) with small DCs and it was exhausting, but:

1 ) the alternative was staying home, and I don't want to stop travelling just because I've had kids.
2 ) they enjoyed it, and they made us see things we would not have seen otherwise.

But each to their own. If you don't like it, don't go. You don't have to.

imwithspud · 13/06/2016 23:34

I get where you're coming from op. We went to Wales a few weeks ago. It was lovely to get away for a few days but with a 3yo and almost 1yo it was never going to be relaxing.

We do lots of cheap 'sun holidays' so we can get away to nice parts of the UK once or twice a year as a family. We have no plans to go abroad until the youngest is at least 5, possibly older. We don't see the appeal in taking them abroad when they're little, just seems too much like hard work.

tibbawyrots · 13/06/2016 23:35

I took my 18mth DD by train to Paris, then into Germany and down to the Black Forest for a week. Brilliant holiday.

Netherlands by train when she was 2, Corfu (flying), camping in France at 3, Mallorca (flying) at 4 and DLP by train at 5. Just need to be ultra organised and have some little thing to amuse them on any longer journeys. :)

goingmadinthecountry · 13/06/2016 23:35

I loved it even way back when I had 3 under 3. No.4 was in New York at 5 weeks and Bahamas a few weeks later. Loathe self catering - I do that all the bloody time.

But it's the humdrum everyday I could never cope with. Routine and I don't mix well. Each to their own.

Wait till your babies grow up a bit and want to travel independently all over the world. My dd1 is off for 2 and a half months on Wed. It's turning me into a nervous wreck!

Thymewarp · 13/06/2016 23:37

I think where you go and the type of hotel/room makes all the difference. I have no interest in cooking on holiday with small kids. Must have two bedrooms and baby sitting or we don't go. It's just not fun otherwise.

WankersHacksandThieves · 13/06/2016 23:40

I think going abroad is one of the easiest holidays ever. You don't need to work out what to do when it's peeing rain for a week for a start :)

Pool, beach and chilling out in the evenings in child friendly resorts. Big tip though, never try to change a nappy on a windy beach.....

it's easier before they start school as you can go in May/early June and September, it's not too hot and it's quieter.

Savemefromwine · 13/06/2016 23:44

Well yes but really what so do you expect?

Holidays with small kids are never actually a rest during the day.

The secret is to walk or swim their little legs off during the day and they've knackered by 7.

Bed them down and Crack open the wine.

Mind you we had our first 2 kids early 20s so hadn't had years of kid free holidays.

WankersHacksandThieves · 13/06/2016 23:51

I had years old child free holidays and we've done everything from 5 star AI to self catering to caravans to yurts and all sorts in between - never had a holiday we didn't enjoy - I agree though that Center Parcs is ideal for little ones if you are doing a UK holiday but everybody likes different things. A central bar where there is entertainment and discos and talent competitions would be my idea of hell but load of folk love that and would hate being stuck in a cabin with bottle of wine and a dvd for the evening. It's just as well we all like different things or places would get too crowded :)

BennyTheBall · 13/06/2016 23:51

We took ours abroad from when they were about 6 months old.

Long haul too - it was no big deal. Our trick was always to wear them out swimming in the pool, then we could have a long relaxed lunch in the sun while they were in bed.

Idliketobeabutterfly · 13/06/2016 23:59

We go with the in laws on hols (self catering before but now we go to their static). It isn't really a holiday but we all love time together and I can even sneak off for nap if really lucky.

NickiFury · 14/06/2016 00:25

I loved holidays with my babies/toddlers. Took DS to Spain off season when he was one and it was just lovely, some of my happiest memories to be honest, he ran all day long because we went for long walks along the promenades alongside the beach, napped for two hours every day after his lunch so we could have a peaceful lunch ourselves. Perfect holiday. It got harder with two obviously but not enough that we wouldn't go or didn't enjoy it.

BeamMeUpScottie · 14/06/2016 00:34

Yes if the holiday involves stuff that means you get to relax more. Going to see family = more Childcare, brilliant. Otherwise it's awful and just Looking after kids in somewhere less convenient and more expensive than home.

mawbroon · 14/06/2016 00:37

Haven't read the whole thread, but I bet I'm not the first to say SAME SHIT, DIFFERENT VIEW Shock

Egosumgism · 14/06/2016 02:17

We've taken our children on 'adventurous' holidays (countries some people wouldn't go to) and loved it, as have they.

The mistake is expecting them to behave differently when you're away.

Long haul flying isn't a problem and nor are really short flights. The middle-distance (2-3 hour) are a pain but worth it.

honkinghaddock · 14/06/2016 06:10

We have an older child who is functionally a young toddler so have had this for years. We base our holiday around what he likes to do and stick to his normal routine with eating and sleeping. We do self catering but eat out at suitable places have picnics or takeaways. We don't go abroad because the UK offers enough we enjoy and he struggles with heat. It is harder work than at home but it is still enjoyable. My earliest memories are of early childhood holidays and I want him to have the same.

exLtEveDallas · 14/06/2016 06:23

I think it's easier to go abroad than to stay in the UK with babies/toddlers.

We've had a caravan at the seaside since before DD was born. Keeping her active, busy, entertained when she was small was a lot harder and more expensive - the weather, the lack of facilities, planning mealtimes, the expense of trips etc always lead to more stress.

Going abroad though meant good weather, a swimming pool, a sunny beach, eating and drinking when we wanted (AI) and being able to get her to kip poolside or having a couple of hours off when she was in crèche/kids club.

It does get easier though - from about age 7/8 DD was given a lot more freedom at the caravan site and would play with friends for 6-8 hours a day - even if that meant DH and I barracading ourselves in the bedroom with a book whilst they all played games in the living room!

Blueredballoon · 14/06/2016 06:27

It certainly isn't relaxing in the way holidays pre DC were!

We've found that the accommodation and our expectations make all the difference. We go self catering (but with restaurants/ takeaways nearby) so that we have more space and our own kitchen. We forget completely about routine for a few days as trying to stick to naps etc just never happens. We do some drives so they can nap in the car sometimes. We don't go on long plane journey either so we can just get there in our own time.

That said we have had some brilliant holidays and lots of fun with our toddler and now baby- once we adjusted our expectations! My toddler had the time of his life on our recent holiday to Wales.

HelpALostCause · 14/06/2016 06:31

I am refusing to do beach/swimming holidays until the DC can swim. We now rent a flat somewhere, go hiking, zoos etc where we can drive to.
Same shit, but we only take one bag of toys and books so there's much less to tidy up. We also relax the iPad rules a bit. DH helps out with the cooking so it's less bad than at home!

20thcenturybitch · 14/06/2016 06:32

To address the thread title YABU to think going on holiday with a baby/toddler is NEVER fun. It's often fun, it's just not very relaxing.

And because you do it quite close after your child-free years, it's compared harshly to what those holidays were like, which bears little resemblance to the new normal!

Once they are a bit older it does become easier and even more fun so long as you abandon hopes of it being the same as before and plan in loads of active stuff to tire them out by day.

And much as I agree with come one who said self-catering can be a drag, it's by far the best plan with kids as also means you can pick a property with multiple rooms and a nice space to relax in evening with just the baby monitor and wine! (garden/balcony/hot tub/log fire/sauna are all ones we've enjoyed!)

The other bonus of baby/small toddler that you lose when they grow is being able to walk them to sleep in buggy and eat out for lunch or early dinner. I'm looking forward to mine being old enough to stay up later and join us for that.

Chrisinthemorning · 14/06/2016 06:35

We have had lovely holidays with DS who is now 4. Mostly recently Florida. Had a brilliant time at Disney World which is very child friendly. Villas with pools, DS playing in the pool with his arm bands on and me on a lilo or in the hot tub next to him.
When he was a baby the heat used to wear him out so he would have a 3 hour nap every day, so we could relax in the sun. Hardest was 2.5-4 when he didn't nap but even then we have loved holidays with him- beaches, eating out, just lovely. We have usually been with grandparents which shares him out a bit but have had 2 holidays to Majorca the 3 of us which we really enjoyed.
Also agree Centreparcs is great.
But if you don't enjoy, don't go!