To think there's no point going on holiday with a baby?

[DrAston]

My husband has a few days off work coming up soon (I work at a university so have the summer off) and he wants to go away somewhere. We can't afford to go abroad with it being the summer hols so he has booked a hotel in the UK for a few nights. We have a daughter who just turned one and I just don't see the point in going away. It's not like she's going to decide to sleep in till 8 each morning while we're away and when she goes to bed we'll just be sat in the dark trying not to make any noise from 7pm. My husband is not particularly (in fact 'at all') hands-on with our daughter so I'll just be doing everything I do at home but in a small room instead. It's not even likely to be good weather where we're going (I should know-I grew up there!). Do people really enjoy holidays with babies? Aren't you just doing the same stuff you do everyday but paying a lot for the privilege of doing it somewhere else?

Caravans and camping are now your friend. We also went away on a self catering Butlins break in May that actually proved relaxing as the activities work our toddler out and we could put him in the bedroom and collapse in the living room at night.

Hotel rooms and young children don't mix. And after the recent hot break in the UK, I am glad not to be abroad, trying to apply suncream to my toddler and stop the baby from overheating.

I can't understand how camping and caravans can be more comfortable than a hotel room.

At least in a hotel you've got a clean and spacious bathroom and a comfy bed.

Also what's all this about cooking in caravans? Doesn't everyone on holiday with kids eat fish and chips, pub meals and pizza/pasta places?

We holiday in caravans because we're on a very tight budget at the moment and if we went to a hotel and ate out or had take aways every day we simply wouldn't be able to afford it.
You might get a nice bathroom and a big bed in a hotel but you don't usually get separate rooms unless you pay extra so end up not being able to wind down away from the kids when they've gone to bed. In a caravan or holiday cottage/apartment you get to put the children to bed in their own room so you can enjoy a drink/game of cards/watch TV/sit outside on the veranda/have holiday sex without disturbing them.
For us the holiday is about following usual routines in a much more relaxed way in different surroundings. A caravan is ideal for this.

I've never stayed in one to be honest. We usually book Premier Inn type hotels far in advance, we've been doing that since ds1 was a baby so are used to it.

We've stayed in holiday apartments a few times and that is comfy and then we have our own breakfast.

I'm always a bit scared of self catering caravans and apartments on a budget, I feel like I know what I'm getting with a hotel.

It depends where you stay. I stayed in a hotel 2 nights when lo was 10 months. It was ok but we had to be quiet once she was in bed. It was for a wedding and we left at 9pm as she wouldn't settle in her pushchair at the venue. We also stayed in a 2 bed apartment in Greece at 8 months which was better. Restaurant staff were friendly and helpful and with the time difference we gained a couple of hours in the evening before bedtime. TBH honest it was easier when she was little as I bf so didn't need to worry about sterilising. Carting nappies was a pain but holidays with toddlers and preschoolers are much harder work in my experience. Go self catering if possible and make oh pull his weight it's your holiday too.

I think for a lot of people self catering holidays mean breakfast and lunch are homemade and dinner is eaten in a restaurant which cuts down on the costs.

How much is a week in a caravan?

I'm off to Florida in 5 weeks with our 7 month old - I'm sure some people think I'm crazy but I'm looking forward to it.

Re the evenings we fully intend to go out with her in her pushchair (we are taking her normal lie flat buggy) but if it's a nightmare then we'll have BBQ's at our villa

Having said that, Orlando is full of families and we won't be the only ones taking little ones out for dinner in a buggy I'm sure - and that helps

We don't eat out much with the Dc because it's stressful and horrible. The few times we did at eurocamp in France the serving staff were very unhelpful and slow and the other diners glared at us the whole time tutting and muttering.

Also the kids want to eat at 5-6pm and we don't and ds1 has quite a restricted diet, so the only things he would eat out would be sausage/fish and chips.

Which is also why self catering is a misery for me because, just like at home I do all the shopping and cooking. I would like to do all inclusive, then the food is all there without the waiting (which is when mine play up) and they can eat earlier and we can take turns to go for dinner later, alone. Still not great, but better than the alternatives!

Babyzoo, we stayed for a week in a mobile home on a campsite on the Costa Brava at the end of June for around £260 with Canvas holidays. We used Tesco vouchers to pay for the channel tunnel crossing.

Self catering meant (DCs are too old to come with us now) eating what we wanted when we wanted. Warm weather meant eating outside so no crumbs to sweep up.

On holiday we tend to eat more simply, lots more barbecues, meat/fish plus salad/chips meals.

Nothing for us babyzoo because we were given a free week in dh's colleague's caravan as a wedding present a couple of years ago and my mum has recently bought one so we're going there for a few days in the next couple of weeks.

My sister paid to stay in a caravan near where we stayed at dh's colleague's van and I think she paid about £250-£450 (can't quite remember) for the week.

It's a change of scene rather than a 'holiday' at that age. Go self catering rather than hotel, much easier.

My DCs were slaves to cots and were really unhappy sleeping anywhere else - I tried but it just didn't work. They cried and cried and we felt guilty not putting them to bed. We had a fab holiday when DC1 was 8 months as he had 2 naps a day and couldn't crawl. We made him a playpen on the terrace out of sofa cushions and read on sun loungers. It was a two bed self-catering apartment though.

Basically a good holiday for parents is the children being happy. Plan something where you know your DC will be happy. A hotel room doesn't work - if you have a child that likes their bedtime (my older DCs still get upset after about 8pm and ask to go to bed) then you have to take that into account. My DCs are both 4 plus and the times we have had to do a hotel room we are all in bed at 8pm, DH and I reading our kindles.

Thanks, dh is keen to get our own caravan, I'm not keen like my comfort too much but I know the dc would love it.

I can't think of anything worse than camping or caravan holidays with a small child. We took DD abroad at 7 months and 13 months, in a hotel both times. We had a great time and can't wait to go away again. DD got lots of attention which she loved and she had lots of fun eating out. She's not a great sleeper though so we were pretty much ready for bed by the time she went down.

My DD can't crawl either, she can sit but not crawl. In fact she can't even roll over - am hoping she doesn't learn to crawl in next 5 weeks!!!!

Totally agree. We went away with DS (14 months) earlier this year. We'd booked to be away for 10 nights and we came home after 4 nights. Like you, my DH is not hands on at all. He did play with DS but I did all the 'care' aspects.

I thrive on routine (not a strict one, but there is some basic structure to my day with DS). And I like to know that I will have the evening to myself once DS in bed (round about 7.15) so the thought of having him still out and about with me after that time was not a relaxing prospect at all. Also, we did try to extend his bedtime, but it just meant he was overly tired and was atrociously behaved at dinner with us.

It was horribly stressful. I just wanted to be home where I had all his stuff, I can easily wash stuff (we were in a hotel which doesn't make it easy to wash stuff), and I've got a baby pen where I could put him for a few minutes whilst I get stuff done.

I've always taken my dc on holiday, first abroad holiday for dc1 at 9 months. First abroad holiday for dc2 at 6 months. We always choose either a hotel with a separate living area or apartment. The holiday is what you make it. It always surprises me when people don't go. This is your life now, you have a family, enjoy it. Babies are portable

It depends what you call fun. I've always had fun on holiday with my children when they were babies. But that's because I enjoy their company and love to spend time with them doing what makes them happy...obviously life changes when you have little ones, but it doesn't have to mean no "fun"... Suggestions would be: go on holiday with another couple and share babysitting or go somewhere there's a babysitter - or resign yourself to lots of early nights and make your own amusements aka "fun" !! It does sound a bit petulant of your husband to say it won't be fun to go on holiday with a baby. Why on earth won't it be fun? It's going to be fun if the two of you are going to BE fun - and it won't otherwise - baby or no baby!!

I think a lot of it is about attitude. You're probably are going to have a crap time if a. You think you're going to hate it and/or b. You expect it to be the same as the holidays you had pre-children.

We've been away with dd (3) numerous times, mostly in the UK and mostly in self catering cottages. Yes there have been things that didn't go well, but overall we've had great times. And no dd has never been one that would just fall asleep in her buggy while we stayed out late and we like to stick more or less to her usual bedtime but we worked around this, eating out at 5 or 6pm and chilling out (usually getting tipsy and playing the board games or watching the dvds on offer at the cottage) after she's in bed. I would say a separate room to spend the evening in is essential unless you have a particularly heavy sleeper or aren't fussed about them staying up, but if not you just have to try and make the most if it and do nice and different things in the day.

Agree with pp who suggests going away with another couple so you can take it in turns to babysit. We often go away with my parents or ILs which admittedly brings it's own stresses but at least we get a break!

Oh and tell dh he needs to pull his finger out - it's your holiday too and with work commitments out of the way, there's no reason why childcare shouldn't be split equally.

Weve just had a week at Haven in Burnham with our ds 7 and dd 16 months. She loved the evening tot discos, swimming, feeding the seagulls, ducks.and geese at the caravan steps etc. We honestly had a really good week. Yes it was hard work but going anywhere when you have kids is hard work but so is staying at home. Its a nice change. We also took out ds on his first uk holiday around 16 months too.

Try a serviced apartment - more likely to be able to rent for a couple of nights, plus you get at least one bedroom plus a kitchen and fridge, which makes holidaying with DC so much easier

We've been camping and hotels and self catering all over. Tell your husband to buck up and help!!! Or you will never have a holiday! Worst one we had was Cornwall were we had 3 weeks rain and no washing machine. Best one was an all Inclusive in lanzarote. Not somewhere we would have gone pre children but it worked with families!
If you loved travelling and holidays before kids then that will make a difference. A change is always good, even if it's just to make you see how much easier it is at home!!