To ask parents of school aged children what hey do in the holidays?

[CherryChasingDotMuncher]

Having a chat with my friends yesterday, we all have kids under 4 (mine are 3.5 and new born). They are SAHMs, I work 3 days but currently on maternity leave. My 3.5yo is in nursery 2 days a week and will be until she goes to school in September. We were pondering what people who work do in half term holidays in terms of childcare. This sounds ridiculous but it's the first time I've thought "oh shit I only get 5 weeks holiday a year, who will look after them when they're off school and I run out of annual leave?!". DH is self employed so it's much harder for him to take holidays.

So can I ask what people do for childcare of small children who have to work in the holidays? I've planned to go back to work the first school day in January 2018 but I'm wondering if I may as well return after February 2018 half term (probably won't have enough holidays by then) save struggling to find child care.

Residential summer camps are terrific, if expensive.

We really struggle. We use holiday club in summer (but it is run at his old nursery so familiar) but he won't go to other ones as they are too full on for him.
You also have to factor in that you might have to use some (or in my case more than half) of your leave to cover child sickness so it's even harder.
We take rarely any time off at the same time, use MIL a day or two a week if we can but it's really tough juggling it all, don't know any of the other. It's well enough to child swap.
Also have cm for my son after school but she doesn't work holidays so no help!

Can I ask what parents who have children with additional needs do in the holidays? DS has SEN and he couplet really go to a 'normal' holiday club. I guess we will get around it with paid leave, grandparents And flexitime, but it makes me realise why so few parents of children with Additional needs have two working parents :(

As for many others, a mix of holiday clubs and DH and I alternating using leave. We don't have grandparents nearby but a few times MIL has offered a week's stay at hers in the summer holidays, which even if you're working is blissful as you have the chance for evenings out without needing to sort babysitting.

If you have any kind of job where you can work flexibly and/or at home, you can fudge getting some work done. Near me there was the option of a 'play club' that took even reception year kids and ran for two hours - I was able to use that to get two hours' worth of emails / writing reports etc done, spend the afternoon with DC and then complete my working day in the evening after DC bedtime. You couldn't do it everyday but sometimes it worked. DH also able to do versions of this.

OP, if your DH is self employed as a plumber this is less likely to work for you, but if he does anything that is doable from home/a laptop ever, then I'd encourage him to think about how he can fit his work around the DC at least some days in the holidays. Otherwise it will be you copping it every time, and that's not exactly fair nor is it great for your own employment prospects.

Museum Mum, I'm self employed too and work from home. I have flexibility but still work full time hours. In school holidays I just worked my hours evenings and weekends and pretty much any minute I could squeeze in, I used to exhaust myself trying to fit it all in, but I did it. Worked through the night sometimes. I have no family near me.

I too don't understand how 'self employed' fathers can't juggle too.

Now my dcs are 12 and 9. They pretty much amuse themselves during the day a lot of the time . It's much easier, however my workload has increased accordingly.

I do feel a bit 'knowing' when Mum friends I know with younger dcs say they can't wait fir them to start school because of vista but haven't factored in the lack of wrap around care. School days are much tougher and more hectic I think.

Vista? Costs.

I work 3 days a week and my 6 year old twins go to holiday clubs usually held at a local school or my mum looks after them she lives around 200 miles away so this doesn't happen often or my husband will have them

Work term time or use parental leave
Use holiday clubs

In the long term it's worth working if your work is skilled in any way. Getting back into the workplace is hard, plus all the boring stuff like pensions and not putting the earning pressure on one person

m.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1637

This isn't widely known but helpful - used with holiday it bridges the gap

Holiday club, £12 a day here for 9.30-3.30

Worth taking a look at this before making hasty decisions about giving up work.

www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/tools/pension-calculator

I do a variety of the following:

1. council run holiday club which is £10 for 9-3:30 which fits with my working hours. Or £15 for full day.
2. my mum (may have them 2 days a few times with sleepover!!)
3. MIL - may take one child for a few days with one of their cousins
4. occasionally expensive holiday club eg tennis camp
5. I work part time (3.5 days over 5) so I condense my working hours into 3 or 3.5 days and have 2 days off /take half day leave.
6. when DCs were younger, I'd work 4 days and look after friends DD on my day off and she'd look after my DD on her day off.
7. NEVER take holiday in term time!!!! We took a few days at the end of the school year to go to a wedding, summer holidays lasted forever! Definitely take holiday in the school holidays to break it up.
8. don't forget holiday clubs finish at the end of August (in our area they do) - so watch out if DCs have the first week of September off - although cheap holiday time which is good!
9. DH and I take a couple of days off each to take DCs on days out.

Since I discovered the cheap holiday club I'm happy. They do some activities as well as chill out and it's at their school so they know the environment. And they take childcare vouchers.

Au pair!

I worked from home when DCs were younger and now work part time.

Unfortunately it doesn't get much easier managing the holidays as the DCs get older, as high school often has different holidays than primary (so covering four weeks at Easter, not two! ) and holiday clubs rarely take DCs older than 11, but I'm personally not comfortable leaving 11-13 year olds home alone all day.

We use a combination of leave, a little family help, friends, plus a brilliant day 'summer camp' which runs over two weeks in the holidays. It's tricky though, that's for sure.

Child swop with friends. Work from home, annual leave sometimes superset from DH annual leave and holiday clubs at school wrap around facility

I've always worked part time and worked shifts around my dh's 9-5 job. During school hols I have asked to work more nightshifts and weekend shifts to avoid childcare costs. We then take just one week off in the summer together for a holiday then each take separate weeks to cover most of the holidays. We have at times used holiday clubs and a childminder for the odd day or shared with friends so she has my dd for some days and I have hers in return. Now my dd is 11, I work full time in a more 9-5 job and leave my older boys to keep an eye her. It's not ideal.

Juggle juggle juggle. It never ends.
I negotiated 2 days a week only in holidays. 3.5 days over 5 in term time

Dh is self employed which made it much easier as he could be flexible and work at weekends/long days.

Other that that we rarely had time off together, and used clubs.

Also good to get chatting with parents your dc play with and be bold and offer to take their dc for a few days if they can reciprocate. We found this worked well, especially with only children like ds as it gave them someone to play with too. One mum even offered to take ds most thu/fri during hols if she wasn't doing anything else as she was part time anyway and two were easier than one!!

I use a combination of annual leave between my husband and I plus our parents help out too.
I also use parental leave which you can find out more info on the gov website. Basically this allows you to take up to 4 (full weeks) per child as unpaid leave. For each child you are entitled to so many weeks until they turn 18. This has helped us out and I'm lucky to work a family friendly company.

For 4 years we juggled with me and DH taking turns to be off. Then last summer our leave got cancelled- we were both needed in pretty much full time over the summer so found a local sports club in desperation. It is BRILLIANT. £6 per child for sessions that run 8.45 to 3pm and the kids love it. They do all sorts of sports (fencing today) as well as arts and crafts.

One of us will drop off and the other pick up or we'll take it in turns to work short days followed by long days or make up hours at night.

They've just sent a survey out asking of we are interested in moving to a membership scheme- £149 for the year. That would cover 11 weeks of the school hols (they don't do Christmas). I checked and that is not a typo!

My leave
DH's leave
Holiday club (the dc's school was chosen because of the wrap around and holiday club)
Flexi time

And here's me thinking "yay school means no more child care costs" confused more fool me!.

You're in for a shock. What are you planning on doing with your dc before and after work? And your baby? Then there's school dinners (currently free for KS1 though), school trips, school uniform, music lessons/swimming lessons at school, endless fundraisers, school uniform, school shoes.....

And Inset days

A mixture of annual leave, play schemes, working from home, swopping with other parents. This week for example 2 half day gymnastics camps, partner 1 day annual leave and one day my annual leave and I only work three days a week.

I use a holuday sports club some of the time and my parents are great with helping out too. In the summer I always manage to book 2 weeks off in one go plus another few days later in the holidays.

I'm actually sad enough to keep a spreadsheet so I can keep track of where the kids will be and how much it's going to cost me in childcare.

Will be holiday clubs for us and maybe MIL coming to stay for the odd week as she works in a school. We'll obviously have time off too but again get 5 weeks

You could look at bringing an au pair into your home for 6 to 12 months. They can HELP with that wrap around care etc but couldnt be expected to do six weeks of full time 6am tol 6pm childcare as they dont get paid and are not fully trained child carers..they are nice young people from abroad living with you to learn the language and help in the home.
Splitting your leave and dp doubles your leave to 10 weeks a year. Does hubby do overtime that can be accrued as time off in lieu..that can also help.