To put DS in a 'kids' camp' on holiday?

[user1487945602]

DS is 4. He loves nursery, etc.

We are currently on holiday (2nd day) and DS keeps wanting us to go swimming, build sand castles, get him an ice-cream, play with him, etc.

I'm early stages of 2nd pregnancy and can't wait for him to have a sibling to play with no, but seriously, I'd really like to just relax. I know that being a parent means doing what your child would like, but I would absolutely love to be able to just relax in the sun!

It is DH's day today - he has taken him swimming (DS found the pool a bit too cold) but obviously DH had to get in first, so was extremely touchy after as DS didn't even end up being in the pool longer than 5 mins.

Has played on the beach with him (built a hole, etc.) so has been entertained. We all went to lunch together.

DS won't sit on a lounger for 5 minutes/play on his own for a short while. I don't mean to sound mean, but I don't think it's particularly evil of us to say he has to.

We suggested the holiday camp that's at our hotel and he says he wants to stay with us, so I suppose that's why I'm asking.

He says he would like to stay with us for nursery but then goes and really enjoys it. I know he would have fun. WIBU to put him in it? Just for the mornings.

smiling we all agreed it was interesting to have seen it (DH and I hadn't been before either) but we wouldn't go back. Its a bit grotty tbh as well as being crowded, and the food is very mediocre and over priced (except the icecream which is excellent). Far better places to go to in Italy IMO. We had the best hot chocolate in the universe in a random village in the mountains when staying in a youth hostel up the road, and there are camp sites/ self catering options/ hotels near sandy beaches not too far from Venice for a more relaxing holiday with a day trip to Venice if your DS is old enough to actually have said himself that he wants to see it and be likely to remember it...

Kids' clubs were invented for times like this surely! You have no energy, he wants to run around, there is your solution! This is one of the reasons we didn't do beach holidays when ours were very young, I think we'd have come home more stressed out than when we left tbh.

April is the best time for Venice ! We've been twice

DD didn't want to go to the kids club while on holiday last year. Until she went to look and then spent the rest of the holiday asking when it was time to go back. Even at dinner she didn't want to know us and chose to sit with the kids club workers and have her face painted most nights.
She only went for 2 hours and it just meant she was kept busy while it was too hot to do much else/ her baby brother was napping.

Do it! This time next year you'll have a baby to contend with even if DS does go to kids club.

It doesn't detracted from 'family time' in the slightest, you don't have to spend every waking minute in each other's faces for it to count as spending time together. Nor does it mean you like your child less than anyone else

We have one DS who is 4 and will be an only child. We have 2 holidays planned this year, we made sure a kids club was available at both.
He likes having other children to play with sometimes so a kids club will be good for him. At one hotel it runs 10-12 only and that's perfect for us, 2 hours relaxing reading books, lunch all together and the afternoon spent swimming, beach etc with DS.

I don't doubt that family holidays are for making memories. But in amongst all the beach trips, swimming and Disney, me and my brother always remember the pizza movie night we had at a kids club in Florida when we were younger! We certainly didn't feel like we were missing out.

I wanted to put mine in kids club where we go - there are two two hour sessions twice a day. In fact couldn't wait until they turned 4 and would be able to go to the unsupervised one.

Unfortunately they are just like me and are abhorrent at the idea.

It's worth a try but be prepared for the fact that he may not enjoy it or want to stay in which case I think it would be mean to make him. I think you are a bit unrealistic to expect/hope for a holiday to be relaxing considering his age though.

MrsTP we would prob want to go in November or even early December. We both hate hot weather so def want to avoid the Summer. Your comment about tourists not always being welcome off the beaten track concerned me most as we both love to wander and neither of us speak Italian although I will have a go from a phrase book.

SoupDragon this Not only did they have fun there but they made friends who they then played with during the times they were not in kids club. is the main attraction of kids clubs for my kids.

We usually ´go to static caravan sites in Italy or Croatia, and the kids always want to "find" holiday friends for the "down time" parts of the day - usually there are kids playing around the caravans anyway (I love the ritual all the kids do of checking number plates to identify kids who might have a common language and spotting whether cars look like family cars/ whether there are kids bikes etc - then they play conspicuously outside with a ball or something to attract others to join in - mine switch languages if they hear English/ German spoken by likely looking potential playmates).

The holiday friendship is a big part of the holiday for kids I think - when they are toddlers it is more work as you are forced to make small talk with other parents, but by pre teen age it is a huge blessing as it avoids family holidays being "boring" and means we can drink wine on the terrace in the early evening and the kids are either within sight "hanging out" or if the pool is lifeguarded and children over 8 are allowed without adults they go in groups to the pool with time limits etc. DD made friends with a girl 3 years ago whose family actually checked with us whether we were coming back the following year and then the girls kept in touch as pen pals and we ended up all re-booking the next year so the kids could hang out again :o We'd do it again this year except we are having to use holiday allowance for something else.

The fact he doesn't want to would be enough for it to be a no go for me. I wouldn't be able to relax knowing that, and mine would have kicked up merry hell anyway!

since when does a 4 year old decide the content of a holiday?

I think just try it for a morning and promise of he doesn't like it, he won't have to go back.

We've never been on a holiday that had kids' clubs but the idea of a couple of hours child free sounds good! Dc were 2 and 4 last year and it was pretty non stop. Couldn't even really take it in turns to switch off as one would run one way on the beach and one would run the other!

Notso it's complicated. We went to cafes and restaurants that only Italians go to. Think greasy spoon type cafes where the garbage collectors and Police go for a coffee. Unsurprisingly, since they live in a goldfish bowl, they're not wild about tourists being everywhere all the time.

My DH also looks like a cliched North American (he's Canadian but they aren't to know) speaking Italian helps. Just trying is generally enough. I think it's the same in most massively touristy areas. Not expecting everyone to speak English.

Our rule was to never eat anywhere that had Spaghetti Bolognese!

I never did it- the whole point of family holidays is to spend time together as a family.

My children all went to the kids club. None of them were happy about the thought of going the first time but when they had been once they wanted to go all the time. It's a great place for your dc to make friends. They will find each other on the beach and around the pool and entertain each other. Go for it OP. It's much easier when your dc has a friend to play with

I feel like most people haven't read the OP's post very carefully. She said that her DS has form for objecting to going to nursery but then being happy once he's there. She has every reason to think holiday camp will be the same. The day is indeed very long and I see NO problem at all with presenting holiday camp as a non-negotiable activity for maybe two hours each day so OP and her DH can have some brief time to relax together in the sun on their holiday. If OP's DS hates it, they don't have to leave him there, but there's no reason to think he will. A good hotel holiday camp will be super fun and much more exciting than a normal nursery, but OP's DS may need to be forced to give it a chance. Last time we went away my DCs did kids club for a couple of hours a day and it was things like pizza making, bubbles, water play, boat trips, t-shirt decorating, sandcastle contests, etc. The staff were lovely and they helped my DCs make friends right away. The kids usually spent about 2-3 hrs at the kids club each day (more if they wanted to do a special activity, less if we were doing a day trip or something like that) which left us with 10-11 hours of family time each day. It was plenty m, and everyone was happy.

Don't let the sanctimommies make you feel guilty, OP. Give it a try and see how it guys!

A 4 yr old gets an input equal to every other member of the family Feral. Only difference being that my kids would have been hysterical at being left, whereas them whining a little is a mere minor annoyance. So the impact would be far greater on them if you see what I mean.

Thanks MrsTP that's reassured me a bit. I love languages so always have a go, it's one of the things I love about visiting different countries.

Personally I wouldn't put him in, especially if he is saying he wants to stay with you.

You may need to adjust your expectations as a holiday is totally different with kids but it doesn't mean it has to be less enjoyable. I agree with rainbows, they are only little once. It can be as much fun as you make it-building sand castles, ice cream, swimming with a four year old can be lovely. Enjoy not having to cook and clean, get ready for nursery etc.

If you are pregnant and feeling rubbish though, your DH maybe needs to do more.

Kiroro But no one said you weren't allowed to use kids clubs just they personally wouldn't. I bloody hated kids clubs as a kid, and resented being dumped there. I'm sure other kids might have loved them.

We all get to decide what happens on holiday, no-one gets to monopolise the time. DH and I tag-team childcare, so DD gets a bit of time with just Daddy, and some with just Mummy, and both of us get to read our books by the pool. Other times we're all playing together or are out seeing the place we've travelled to. I sometimes put her in the kids' club (if one's available) - usually only for an hour or two at a time, maybe twice over the whole holiday. But she enjoys that kind of environment and loves meeting other kids her age. I wouldn't do it if she didn't like it.

This year we went away with my dad, with three options for entertainment, we all got plenty of relaxing time, as well as lots of family time. We saw a lot of the local areas too.

I'm sure all of the posters who are pouring on the guilt and telling OP she shouldn't expect any time to relax would never park their children in front of the TV or iPad, because of course that would cut into family time.

Yes I would do it if it's a good club. My kids absolutely love it I have to drag them out!

If you really thought he'd have fun you wouldn't be asking here, you'd just have done it, wouldn't you?
Your DH was touchy because he had to get in the pool and then DS didn't fancy staying in long? Really?
The thing about holidays with your kids is that they are just that- they aren't holidays from your kids. It's oddly unrealistic to expect to have lounging around relaxy type holidays with dc in tow.
In any case I don't see the problem with giving it a go, as long as he's not distressed at the idea and you end up forcing him in there whilst he protests, and as long as if he says he didn't like it you don't make him go back.