AIBU to think that a holiday with a toddler is not s holiday?

[shesellsseashell]

We've only been away to English seaside for a few days but I'm absolutely exhausted. Today he started the morning by trying to eat a large handful of sand, and hasn't sat down since. Non stop charging about, towards the sea, towards the rocks, chucking his ball in the sea for me to collect x 1000. Struggling to sleep away from
Home, taking ages to settle down and get to sleep. I'm utterly exhausted.

Is this what it is always like with a toddler? I thought things got easier once they started walking

I second orchid, but to me any cruise ship will do. Kids club! It's the best.

We tried a few times to holiday with ours when they were younger in hotels and apartments etc, it was crap, expensive and soul destroying crap. So we bought a holiday home, and use that all the time, we started holidaying overseas again when they were 4 and 6. It still was not that relaxing but better. They are 8 and 11 now and it's easy peasy, hang on in there.

[[https://www.huffpost.com/entry/vacation-or-trip-a-helpful-guide-for-parents_b_7789310"]]

it depends what you call a toddler really. I think going on holiday with 18 month old still naps for hours every day and is pretty easy-going about life is easier than a two and a half/3-4 year old who's got an opinion about everything and who can run much faster and doesn't nap.

Arrgh... sod it. Cannot do the link. Google vacation or trip for the article!

Not a holiday, a trip

There is no such a thing as a holiday for the ones taking care of the kids.

There is a very good reason that the only overseas holiday my children have ever known is going to the same small town which is coincidentally where my parents live

It is bloody exhausting when they're little - but it does get easier, promise. I still offer sympathetic smiles & offer to carry things for people dealing with toddlers when I see them struggling because I can't help but think 'jesus. I must have have gone through that with the DC. I just don't remember how I coped.'

We do holidays in the UK and will do so until at least the youngest is 3. We go with a holiday chain that does breakfast and dinner, preordered children’s dinners at 5pm (adults eat later - alone), has a listening service and a Creche 2 hours a day. You pay ££ but it’s the only way we get any chance of any break. No family help unfortunately.

We loved our holidays when the kids were toddlers and found them relaxing! The holidays at that age were mostly uk based at that age although we did have one eurocamp holiday just outside Venice.

We did lots of exploring and visiting places that the toddlers would enjoy too - beaches, castles, farms etc.

Mine is 7 and it's just getting harder and harder. New and more difficult challenges at every stage. I look back on the baby and toddler stages and think "why didn't someone tell me that these were the easy times?!" Sorry OP I know it feels rough at those stages, I definitely felt like you do.

It was fine for us.

Upsides: no cooking,no cleaning, OH around all day.

Downsides: she was 2.5 ,and then 4.

But definitely less stressed, less things to do , shared burden of keeping her alive, she made friends and she was too shattered to not sleep like she would at home.

I think setup and expectations are what can make or break a holiday when it involves a toddler.

Definitely not a holiday when they’re little. Mine are 18 and 15 now but I can still remember it now.

YANBU. My mum says there's no such thing as a holiday when you have young kids.

Agree. Drownwatch rather than a holiday when they are so little. We didn’t bother going abroad until they were a bit older for this reason.

I loved holidays with my kids. It's not that hard is it? Just play with them and stuff.

I hate to break it to you but in my limited experience the easy bit is before they move. I’ve hesrd it gets easier again at some point but I haven’t got there yet but mine are only 2 and 3

Tobebythesea

Which holiday chain is that in the UK? Sounds great.

No such thing as a “holiday” with little ones. You need a holiday to recover from it!

YABU I think. It's lovely when they splash about in the pool, build sandcastles, enjoy an ice cream. Maybe I'm weird

I sold my tent because I was fed up with my 18 month old 'legging it' at every opportunity.

Got a caravan the next year with some of the profit... lockable doors. We'd go for a swim after breakfast, then to the beach, back home for lunch and then she'd nap until dinner and evening disco - boom! Constantly knackered whilst I got in some precious reading time

I just used to call it 'washing up in a different sink'. But then, XH always insisted on self catering (ie, me doing everything I did all the time at home while he played 'doting father' until he got bored)

No, it's not a holiday for you.

In some ways the toddler years are great for travelling - cheaper, you can travel outside of school holidays - but it isn't restful, eating out can be difficult, and hotel rooms and apartments are never going to be as childproof as your own home.

The best thing to do is lower your expectations and know that it will get easier.

I'm loving holidaying with our toddler. Do a couple of sights, go to a couple of playgrounds, drink a beer while he naps, bottle of wine every night in the apartment, perfect!