Holiday Kids Club

[cjt110]

We are off on holiday in August and the place we have chosen has a fantastic kids club. We've only done 1 kids club before and it was quite poor - very unorganised, someone who spoke little English and didn't really have a schedule set for the children.

This place looks brilliant and boasts qualified staff, endless activities etc.

I was telling my Mum about it and she said "well, as long as he spends some time with you"

I was a little put out by that comment. Afterall, we will be holidaying as a family. If he chooses to go to the kids club daily and is happy then that's fine by us. Rather than than him wanting to go, us refusing and us all having a miserable time. The same if he didn't want to go and wanted to stay with us... we would never force him to do the opposite of what he wants.

So I suppose my question is... If DS (who will b aged 6) wants to spend his time at the kids club rather than with us, are we bad parents? We will of course be with him morning, evening and nighttime for meals if he is at the kids club.

YABU - Yes, allowing him to go to a kids club all day if he chooses is a bad thing and he should be limited with his access.

YANBU - No, let him go if he chooses to, it's fine.

Gosh, lots of people seem to feel terribly defensive about sending their kids to these clubs. Not sure why if they're so confident in their decision and the standards of care provided

Are you always such a patronising GF?

It's not being goady to wonder why, if you're so comfortable with your choice, you seem so upset that I disagree.

The amount of time I’d have to spend researching the equivalent childcare qualifications, criminal record checks and first aid qualifications in the country I happened to be going to, plus checking the staff to child ratio and safety of the physical environment (child proofing/access to pools), would be totally disproportionate to the amount of time I would actually want to be sending my kids to childcare on holiday.

Clearly others feel differently.

The amount of time I’d have to spend researching the equivalent childcare qualifications, criminal record checks and first aid qualifications in the country I happened to be going to, plus checking the staff to child ratio and safety of the physical environment (child proofing/access to pools), would be totally disproportionate to the amount of time I would actually want to be sending my kids to childcare on holiday.

You choose a holiday company that does that for you. It's factored into your holiday planning. For example TUI only employ people with recognised childcare qualifications and put them all theough first aid courses. Once you get there it takes less than 10 mins to check the environment.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.thesun.co.uk/news/9774237/mums-fury-daughter-alone-hotel-pool/amp/

I wouldn't be leaving my kids at a Tui kids club personally.

We've been to 5 different TUI family life hotels and every single one has been excellent.
Staff all spoke fantastic English, had proof of qualifications available and the clubs were run in safe environments with excellent staff:child ratio. None of the activities have ever involved the pool and if they did I wouldn't allow my child to get involved until he was a confident swimmer.
If I arrived at one and didn't feel it was safe or didn't get a good vibe then i wouldn't leave DS there. However, so far they've been fab and I couldn't recommend them enough.

My children never went until they peered into one in a hotel in Dubai, with a climbing wall and every possible activity a child might like to do and then we couldn't get them out.

This is my OP about my experience of kids clubs. What could I be defending here? Serious question. . I never put my children into kids clubs because i prefer to be with them. Right up till they decided they wanted to go in one.

What will you do if your kids request to go into kids club? Refuse because you found it wanting after your own extensive parental risk assessment? You also haven't responded to my asking why you think Johnny Foreigner can only ever provide substandard and dangerous childcare.

Your posts are ridiculous.

You also haven't responded to my asking why you think Johnny Foreigner can only ever provide substandard and dangerous childcare.

Of course I don't think that. And I think "Johnny Foreigner" is a profoundly unpleasant phrase to be using.

I would merely want to make sure I fully understood the childcare qualifications, criminal record checks and first aid training equivalents of the staff. It's not some kind of racist jingoism to be aware that regulation of the childcare industry varies across the globe (and indeed plenty of countries have higher standards than we do).

It just that for me, given holidays are primary about spending time together as a family, doing that level of research simply isn't worth it for the time my kids would be using the service for.

Iwould merely want to make sure I fully understood the childcare qualifications, criminal record checks and first aid training equivalents of the staff. It's not some kind of racist jingoism to be aware that regulation of the childcare industry varies across the globe (and indeed plenty of countries have higher standards than we do).

Except that's not what you did. You said that I put my children into a hotel kids club where staff wouldn't be CRB checked or have first aid training and would in general be sub par. I mentioned Dubai and that was your immediate reaction and assertion to a kids club at a hotel in another country. Your posts stand so everyone can see what you said. Then you feverishly searched for TUI links to support your claims of dangerous childcare spaces.

Yes the phrase "Johnny Foreigner" is most unpleasant so was used to represent your unpleasant assertions on childcare and kids clubs in other countries and the slack parents like us who just don't care enough (not like you) to make these checks before allowing their kids into the clubs. In a nutshell your stance is; if you're the type of parent who uses kids clubs then you're also the type of parent who won't care if they are safe and regulated child care spaces.

Again, what will you do if your children request to go into a kids club?

You seem to be taking this very personally Wendy. I have no idea what hotels you stay at or what research you did into the kids clubs there. If you're happy your kids are safe then great.

All I've said, repeatedly, is that the level of diligence I think is necessary to be assured of the safety of a childcare provider in a country where you are unfamiliar with the regulations/qualification structure is disproportionate to the length of time/enjoyment my kids would derive from a kids club.

My kids are really too old for kids clubs now and never showed any interest in them. We tend to view holidays as family time and they've never struggled to befriend other kids round the pool etc.

Our kids club is locally run. I’ve just googled the legal requirements for childcare facilities in that country. It took five minutes.

We tend to view holidays as family time
So do we...family time and the use of kids club (usually for 2 hours a day) aren't mutually exclusive!
That phrase is akin to the often used 'I don't send my kids to nursery as I don't want them being raised by other people' it bloody ridiculous!

Whatever works for your family Cosmo. I was merely trying to explain that my kids never expressed any particular interest in going to kids clubs. They seem to enjoy spending time as a family on holiday. It wasn't intended as a criticism of those who feel differently.

I have a 10 year old. He's never been in a kids club on holiday. For us the point of holidays is spending time together and having fun.

I was gutted when I was ‘too old’ for kids clubs on holiday. I especially liked the ones where you had to wear a t shirt and cap with the kids club logo on like a little uniform. I loved structure and thrived on it ! My parents would always say ‘are you sure you want to go today’ and I’d always say yes ! About three or four afternoons or full days we’d go to some historical sight or beach together which was great but I loved the company of other kids. It ended at like 4 each day though so you’d have another hour in the pool with mum and dad after that then early evening on the balcony reading / getting ready then out about 7.30-8 for a meal and stay out until about 10.30 so loads of time with parents .

You seem to be taking this very personally Wendy. I have no idea what hotels you stay at or what research you did into the kids clubs there. If you're happy your kids are safe then great

I'm really not. Was I supposed to just ignore your inaccurate assertions and not challenge them then? It's not how it works really is it? You responded directly to me and I back to you and on it goes. You're right you didn't have any idea about where I stayed but made staunch claims around CRB and first aid training anyway asserting that they must be sub par. I sent you an image and gave you information correcting you because you were wrong. Hopefully you know more now and won't imply poster are bad parents who don't care about their children's safety just because they don't do exactly as you do. I'm sorry you don't like being corrected but if you make hyperbolic claims on a forum such as then you must expect it really.

Whatever works for your family Cosmo. I was merely trying to explain that my kids never expressed any particular interest in going to kids clubs. They seem to enjoy spending time as a family on holiday. It wasn't intended as a criticism of those who feel differently.

But that's not what you said. You were being goady and judgemental. It absolutely sounded like criticism.

We love spending time together as a family too. Two hours in a kids club doesn't detract from that at all! Me and DH like to spend time alone as a couple too and kids club allows us two hours a day to do that. It benefits us all as a family.

Also kids clubs on cruises, most TUI and other ‘chain’ holidays are usually run by British twenty- somethings usually entertainers or other outgoing types. I’ve got several friends who were actor types who worked in them and they were fully trained crb checked and great with kids

I have a 10 year old. He's never been in a kids club on holiday. For us the point of holidays is spending time together and having fun

You do know kids clubs are usually only a couple of hours a day. You still have plenty of time together as a family to have fun.

And I don’t see how letting your kids befriend other kids round the pool into a big group and go off with them most of the day like I see happen a lot on all-inclusive type holiday resorts, is any safer than a supervised kids club. You’re relying on other parents to keep an eye on your kids there by letting them go and locate themselves by various families throughout the day, get drinks etc. it can’t be fun to literally have to sit on a lounger and stare at your child all day as they zip about so they’re never out of sight.

I'm a single parent @CosmoK. So I don't need couple time and I actually love spending time with my kids too funnily enough, but once they saw what was in there there was no keeping them out. I think once they get to a certain age a lot of kids probably would like a bit of space without a parental eye on them constantly. It's fine but there's always one on these threads...

It's fine but there's always one on these threads...
Ain't that the truth!

I’m loving the thought of a 12 yr old lad staring longingly at a group of other boys and girls playing a game of something exciting in a lovely air conditioned room, whilst his mum who sounds like some of the mums on these threads, frantically rubs suncream on him whilst wittering about the lack of childcare training in that country and how the kids club staff could all be criminals, then begging him to play catch with her in the pool.

But that's not what you said. You were being goady and judgemental. It absolutely sounded like criticism.

I was just explaining why my kids never seemed to want to go to kids clubs.

If someone saying something as innocuous as "We tend to view holidays as family time" seems like a personal criticism then I think maybe you need to reflect on why you feel that way.

@cohle how old are your kids though and can they play together ? Bit different if you’re an only. I was and also had a parent with a disability. We did outings and stuff but bit hard to entertain one child for about 15 hours a day for two weeks in 35 degrees around water and probably without a car!