To be considering cutting our family holiday short?

[Babybabybabyooooh]

We are currently in the Lake District (live in the south west).
We have three children aged 11mo, 1yo and 2yo. So far it’s awful, our 1yo is a total flight risk at the moment, the 2yo is acting incredibly difficult (which is definitely down to her routine being upset but it’s still making it very difficult) and the 11mo is being his typical baby self, but it’s much harder to accommodate him with the added stress of the older two and the holiday.

I’m not having fun, the kids kind of are but the location isn't having much of an effect on that, and they’re mad they can’t just run free like at home because it’s not enclosed, it was such a long trip to get here and we’ve only been here two days but the thought of staying until Monday makes me feel sick,

Would I be unreasonable to pack up and go home and just holiday from home? There are just as many zoos and parks a driving distance from our home that they would love all the same!

Poor you, OP, you have my sympathy! But I would try and stay a couple more days if I were you… agree with others that some activities will bring you even more stress! Ditch pottery painting until they’re 3/4/5 and can paint something meaningful. Museums, no, pointless for the kids. Stately homes, nah, plenty of those everywhere. Thursday and Friday sound good though! Could you chop and change some activities around and stay til Saturday morning or even Friday?

Looks like the weather might turn by the weekend so some of your outdoor plans might not be appealing anyway.

i firmly believe that kids like boring. so a holiday that is predictable and not too full is a great idea and more likely to get you some down time and them not overwhelmed is actually a good idea. max one activity a day with plenty of time to improvise if everyone is in a good mood but pull back quickly if it looks like it is going south. Nothing wrong with some chill out time and cbeebies for a good hour after lunch to give yourselves time to recharge and face the afternoon

i have three but six years between the oldest and youngest. even then three is hard as they outnumber you. with the greatest respect and flame me if you like but three that close together isn't giving yourself anytime to breathe let alone have any fun so lower your expectations and if you are planning no. 4 leave it a couple of years

Given the fact that you are in the Lake District and the weather is like it is, YABU. Do you have any idea how infrequent days are like this in the Lakes.

😂

@Mixmeup

Ps I’d give the Beatrix Potter museum a miss with kids that age - they won’t give a toss! Ditto pottery painting (you’ll have to buy the crap they splash paint over) and the arcade. The rest sounds great though. Just make sure you have plenty of down time. Plenty of kids (and adults - like me!) don’t want to be on the go all the time and get stressed out.

I was thinking your week sounds over-scheduled and agree about dialling back some of the activities so you all get a chance to defrag. They’d probably be way more relaxed if you spent some of the time just pottering around your caravan & your outdoor space, doing water or messy play. No wonder you are all jazzed and want to come home.

Oh yes, I agree, too much on the agenda. Half it and allow time for messing about - hide and seek for hours, den building, paddling, getting messy and having fun. The Beatrix Potter museum isn’t great at all - they’ll all be bored stiff. You’ve not allowed any time for spontaneous fun. Just ditch most of it and focus on doing less.

I think you need to just chill abit op.
If your older one or even older two would enjoy the museum, painting one of you take them. The other stay and play with the baby.
It is a lot in one day, for afew days, you will all be knackered.
Enjoy some time just chilling as a family pottering around.
It's red hot get a paddling pool, have a bbq for lunch and just enjoy the chill.
Holidays aren't always about having to be on the go all the time, their also for relaxing (best you can with 3!) so don't feel you have to do everything!
I think you and DH will both feel a lot calmer if you change your plans round abit.

@HOkieCOkie

Sorry how do you have a one year old and an 11 month year old?

Lol my brothers are 11 months apart. So for a few days each year they’re the same age. Both born in the same year.

They are all under 3. They dont need all those activities. Get a paddling pool for them to splash in. Play ball in some green space. Go to play park early or late. Ha e some lovely naps

I would give up on the Beatrix Potter museum idea personally, at least for the next 10 yrs. There is a small railway that can't be too far away from you, called The Little Ratty. That may be more fun. A boat on Windermere might entertain them a bit more, but I never did get DD particularly interested in the stately home/museum stuff. Just a frustrating waste of effort (and a NT membership). Still haven't managed it (and she's now a grown up and a teacher). If you have them all in a ball pit type place, you might at least get 5 mins to get a cup of coffee if DH is watching the children too. I'm not sure if the zoo is still open at Dalton in Furness.

Oooh yes WAY too much. You're in The Lakes. Can you just go to one of the lake beaches and spend all morning there pottering and paddling? Collect stones in a bucket. Takeaway coffees for you and DP. Do that every day. Things like playbarns you can find anywhere. And no way would I take 3 toddlers on a boat. That will not be restful.

RyanAirVeteran

I remember going on holidays to Skerries ( outside Dublin) on holidays when we were children, it was 17 miles (but pre motorway probably took forever to get there.)

We stayed in a caravan that wouldn't have been out of place in Fr Ted, it rained and then it rained, some more, the low point was when none us three could sleep due to the noise of the rain. We did eventually.

My parents woke us at 5.30, the following morning the car was already loaded and they scooped us up and took us home to our own beds, they had another few days on the let so went back to finish off.

They felt like Superheroes that morning.

Skerries PMSL

You live and learn. Get your paddling pool and bubble machine. Forget all the day trips, I never understand so many trips when you book holiday park. I have roughly these ages and was never brave enough to go away. Fair play to you

@Rachie1973

My step sisters girls are 10 months apart

She got right back on it. But subsequently her hips almost disintegrated. Having babies so so close means the pelvis doesn’t have time to move back before under stress again.

However. Fun fact. My friend has two girls who are true sisters. But only have 6 months apart

She had a little girl. Got pregnant something like 2 weeks later. That baby was born at 25 weeks! It makes for an interesting story when they went into the same class and year.

I'd give it a couple more days but change up your activities. Just go places where they can run and play, gardens, playparks, that kind of thing. Skip all the scheduled activities and see if that improves things. If it doesn't, indeed I'd go home, and don't go away again (or only go places with childcare) until the youngest is 3.

@101spacehoppers

Oooh yes WAY too much. You're in The Lakes. Can you just go to one of the lake beaches and spend all morning there pottering and paddling? Collect stones in a bucket. Takeaway coffees for you and DP. Do that every day. Things like playbarns you can find anywhere. And no way would I take 3 toddlers on a boat. That will not be restful.

I actually agree about collecting stones in a bucket every day, though pick something you can tolerate. Small children love routine and everything about your holiday so far screams a whirly wheel of ever shifting circumstances/activities/locations. Something boring and predictable might anchor them.

One of the best phrases I ever heard-

"Do what you need to do,to get through". Don't torture yourself unnecessarily in order to stick to a plan when you didn't know all the details. Go home if your gut feeling says you need to.

OP I will be happy to take over your accommodation in Lake until Monday!

You have a lot organised which sounds exhausting with such young dc. It'svery hot here not sure lakes will be as bad.

I cant place where you are but maybe going between the local parks (with lovely scenery), a nice pub (with a drink) and extortionate priced bus back and an ice cream could be easier and less exhausting.

Grasmere: has a lovely little park where you can see the hills, lunch in tweedys bar and go buy delicious Grasmere gingerbread (give it as gifts, wrapped in greaseproof paper bundle your friends will thank you for) , plus a walk in the shady woods at Rydal water, babies in carriers or use the accessible path. Natalie one day just an idea of things to do.

Keswick go to Fitz Park near the leisure centre, absolutely lovely and space to run free. Good cafe the park or picnic from nearby sarnie shop. The path out to Threlkeld along the river greta starts there, buy a map in town centre it is accessible so there's always a pushchair walk from Keswick to Threlkeld and a fab meal at the pub there. Shopping in Keswick I like joules and Seasalt, you might not. There's another park, Crow Park by the lake which would be good to grab sarnie and picnic , go and feed the ducks then walk along the lake shore past the lake side theatre. You could even strike out a bit further round derwentwater to the beach. Thats at least 3 days of stuff to do. Fish and chips at the Keswickian.

Ambleside is another good one, park by the yha, get lunch at the pub by the water, take the kids to run around on the grassy park area, no play park but fun to explore, this is a less good option but good if you have a bus pass.

Coniston again has a great little park and the bluebird cafe next to the lake is lovely to eat at. Older one can dip a toe in the lake here.

Buttermere half the lake is pushchair friendly I think (check). Its national trust so could walk past the trout pub and anticlockwise eat at the Trout after.

I said yanbu to go home but it's never going to be easy holidays with 3 under 3.

You are a long way from home and I think if you ignore the planned activities which you can do anywhere in the UK you and dh could enjoy the scenery which is truly stunning. The lakes are one of the most beautiful parts of the UK.

Take the pressure off planned activities, slow it down, take in the scenery with a glass of wine or beer and at least the under 2s can be strapped in whilst you get a meal together.

Give the lakes a chance because they are fabulous.

I live in the lakes. It's far too hot and busy at the moment. I'm guessing you are at Windermere? I could recommend some quieter places to go where the kids could just play if you didn't mind a bit of a drive
Keswick for eg will be busy still but fab play park for them and you can feed the ducks etc and just have a potter by the lake. Much quieter lakes and a great forest park nearby with play park and cooler walks under the trees where they can just collect sticks and walk the gruffalo trail etc.

And I forgot that whinlatter has lovely shady accessible paths a good cafe and a great play park.

There’s no way I would try to do that much! I think you might need to manage your own expectations but also dial down the activities a bit. Things I would try-

• small local park and ice cream
• find a stream somewhere to paddle in
• find a beachy bit and paddle in a lake
• get some toys for the pool and some floating jackets/ rings so they feel a bit more fun
• try the playgrounds again and see if they get used to the other kids.
• picnic in woods.

Think low key, slow paced and small. I would maybe do the soft play but definitely not the museum and boat and pottery. Maybe give this a try and see if that helps.

I think you are very brave and an amazing mum to plan this with 3 so close in age and so young.
I have 4 kids (much older now) - have been abroad on my own with them/on Safari in Africa etc. What I would say is that 1) kids take a bit of time to adjust 2) they pick up on if you are having a good time or not - if you are not, they play up! 3) it is an amazing experience for them/cultural capital no matter the age, especially during Covid times.
So if you really are not enjoying yourself go home but if you can bear it, do stay because it will be one of those things you look back
on. We really are not living in normal times at the moment so every experience is significant, for both the children and you. But if you need to go home, go home and don’t look back.
Holidays with young kids just are not holidays for the parents, they are hard work but I do believe they shape the children’s life experiences.

Oh and maybe try to find another pool which is more shallow if they really hate the deeper pool- some really good suggestions above.

Wow. That’s a lot to do with 3 under 3 on daily activities

Hopefully they still nap

so go out am and lunch. Back for naps

Then pool and park with you all. They will get used to people. The nearly 3yr will have to. Assume Pre school in sept ..

And yes a sc holiday is not a holiday. It’s home from home

Same shit. Different areA

Hats off tho 3 under 3

I did a job once (nanny and mn) and new born. 18mths and 2.5. Mum was amazing. Never frazzled. Gawd knows how she did it

Feel like your children are still too young to get anything out of that kind of holiday. In your shoes I would cut it short and head home, chalk it up to experience.

It's so hard when they are little, especially that little. I agree with PPs, sack off the pottery painting and BP museum at least. One activity a day max, with a quieter recovery day scheduled after a busy one.

However, we've had a holiday from hell (not saying this is one) and my very favourite memory of it is leaving early and reclaiming the rest of our time off. For us, going home early was a very positive thing.