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!

Your children are overwhelmed and over stimulated.

At this age they like routine.

Halve your plans. One thing a day is plenty. I get the pool is off limits for any length. www.dayoutwiththekids.co.uk/things-to-do/north-west/cumbria/lake-district/water/water-parks

Take a picnic. Go out for the morning, picnic, then nap in the car and play in the caravan, buy some bubbles, find a tiny park to go to in the afternoon. Did you bring toys?

At this age, we went to individual cottages. Some had pools dd needed to be held in. We did things like going for walks, looking at wildlife, swimming / splash pools, visiting stately homes, lots of picnics. We also used to go to tiny parks for toddlers / little children so dd wasn’t overwhelmed.

So I’d do one thing a day - the Victorian home, the play barn, the splash park plus another activity. I’d also forget the zoo and go straight home. You can go to a zoo another day.

You have another decade to visit all these places before your eldest starts to get bored.

I think you are expecting too much.

I remember our first holiday with dc1 (16 months) it was awful. We did another when dc1 was 2 and dc2 was 9 months that was slightly better but we were aboard in a lovely apartment/resort. It's hard work when the children are young and you really can't plan much.

Plan less, as they get older it will get easier. Youngest is 8 and I'm actually looking forward to our holiday.

It also helps when they can swim!

Some suggestions - take them on the Haverthwaite steam train, train leaves Haverthwaite and ends at the Lakes Aquarium and then back again. The otter enclosure is lovely. Hill Top has a nice enclosed garden if you are National Trust members. Allan Bank has lots of children’s activities on like egg races etc… Go to Sizergh Castle and let them run in the gardens, my 1 year old loved looking at the chickens. After stop by Low Sizergh barn and watch the cows getting milked and go on the fairy walk (around 2.30/3).

I live where you are holidaying.

I wouldn't bother with Beatrix potter

Or pottery painting

You are trying to make memories with three children who are too young to remember and 2 that probably are even a bit iffy still remembering their own names.

There's a soft play in Kendal - go there.

Find a river or stream and go paddling.

Buy a paddling pool and go paddling.

Treat yourselves to nice food and wine / takeaways to have when they are asleep.

Enjoy the view and the rare heat

Make it same shit, different place but with a nice view and time away from work/housework.

I’ve done a holiday with three under 3. We also did a festival. Take lots of pictures so you can remember it! I love looking at those pictures now. I’d stick it out.

We kept really busy all day but finished early, bed at approx 6:30 most evenings for the children. I found national trust and English heritage places were great as you can wander around but they are not really busy, plus they napped in the car on route and you can have a picnic whilst there.

We bought a lot of coffee from takeaway coffee places!

Another idea is finding somewhere that sells bubbles, water pistols etc. That'll be fun for a while for them. Or a tiny blow up paddling for outside the caravan.

Your schedule for the next week is crazy. I wouldn’t do that much with my 2 and 5yo. You need some time to chill at the camp and the pool

This. Just reading about all those activities exhausted me! Chill out and have some down time.

I would try and stick it out. You've come a long way. Your kids have grown up during covid and aren't used to spontaneous activities and routines going out the window but this is probably really good for them. You might find if you persevere that you start enjoying yourselves but both adults need to be on board. The worst holidays I had when the kids were small were the ones when ex DP couldn't even pretend to enjoy himself - he really brought the whole thing down.

Its scorching in the Lakes this week and everywhere will be rammed with tourists so parking difficult, queues etc with it being the first week of the English school hols here and mid way through the Scottish school hols.

I had two a year apart and that was hard enough. Holidays at that age often felt like doing the same thing in a different place especially with the two younger ones. What we found worked were quite simple holidays like Centre Parcs in January/early Feb doing woodland walks, towed on a bike trailer, swimming/splashinh, looking at squirrels and ducks, throwing stones in the water, play parks. Or a simple beach holiday at Whitby or similar. Next year somewhere like Butlins or a holiday park elsewhere might work and be a bit easier or In four five years time the lakes is a brilliant place for a holiday come prepared with warm and waterproof clothing (and keep it simple). Take care OP

That timetable would wear me out without 3 babies. They are way too young for all that.
Keep it very simple at that age. I second the paddling pool idea. Just stay put and lower your expectations dramatically.

Your kids have grown up during covid

The eldest isn’t even 3 yet @SuperCaliFragalistic! They have not remotely grown up at all, two of them are not yet at the stage of being able to remember one week to the next.

Honestly do you need to do so much structured stuff when they are so little? Do you have a double buggy?
If you go to Keswick there’s lovely walks around derwentwater.
Big areas to run of steam and reasonable paths.
Same with bow ness
Pack a picnic, have a wander and breath in the scenery.
They don’t need a farm park daily. They are hard work in the adults

I’ve had three under three and had some fab holidays! Is there really nowhere in the Lakes that you can go to liven this up? I don’t think there’s anything wrong with kids being out of their exact home routine, it’s good to teach them to be adaptable.
But your husband sounds your worst problem.. why is he being no help/creating nice things to do?
However if after exhausting all that, you’re still miserable then of course go home

There is a super nice soft play in kendal called outside in. Would be ideal for the little children and would give you a break.

That sounds like WAY too many activities to do all at once. DD is two and not especially sensitive but if we do one more “new” thing in a day she’s definitely gets overwhelmed and would prefer not to go out. Maybe try having mornings playing where you’re staying and then do an afternoon activity?

Honestly with three so close in age and so little I’d write off family holidays until at least your eldest can be pretty independent… my younger brother and I are 4.5 years apart and we didn’t do any holidays (apart from staying at family house at a holiday location, 3.5 hour drive, and not in the UK) until he was 3 I think. We did some before he was born and loads after he was 3-4, but it’s just a lot with a toddler and an older child, let alone a toddler, a barely toddler and a baby!

This thread is mystifying to me. Why did you ever think that itinerary would be even remotely engaging for children your age? I really thought OP was having us on.

@HaveringWavering

Your kids have grown up during covid

The eldest isn’t even 3 yet @SuperCaliFragalistic! They have not remotely grown up at all, two of them are not yet at the stage of being able to remember one week to the next.

Obviously "grown up" was the wrong phrase but the point is that they've been at home or the same local park forever. They aren't used to going somewhere new every day. Its massively unsettling for them, but not necessarily in a bad way.

Museum?

No way

Walks, parks, CBeebies, baths, bed and repeat

Different scenery but similar routine to when they are home would be my advice

• Walks, parks, CBeebies, baths, bed and repeat

Different scenery but similar routine to when they are home would be my advice*

Sound advice.

It’s always just a change of scene and a massive relief to be home when they’re so little. I found this when my twins were tiny… just exhausting.

Social media makes people want to get a dazzling array of Instagrammable moments these days. DS2 (13) and I were talking about the best holiday cottages we’ve stayed in the other day and his was one in Cornwall that was 5 mins from the beach. He said he liked being able to walk down there after dinner each night to skim pebbles and that we let him do it for ages because we were only 5 mins from home. 😂

Wtf?! Three actual babies was never going to be a ‘holiday’ at all. All those activities you’re doing will be a disaster. Add a useless man= even worse. What on earth are you doing?!

I’d advise doing one thing max per day to avoid overload.

Boat trips are usually awful- they want to get off after 5 minutes. I’d avoid this one. Parks and farms sound much better but in the heat I’d stay in the shade or indoors as much as possible.

Don't go home...just lower your expectations and try not to do to much.

We have four aged between 1 and 10..
We have realised that with babies and toddlers it's not so much a holiday as a change of scenery to somewhere nice and hopefully nice food and drink, and plenty of ice cream.
We had stressful days too so just kept it all simple....no pressure to sight see or be active....just buckets and spades and paddling. And if it all gets too much whack on Cbeebies and pour yourself a nice drink.

I really hope the OP is not replying because she’s drinking wine on her deck/having an early night, not because she’s half way home on the motorway. Holidays can be rescued. Consider it an opportunity to fine tune what works. Post-kids DH & I said every holiday sharpened up our learning/planning to make the next one better. We hit on our formula pretty quickly and had lots of great holidays. Ours are teens now, but we have a very harmonious approach now where everyone gets a bit of what they want and we all get down time.

Op, if you are still checking this I hope you sorted it out either way and are feeling calmer. It does get better.

We went on a sun holiday when ours were 11 months and 30 months. --> NIGHTMARE! On every level.

It's only now with them older that we can remember it and just cringe a little (but still not actually laugh!)

They are now much better and holidays can be fun (but if I'm totally honest, still hard work!).