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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think big days out aren't worth it?

117 replies

tiedyetie · 19/04/2022 15:26

Took the kids to a science museum/zoo type place. Cost loads, cost for parking too. Plus gas.

Drove there = 40 mins each way. Kids hyper in the car. On the way back too.

Museum was packed full of folk. Kids rushed round super quick, barely glanced at the animals.

Went outside, someone had set up some inflatables outside = fiver a child for one hour. Moaning because I wouldn't let them on it.

Had a picnic - found a really steep hill which the kids ran up and down for an hour! Best bit of the day apparently!

AIBU to think big days out are overrated???!!!

OP posts:
DeyHuggee · 19/04/2022 15:30

I think they can be, absolutely when children are young especially there's plenty of joy and fun to be had running around, climbing, exploring etc! We usually chose places when DS was young that had picnic areas and a playground so we could break the day up a bit and still get some value if he hated the actual place- wasn't really until he was older though that we started going to museums and stuff.

IglesiasPiggl · 19/04/2022 15:31

I think it depends which one you pick, and how big your family is. Lots of them offer discounts through vouchers, early booking etc, and if you only have one or two children the cost isn't too bad. Some are definitely not worth the money though.

Bat3 · 19/04/2022 15:31

Agree. My children’s favourite day of this holiday was when we took a skateboard to a local empty car park. Cost: zero!
We’ve had 3 expensive days out at the seaside/museums/theme park. 😬

Vsirbdo · 19/04/2022 15:32

I was going to disagree but then I remembered a day when we did all different things that cost money and my DC favourite bit was the picnic in the park.
However we’ve had great times at proper days out too.

SmolCat · 19/04/2022 15:33

Skip the expensive place next time and just find a nice (free) area for a picnic. Maybe with a big hill again or maybe take a frisbee/bat&ball/kite.

Velvetbee · 19/04/2022 15:33

At the time they feel like it, then years later they go, ‘do you remember when we …’ and you think, so you were paying attention you little blighter!

fairylightsandwaxmelts · 19/04/2022 15:33

I think it depends on the kids, the plans, the weather, everyone's mood etc.

But generally speaking, kids don't need big, expensive days out to have a good time.

AHungryCaterpillar · 19/04/2022 15:35

Depends, some aren’t worth it but I do feel sorry for kids that never get taken anywhere ever, there is a family near me and they never take their kids out anywhere they go to the local park all day every day and never seem to take them anywhere else and before anyone asks how I know I must be there too, no we walk past there on the way out and back home and they are there everyday they’ve been there everyday in the Easter holidays.

MaryAndHerNet · 19/04/2022 15:36

My kids 9
I ask her what she remembers of days out in the past.

She remembers the tiny insignificant things.
I took her to Richmond and stayed in a Hostel, went for explores all over.. she doesn't remember any of that, she does, however, remember a tiny stream in the grounds of the hostel that she dropped stones in.

I took her to the zoo, hours spent there, lots of expense. We had a picnic lunch that day. She doesn't remember the zoo or the animals etc, but she does remember sitting on the grass and a small Jack Russell running off with half her sausage roll and us laughing about it.

I could go on.
It makes me want the 1000s back I've spent "making memories" that she's forgot... 🤪

Floralnomad · 19/04/2022 15:41

Depends on your kids , the place you’ve taken them and to a degree what your expectations are .

EsmeeMerlin · 19/04/2022 15:42

It very much depends on the children. My oldest son is 8 and is appreciative of days out and will enjoy them. However my youngest son is 4 and becomes overwhelmed with crowds. He can also struggle with listening and staying close to me so days out are often more hassle than what they are worth. With him, he is happiest at the beach, library or park. You certainly couldn't take him to a museum on a school holiday without seriously regretting it within 5 minutes of being there. I always remember taking our children to a Christmas fayre and thinking it would be a lovely Christmas event as a family. We left after 20 minutes when it quickly became a apparent our children were not in the mood. Took them home and watched a Christmas dvd instead and have vowed ever since to keep things simple.

Sorry the day didn't go quite as you hoped.

Mol1628 · 19/04/2022 15:58

Yes mine are always happier on the free or cheap days out we do. They enjoy just being themselves and running free. If they get an ice cream or something they’re over the moon.

Lesson learnt when we went to eureka a couple of years ago. Their favourite bit was the hopscotch outside and the ice cream van.

Very rarely do I do paid days out now.

GlitteryGreen · 19/04/2022 15:58

Totally agree, we do lots of 'days out' with my SCs and DP's family, but all the children always just prefer climbing frames and running about together. Rarely any interest in animals or exhibits.

Whitewolf2 · 19/04/2022 15:59

I definitely think a mix is the best way, we went to the science museum over Easter and it was a great success and we all enjoyed it. But then we also did numerous free park trips too, if we went out everyday they would be over tired and not appreciate it.
I remember going to Woburn safari park a couple of years ago and that was similar to your story op, kids only really liked the bouncy castle, seemed to have no interest in the animals at all! However recently they’ve suddenly started talking about the monkeys on the car and how much they want to go back! So maybe it wasn’t the waste of time/money I thought…

dreamingbohemian · 19/04/2022 16:00

We only pay for big days out if we're pretty confident they'll be really fun, e.g. DS loves swimming and water parks so we would shell out for a good one. He's not super keen on museums yet so we stick to the free ones.

So many things seem so expensive now though! I saw there was going to be a food festival in a local park next month, looked great, then I went to booking and it's 40 quid a person, like wtf.

TheWayTheLightFalls · 19/04/2022 16:03

Yup. My daughter still talks about the time she dropped her last few chips on the ground on our way back to the car and a dozen pigeons came to fight over them.

Said car was in the car park of Legoland in Windsor at the time.

irishfarmer · 19/04/2022 16:16

Only expecting my 1st but I think a mix is good as well. Check out Tesco club card offers to keep costs down.

FreezyFreezy · 19/04/2022 16:27

I think it depends on how often you take your dc to these places and how low your expectations are. We rarely go on expensive days out as we have no money; instead we go to EH/NT places or the seaside or a big park and take a picnic, a ball and not much else and just let the dc play. Very occasionally, like 1x a year, we'll go somewhere more expensive such as a theme park or a living history place or gallery etc and, because it's such a rare occasion, my dc do enjoy them and get something out of it, especially as we still build time in for them to just kick about and play.

My top tips:
Don't go often
Don't go for a huge, long day out
Let the dc have time to play
Don't expect to be able to see or so everything on offer
Try not to correct all instances of less than perfect behaviour
Be prepared to leave when they're fed up
Take plenty of drinks and snacks
Don't compare yourselves to other seemingly perfect families

yellowsuninthesky · 19/04/2022 16:28

I don't like crowds, so days out on bank holidays have never been my idea of fun.

I agree with the pp who said that if your child(ren) has/have particular interests it can be worth shelling out for a particular activity (eg my ds would also enjoy water parks/pools with flumes etc). Went to Legoland Windsor a couple of times when he was pre-school/infant school age. Have done the "obligatory" middle class "family time" at a National Trust property a few times as we are members (but more to have a walk and tea and cake, than do anything learned in the house). We generally go to museums when actually on holiday somewhere rather than day trips, although DH has taken ds to London a few times to do things like the Tower or the Imperial War Museum.

Completely agree that if you have a nice park within easy reach, that's the easiest thing. Cost= free and they burn off energy. They seem to gradually be getting more investment, some of the parks in my area are fantastic now and I wish they'd been like that when ds was small.

yellowsuninthesky · 19/04/2022 16:30

Don't compare yourselves to other seemingly perfect families

This! I was at a stately home in Devon yesterday and a family were there with two little girls. Gosh they were so well behaved and bright (there was a fair bit of performance parenting going on, but still the children have to go along with it, otherwise it doesn't work!). I did wonder how the mother and father had managed to produce such perfect kids ;)

PleaseAcceptMyUsername · 19/04/2022 16:34

@TheWayTheLightFalls

Yup. My daughter still talks about the time she dropped her last few chips on the ground on our way back to the car and a dozen pigeons came to fight over them.

Said car was in the car park of Legoland in Windsor at the time.

Husband and I paid the best part of £100 to take my toddler and older niece to a popular zoo. The highlight of her day was when she saw a pigeon and for some reason ran shrieking towards me to tell me (it was in a giraffe enclosure but the giraffe merited no comment, clearly). She later told her mum her favourite bit was when I lost her by the toilets. Despite this, I succumbed once again, and parted with good money to take my son to a smaller kids theme park, where his only interest was in chasing an employee on a ride-on lawnmower and sticking his hands in the public bins 🤦
SleepingStandingUp · 19/04/2022 16:39

It doesn't sound like you were there very long tbh. I'd have done a second circuit of the animals and made them stick to my pace so they got looked at. £5 for an hour on the inflatables sounds like a bargain unless you've six kids or you'd budgeted to the penny

DrBrennerFan · 19/04/2022 16:40

A day out was a beach no museum that was it always a bar involved as well.

Scandishores222 · 19/04/2022 16:41

Reminds me of the day we paid £££ to get into the Eden project only, absolutely jam packed inside. Found a shady spot on some steps, could not drag DS off them-he was only walking up them backwards but this was the highlight of the whole holiday to Cornwall.

Scout2016 · 19/04/2022 16:43

I agree. We only do it now if its something she will definitely enjoy like a big water park. Like others, unimpressed by zoo. In second enclosure of one she very theatrically announced she was bored of animals now and could we just have lunch. It was something like 10.10am, zoo just opened.

We live a tram ride from a big city, she's over the moon if she gets to eat a hot dog while watching a busker, and maybe some free craft activity at the gallery. And if there's a bench, she's on it.