To feel just as burnt out after my holiday than before

[coralpig]

Just got back for a trip away with in laws. I have twin toddlers who are almost 2 and my husband works shift in the NHS. We’ve come home and he’s been straight into night shifts.

Im utterly miserable with sheer exhaustion now that we have returned. While we were away, we had family support in keeping them entertained as well as my husband on hand all the time to help too. Now we are home I am totally knackered and burnt out. I don’t feel any of the benefits of the holiday- it’s like I’ve lost some of stamina I had to take care of them solo. I love them but They are so unreasonable and demanding.

when does this get easier

Holidays with toddlers are not a holiday! It's just looking after them in a different location, which is usually associated with worse sleep and tired and grumpy children! Yes, there are aspects of family holidays I enjoy, but it's nothing like a holiday like you used to have before children. I think it's much easier to bear when you accept that fact! And definitely plan a few quiet days at home once you're back to recover.

Thanks I needed to hear this as been really trying to decide if we can face paying tons of money to take our 1 and 4 year old abroad. Think we'll do something cheap and cheerful and relatively local instead.

The OP is saying that the holiday was good as she had help with the twins but it’s back to being hard again now she’s home, not that the holiday was stressful!

Oh yes. Apologies - I was looking at a few threads on holidays with little ones and obviously somehow replied to the wrong one!
I was replying to one that was saying along the lines of it's very stressful, you get less sleep, more meltdowns, don't have usual support etc

Sorry OP! Hope you recover soon.