Just want to go home

[holly201]

We are in Greece with our 1 year old and 2 other couples with their kids and I just want to go home.

Little one is overtired and hot, hates the travel cot but sleeps well at home, all of the sunbeds in the shade have towels on them by 7am, meal times are a nightmare, I just feel so overwhelmed.

Constantly worried DD with get burned, is too hot, isn't drinking enough water etc etc I can't relax at all, not one bit.

The room is so shabby, nothing like the photos, chipped tiles, dirty floors, the balcony glass rattles like it's about to break if you touch it. We paid good money, it's tiny and grubby and just shit.

Everything feels like a fight, screams to get in her swimsuit, screams getting out, doesn't want her nappy changed, screams at nap time, if I take her to the room with AC she just wants to play not sleep, it's a fight to all get showered and dressed for the evening.

I don't even know why I'm writing this but it feels good to get it off my chest, I think holidaying abroad with a 1 year old is the worst idea I've ever had. I think I'm going to give it a miss for the next couple of years 🤦🏻‍♀️

It's a towel not a tenancy agreement. I give a towel 10 minutes and if there's not someone obviously using that space I carefully put it somewhere else and make myself comfortable.

It’s a bad age for holidays. I remember going with dd when she was one. We didn’t go again til she was nearly 5!

Worse holiday I ever had was with a 1 and 2 year old. No one slept, no-one could do what they wanted to do, everyone was ill with horrendous colds, the whole holiday was a miserable battle! I just wanted to go home too, and it was barely a week long! But we survived and I can almost laugh about it now (it was 10 years ago!). You'll get through it and at least you know what does and doesn't work now. So sorry you're having a hard time, good luck with the rest of it.

I loved our UK holidays when mine were little. Even if it rained there were always museums, soft play etc. It's so much easier to deal with the stresses of toddlers/pre-schoolers when you're in your home country.

Go on easy UK holidays until they are much older - if they are in the UK you can just go home if it is all too much, sometimes it is nice just knowing you have this option, even if you don't take it, sometimes I enjoy going home after 6 days rather staying the full 7 if I have done everything I want and could do with my own bed, clean clothes etc.
I remember 'could not should' about holidays, even with regard to taking one in the first place. It's a money-making industry, they are not selling a tangible or realistic dream or doing anyone a favour. so chances are they will be selling you short in some respect.
Plus bad stuff happens on holiday just the same as in your normal life. Kids get sick, cars break down etc. There is no obligation to stick it out.
As people on MN often say about holidays with little kids: same shit different location.

Oh dear OP! I feel your pain. First holiday with kids is invariably crap - lots of people having a great time around you whilst you fret about shade and childcare. Best you can hope for, in my experience, is divide and conquer with your partner. Aim to have an hour in the sun every day alone and give him the same. Then back to the relentless grindstone, but with the added bonus of smoking strangers and the burning sun. Good luck. Book a girls trip. That's your holiday now lol! And a nice stay cation for the family from now on xx 😘

Holidays with a beach are absolute hell with very small children and, unfortunately, the days of carefree hols are gone once you have children. It is constant vigilance. Also, any evening activity has to include them otherwise you don't have an evening activity. Better to hire a cottage near home, self-cater and go out for manageable day trips. Come home with a take-away or make a simple meal, with a bottle of wine. More peaceful all round.

Is there anywhere you can get a little UV tent from?? Maybe ask the hotel reception. It’s a godsend on hot days at the beach for us. I recommend uk caravan type holidays with really little kids or even camping! Or eurocamp to go abroad. Resort style would be my worst nightmare unless at a cooler time of year.

Love that! And feign ignorance if they come over all pissed off 😂

It's a towel not a tenancy agreement. I give a towel 10 minutes and if there's not someone obviously using that space I carefully put it somewhere else and make myself comfortable.

That. If they return and complain, say that you know nothing, pool staff must have removed the towels - look, here's a sign that sun loungers can't be reserved!

I personally love a beach but with toddlers unless we were staying nearby found it a pain to rinse them off as soon as I got the 1 yr old clean and went to rinse the 3 yr old the 1yr old would be sandy again! We just went to a lovely apartment with a heated pool and next to the beach which was the best of both as could do beach in afternoon after the pool. With naps I always kept close to the same schedule and if needed it would be a walk in the pram but we took black out and white noise and made sure full tummy’s before.

As others said we take turns to have kids or relax for a few hours each day so means some time for an actual rest. I would go and buy a paddling pool and maybe put it in the shade and let toddler play in that if they don’t want to get dressed and play in the pool. My kids are older now so 3 and 5, but cups in a paddling pool still entertains. We had the best time at Disney Paris though as so much to do and the kids short attention spans are accommodated!

We had the best time at Disney Paris though as so much to do and the kids short attention spans are accommodated!

Agreed! This is why we go to theme parks. The best thing about Port Aventura on-site hotels was that you could get in early, do rides until lunch, go back and have a swim, then go back for more rides/parade. It wasn't just rides - there were playgrounds/train etc. too. I feel like you could amuse a family of ages 4-14 pretty easily.

we had a hol last year when toddler was 2.5 and older one 5 which was actually pretty fun. For the first time 😂 I’ve already booked my summer hol for next summer at a Cornish cottage as we’ll have a 1 yr old.

just take the towels off the sun beds in the shade if no one is using them. You have a baby, you need the shade.

work on your innocent face if they reappear hours later.

Not read all of the replies OP, but this is precisely why we never holidayed in hotels.
Private villa with a pool is the way to go, and not as expensive as you may think.
All that nonsense about towels on sunbeds at 7am, who can be bothered!

It’s so hard I remember last year getting away and finding things like this so tricky. It’s easy to say but enjoy no dishes and chores for a bit and see if your baby doesn’t take to the water you don’t need to do it find something to keep her happy whether it’s snacks toys etc and try to get her tired out for a good nap. We used to put my boy in his pram and walk to a wee pier and the sound of the waves knocked him right out so we could have some relaxing time. Take turns as well you have an hour to yourself in the room go for a snooze or by the pool so that you each get a rest. Do what makes you happy and it will not do them any harm to skip a shower etc as well . The towels on the bed thing is unfortunately part of this kind of holiday experience I’m afraid so again take turns or if you’re putting baby to bed every night your partner could go down get the beds etc

Take her skiing next year. Then you will appreciate the summer holiday.

Never a truer word...😆

I disagree with most, it’s definitely different but I still loved holidaying when mine were that age. Although both mine got ill first holiday abroad and that was a bit tough (just nasty cold, probably from picking up germs on plane) Some things we did that helped:
let go of normal home routines
long afternoon walks for them to nap in buggy (we went with other families too and mums/dads would take it in turns for the post lunch walk, when the babies did drop off we would stop in a bar/cafe which served as a reward to us and also to keep them away from the business of pool and have a longer sleep - this is the hottest time of the day so the longer the better even if they stay up later.
if they were getting tired in evening before going out, feed them first, redo the walk and go enjoy a meal while they are sleeping. You could even send your partner out on the walk while you finish getting ready. They may wake up and want to run around later in the evening…so what, it’s holiday and lots of other children will be doing the same. It’s much cooler in the evening and therefore more fun for them. (Yes this involved a lot of time walking around behind them but you said you were with company so again take it in turns)
hopefully your pool has a baby area or shallow entrance to pool where you can sit with them with as many cheap plastic toys as you can carry. Don’t underestimate the fun of a watering can.
dont worry about getting them dressed after pool everytime, just pop the hooded towel and nappy on.
hope this helps, you may still decide it’s not for you, but I really think going with the flow is the best advice I can give for the rest of your holiday.

Oh, OP I feel your pain but please don't be too hard on yourself. At that age, it is not the easiest to go on a holiday that you'd typically categorise as 'relaxing'.

I also think it's stressful, somehow, when you're away with such a young one with other families. We did it a couple of times but with ours at that point being the youngest (so wouldn't settle, other kids were toddlers), I think I felt more aware of the crying/not being settled than if if we'd holidayed on our own.

If in a hotel, I'd make sure there is ideally a separate bedroom or at least a corner where baby can sleep undisturbed (tbh we once even put baby for a nap in the bathroom in the cot provided, as DC would otherwise be woken up by us moving around) or where there is an outside space/patio/balcony you can spend time during naps.

Like someone else said, I'd rather pay more and go less often or on a shorter break to get the villa or suite type accommodation. For this reason, we didnn't actually go away in the peak summer months at all, as we weren't governed by school holidays at that stage so somewhere like Spain/Portugal is really lovely in March/October and MUCH cheaper.

Re accommodation, ideally with own pool so that you can enjoy it whilst babba is napping in the day. Don't go for the usual,, super expensive ones - there are others, look at Portugal (hot but lovely breeze, but beware of it being deceiving re sun protection/time in the sun).

I'd not worry at all about the food, tbh. Just let them enjoy whatever and have plenty of snacks to hand.

It WILL get better.

I honestly think it's easier to stay closer to home until kids are about 10.
We always shared a larger house with friends in the UK and their little ones and at least we could all have a drink together when the kids were in bed or play games or whatever. Made it more affordable too.
We did France middle rather than south of france so temp wasn't above 30. Share a Gite and pool and explore the local towns.

Yep, been there, it’s very stressful and you wish you never went indeed. Best to stick to the UK for the next few years, no heat for a start and you can save up more for a big holiday when she’s say 5. We are planning a safari in a few years time😅. Perhaps stay indoors more, the heat bothers toddlers big time.

Yes - we chucked all the kit in the car and drove to France with an overnight stop. Not too hot and very relaxed. There’s no way I would have done a hotel in the Med.

This is the age we discovered centreparcs. Load up the car with kid stuff, spend the week among parents who are also beyond excited to have time in a different playground, pool or chain restaurant, and when we flopped at bedtime we were in a nice chalet.
Then they got older and we went to hot places again.
We went back to CP and hated it when they were older but it served its purpose!

Had a really similar experience when our son was 18 mths and went to Spain with extended family. After that gave up on holidays abroad and embraced Bluestones, and other UK holiday parks. We soon learnt that a holiday where our child was happy and occupied was a holiday for us. We’ve just booked our first family trip back to Spain (two kids now who are 9 and 12 yrs), it won’t be exactly how we’d do it as two adults but we’ll get some sightseeing in.

I feel for you! We haven’t been abroad for 5 years now. We last went when our now 7 year old was just 2 and I was pregnant with our now 4.5 year old. All day every day our toddler kept saying he wanted to go home! The weather was warmish, but cool for the time of year there, so the pool and sea were freezing so he didn’t enjoy them. My partner and I got a sickness bug…it was just not great!! The last two years we have gone camping in Cornwall - first year was brilliant. Our now 2.5 year old wasn’t even crawling at the time so it was great. Last year, he was running everywhere like his two older brother and it was HELL. Absolute hell. I just kept crying. I wanted to love it so much, but honestly, out of two weeks we maybe had the total of 1 day that was great. We returned as much of our camping gear as we could as soon as we got home! We were going to brave going abroad this year, but the cost was eye watering for just half board and we’d also have to all get new passports. So we’re going to Cornwall again but staying in a brick structure this time 😂 I know it’s actual hell, but try to enjoy the rest of your holiday as much as you can. I really feel your pain! Our first holiday with our now 7yo was when he was 5 months and that was brilliant. I’m glad we have that memory as I think it’s going to be a while before we go abroad with them!