“Things are made for families of 4”

[Fairylights87]

What does it mean that things are just made for families of 4 like hotels, tickets etc. ?

I read this argument against having more than 2 kids in many threads but what does it mean?

Can people not book AirBnb or cottages etc. for holidays? Interconnecting rooms with a sofa bed isn’t a solution for larger families? When you book tickets can’t you book 2 adults and 3 kids when you make the booking?

Why people say that everything is structured for families of 4?

Can you please give me examples that this was an issue?

It's things like: when we go to Alton Towers we have to book 2 rooms for 5 people, and one adult usually ends up sharing a double bed with a child in the extra room. The rooms aren't always near each other even when booked at the same time. There's a higher cost that isn't just one extra child as a result, it basically doubles the cost of the trip.

Travelodges and other budget options are similar- 2 adults and 2 children, even if the 3rd child is a baby and under 1 you need to pay for an extra room and have the adults sleeping seperately and often on a seperate floor.

Cottages and air bnbs aren't always practical or the cheapest option even when booking 2 seperate travelodge rooms

Family entrance tickets are usually 2 adults and 2 children and then the extra child as a seperate ticket.

Tbf I have 4 kids and when I was looking at holidays it significantly cut down my options 😣

Often need a bigger car to fit car seats in.

BOGOF admissions are for 1 adult + 1 child so you’ll have to pay for the 3rd child even with 2 full paying adults. Same with holidays - most free child places are 1 per adult.

Like other PPs have said, having an extra room doubles the cost of the holiday.

We're a family of 4.
We aren't limited to a certain size car.
If we travel on planes/trains, we can sit in pairs and no one is left sitting alone.
Same goes with theme parks.
It's easier when booking hotels, eg we went to Disney and only needed to book one room (two king size beds) therefore saving £££.
A 3 bed house will always be big enough with no one having to share.

Cars. Most cars can fit two car seats across the back. Very few can fit three seats and many of the ones that can are expensive and fuel hungry.

I have 3 DC and found booking two connecting rooms works well. I don’t think I could sleep with 4 in one room. It’s good having the extra bathroom and wardrobe space etc.
Ticket aren’t a bid deal, pay for a family ticket and one extra ticket.

When I went to Europe they often sold special extra reduced rate tickets for 'large families' 3+ children.

I realised then how much we in the UK fuck over large families instead of celebrating them.

Our local pool only allows one under 5 per adult
Family tickets for most attractions are 2 adults and 2 kids. Of course you can buy extra tickets but you don’t get the discounted rate of a family ticket

I am one of 4 and was always aware of the things we couldn’t do as a family because of how many we were

Can people not book AirBnb or cottages etc. for holidays? Interconnecting rooms with a sofa bed isn’t a solution for larger families? When you book tickets can’t you book 2 adults and 3 kids when you make the booking?

Why people say that everything is structured for families of 4?

Of course people can do those things but your examples have literally highlighted how things are structured for families of 4. I don't understand what's confusing about it...

Family of 4: one hotel room with 2 double beds, buy a family ticket

Family of 5: find hotel with interconnecting rooms and pay for two rooms, buy a family ticket plus one extra ticket

I don't think anyone's said it's impossible. Just that it's extra admin compared to a family of 4.

On the other hand, "family ticket" reductions don't usually work when you're the only parent. And it's often lone parents who need the reduction most!

most deals or packages are for 2 adults and 2 kids so anyone eg single parent with 2 kids or a 2 parent family with 3 kids can not access the special deal and so have to pay full price.

hotels with interconnecting rooms are rarer so you have a smaller selection to choose from.

so yes more than 3 kids is more expensive and more of a faff than the 'standard' 2. of course when you have a 3rd kid it is something that should be considered but often people conentrate on the big things like bedrooms and cars and dont think about the effect on other parts of life, hence those of us who have experienced it do hightlight it in conversations when asked for opinions on having a 3rd child.

One thing I notice is that with more children, it becomes much harder logistically to let them explore their own interests. I had a crap time on most days out as a child, because we all had to do the same thing and stay until we all left together. Two adults/two children means it’s easier to split up and do separate stuff if that’s what suits, which makes it much easier to navigate toilet breaks/hunger/boredom/sensory overload/overwhelming compulsion to see that thing over there etc so everyone has a better time.
It wouldn’t be the deciding factor on family size for me, but it is a noticeable benefit of having stopped at two children.

I'm not a single or lone parent t but I would absolutely agree with this. Where I live a lot of the places you'd take children such as soft play, farms and the cinema have discounted rates for larger families and do deals but none of those deals would apply to a lone parent with more than one child.

It means things get disproportionately more expensive. You have to buy 2 packs of sausages or whatever not 1, despite only needing to feed 1 extra person. You have to book 2 hotel rooms not 1 large family room. You have to buy the extra child ticket at attractions and that is disproportionately more expensive than the 2 adult 2 child family discounted price per person ticket (although most places are more flexible now on this.)

Family tickets for most attractions are 2 adults and 2 kids. Of course you can buy extra tickets but you don’t get the discounted rate of a family ticket

I’m not sure why you think a family with two adults and three kids deserves preferential rates over a single parent with one child who almost always have to buy two separate tickets.

Plus I see lots of places where family tickets are up to 3 children.

This is also very true.

It's not generally a reason I would give if asked for why becoming a single parent is a bad idea though.

This reads very much like someone trying to source quotes or info for a daily Mail piece…

Hotels with guaranteed interconnecting rooms are rare.

The reason attractions offer the discounts to larger families is to get them through the doors, where they’ll also spend more (as they have extra people with them) on food, tat etc.

It’s not ‘fair’ but it is business.

Why on earth do they need celebration? It is their choice to have that many kids, you have kids knowing they're expensive.

Tables for 4 on a train, one person has to sit elsewhere. Or 3 and 2, then you get a random 4th person at your table. That's annoying.

I’m really not sure what point you’re trying to make. Just stick the leftover sausages in the freezer for next time. And go to a youth hostel where you can fill a dorm with kids if it’s that much of a problem. There’s only so much space in a hotel room.

I have one child, two parents, family tickets don't work for us, we have to buy 3 individual tickets, more per head, the train take thing is odd, oh you have a stranger sit with you when you split 3&2 we're always a 3.....
I don't think larger families are hard done by compared to anyone else! You chose to have lots of children. I chose to have one. We all knew the positives and negatives of our choices.

Also tesco do ten and twelve packs of sausages how many do you need?

Good point. Let’s re-do the whole railway network so we can have wider trains with bigger tables.

You seem fixated on keeping a family of 6 sat together. But if the tables were a lot bigger often others would be forced to sit with a bunch of randoms. But as long as the big families are looked after.