To use DCs Xmas money for a family holiday?

[Ooooophhh]

Last year we stayed in a fantastic holiday cottage in our favourite place to hide away which had to be unfortunately cut short.
We have booked our 2 week summer holiday this year so it is not that we aren't going on holiday this year.
However, I have been snooping online and discovered a brilliant deal on the cottage for 1 week over half term. It will cost us in the region of £300 for 1 week in the 5* accommodation-money we don't have at the moment . But, DCs who are toddlers, received money for Christmas totalling this amount. They don't need anything so we were planning on paying the cash into their bank accounts, but I'm now wondering whether to use the money for a family get away instead.
Am I being selfish and indulgent to use their money for this? I just want a change of scenery and nothing to do for a week!

I once said I was thinking of buying recipe books for weaning with my one year old's Christmas money, and the relative in question said "oh, something for yourself?" with a raised eyebrow. Yeah I'd be buying Annabel Karmel books if I hadn't given birth to your relative.
So I know that spending it on a holiday would have gone down like a lead balloon!

Sorry but I agree with your relative regarding a cook book tbh.

Well I just bought more plastic tat instead so all was fine.

I would if it was a borrow and put back situation. Any birthday money etc ive always told people who gave it me what they get with it.

I would not use it for a holiday though. It just does not sit right for me

Recipe books!? Wtf? Your baby has to eat Copper...and that's YOUR responsibility! Nobody else's! Your relative has no responsibilities to your baby's diet!

I give to money to my friend’s child and I would have absolutely no problems if it was used for this. It’s not as if the parents are going away without the children to treat themselves. They are still looking after them for the week. I think it’s a lovely idea, pictures and memories from that holiday will last a lot longer, they are seeing a different part of the country and doing things they normally wouldn’t do without the distractions of daily life.

when we could be using it towards quality, special family time in our favourite destination.

YOUR favourite destination

I bet the kids would prefer Legoland or something totally child focused

You're kidding yourself that the holiday will benefit them when in fact a different sort of holiday (eg Legoland) would be MUCH more suitable for them

So - you're wrong to use the money on a primarily adult focused holiday

I definitely would. They will benefit from the holiday so why not?

Billhader in what way is that different/worse than the OP's suggestion? My child also had to play, and that wasn't their responsibility either, but as a family member they wanted to give something. A 6 month year old really is limited to how many toys they can use. Plastic toy = fine, jumparoo = fine, high chair = fine or not fine? Pram? Doidy cup?

Cue years by the way of having to buy gifts for my own dc (naturally) but also having to do the thinking for other relatives too.

They will love a week away with mum and dad much more than they need toys and clothes I think go for it if it's somewhere that they would enjoy too

Copper I didn't think the OP's suggestion of spending the money on their holiday was good either! I'd never do that. Some expenses are meant to be picked up by the parent.

A good parent provides the things a child needs and some of what it doesn't need too.

A child doesn't NEED a nicely decorated room....it NEEDS to be warm and dry...but you wouldn't expect a baby's pocket money to pay for it's own bloody wallpaper!

That's the parent's job. Same with food. You didn't NEED those recipe books. Who buys recipe books these days anyway! All you need on the internet.

I see no problem with it as the kids will benefit

True, Bill, but internet wasn't quite such a big thing when I had that dc - I wasn't even on mumsnet, so didn't have a clue what I was doing!

I think the money should be in children’s bank account...not paying for a holiday or plastic tatt ,unless they cannot afford any other holiday which clearly the op can afford !!

No definitely not. They will need every penny for their future. You already have a holiday booked so not like they aren’t going away. Totally different but someone I know spent all their kids savings dipping in with intention of paying back. She never has. So wrong

My mum used to take my birthday and Christmas cash at that age because ‘you don’t need anything’. I still resent this.
By the time I was 9 I insisted that I was old enough to look after any cash I received. She tried to go over my head and persuade her father (my grandad) that we didn’t want any cash or presents for Christmas and would prefer that he helped fund an overseas holiday for us to a destination of her choice instead.
It’s a shit, selfish thing to do to your kids. ‘Plastic tat’ means so much to you at that age, as do trips to really, properly child focussed places. A toddler and pre-schooler don’t want a winter holiday in a luxury cottage.

Parents should pay for clothes, shoes, food, toys, holidays and days out in addition to meals out when appropriate and if they can afford it.

Pocket money is for saving up and buying toys/books/hobby and craft equipment.

So...my child loves ice skating...with her Christmas money she bought some skates. I would have eventually bought her some but didn't get her any for Christmas as she had a computer and other things.

She chose the skates as that was what she most wanted. She would also buy designer type clothing and makeup with her Christmas money.

I would buy fashionable clothing for her but not things that cost $$$ ie $150 for a t shirt...because for that money I can get her lots of lower cost every day things.

I would NEVER take her money and spend it on a family holiday. Her money would be in her bank and pocket...and she'd use that to buy souvenirs and things.

I would too as toddlers, it would be different if they were older, then it would be for them to decide, knowing that in the future it would be repaid. Children get so much more than monetary value from parents. This would be making memories and life is too short.

"making memories' [boak]

There is nothing in the budget for the extra holiday

So don’t have the EXTRA holiday. But I see you are booking it anyway.

Of course, labelling it doesn't make all that difference as it will all got towards the same things anyway

Keep telling yourself that.

Similar situation here which is why i insisted on going to the bank with my money around that age as i knew she wouldn't be able to touch it

I wouldn’t. Actually no I absolutely wouldn’t. Their money will be much better saved than spent on a holiday. Using it as spending money fine but spending it paying for the holiday itself seems extreme. If you can’t afford a holiday don’t go. we haven’t had a holiday in a few years now. We make the most of it. We live near the beach, we can can have lovely days out without actually going away. Staycations.

There's no point in commenting anymore , the op has probably already booked it.

I think it's fine. There's nothing better for kids than family time and new experiences. I would much prefer this over a load of plastic toys for mine and I'm sure they would too.

Nope. Unless it's being paid back.