Is holidaying with a 2 year old always this bad??

[notmuchofaclue]

We've taken 2 year old DD away for a week abroad, looking for some quality family time which we really needed. The problem is, since we've been here she's done nothing but whinge and go into meltdown, she has decided she hates swimming so won't go near any one of the numerous pools around, and is just generally making it all a bit stressful.
Has anyone else had this experience on holiday with a 2yo, or am I just not doing it right??

Sorry but ime holidays with 2yo are hideous and so much hard work.

Scale back your expectations. She might perk up a bit towards the end of the holiday (just when it's time to go home) but in general two yr olds don't enjoy travel or heat or change. Or at least, my ones never did.
Nothing to do with your parenting!

Ok thanks, that makes me feel better! Everyone else's toddlers just seem to be having fun frolicking in the pool, whereas we're just getting whinged at. And it is hot so that's not helping anyone. It all just seemed easier to deal with at home, in fact I'm sure she wasn't this whingey at home!

Forget the pool if she didn't like it. DS1 hated the pool at the same age. Yr later loved it. DS2 at the same age loved it.

Some toddlers thrive on familiarity and she'll probably be really happy to be home (ungrateful!)

That's reassuring crazyboots, I have yet to come across anyone else who's 2 yo hated the pool!

He loved it once he was 31/2 to 4ish so don't even give it a second thought and enjoy the fact she doesn't keep dragging you in. With DS1 we set up a little play area behind our sunbeds with his cars and managed to get the odd 1/2 hours peace!

I've never seen the appeal of holidays with children, stress, no time to relax and all that sand, not to mention the cost of all that misery! No thanks!

A holiday with kids is no holiday at all.....!

You mind find she perks up once she is more used to the change. I remember watching a lot of Peppa whilst DH and I took it in turns to sunbathe.....

Dd2 hated the pool at that age, would scream and just cling to us

Last year aged 9 I couldn't get her out of the water

The prime age for family holidays seemed to be 6-13 years old

Your post made me smile, my DS was as you describe, but his problem was with the beach. The only bloody holiday we have been on where we actually stayed opposite a beautiful beach. As soon as his toe hit the sand, he started so we hardly got to go on it. There were loads of families having a lovely time with their two years old who were playing in the sand and paddling in the ocean and there was him screaming hysterically and everyone looking horrified. He never got over phobia for the whole holiday.

You may just have a child who doesn't like the heat, OP - lots of adults don't. The trouble is, you only find this out when it's too late! Are there other things to do/visit that you could do first thing in the morning before the heat really builds up?

The mistake you've made is going abroad.

This is why Cornwall was invented.

I never go on holiday abroad with my dc before they get to about 4. Misery and stress all round really. Haven or centre parcs all the way before then!

Honeymoon with 14 month old dd1 was like this.

Have found it much better with 2 though - dd2 was a delight on a recent holiday as she had dd1 who is 4 to copy, play with etc.

So, umm... Have another child?!

You might find she's better on the beach. Our dd at 2 didn't like the pool or the sea, but would quite happily dig and build sandcastles/boats/houses all day long under a cheap parasol on the beach. Worth a try?

DS2 screamed every time he got near the pool at that age. Last week we went on holiday (he's 4yo now) and he happily played about in the pool. He was still screaming at pools less than 6 months ago, so this is a recent (although welcome) development for him. And while he enjoyed the beach and trailing his feet through the water at the edge, any depth to the water on the beach upset him a lot. He preferred the pool. Go figure.

We bought dd a little blow up boat when she was like this. We put an inch or two of water in it and gave her a little plastic cup. She played happily with it (like a little paddling pool) in the shade next to my sun bed for the whole of the holiday. We just had to carry it around with us if we moved pools or back to the apartment or whatever.

I think she found the large pools intimidating and a bit splashy.

It worked so well we repeated with ds until he was about 3.

LOVE the boat idea, Morehaste, wish I'd thought of that one.

DS was also a beach hater when he was younger. We've always been abroad (to visit family) since he was six months - boring as it sounds, the thing that tends to work best is pretty much doing the same as you do at home - playgrounds, walks etc rather than trying to do too much 'holidaying'.

I always found it helped to expect v little, other than pretty much the same routine in a different place, and anything that exceeded that was a bonus. Just a week of the same old same old, but without any cleaning or ironing or work, which can be nice in itself.

Where are you - are there any soft play places you can go to in the middle of the day when it's really hot? We always found that was a good plan (or a restaurant with soft play/ a ball pit/ playground was a help.

Good luck - hope it gets better. As DomesticSlattern says, she'll probably decide she loves holidays just before you're due to come back.

We always had to avoid the beach with ds as he ate the sand .

Good luck op.

I remember DD made a horrendous fuss and wouldn't go into the pool not even the baby one. But then she went in the sea no bother for paddling. No logic there at all. Could it have been too hot for her.

lesshaste, sorry! I completely reversed your name!!

Holidays with kids are no longer holidays just the same hard work in a different place and without your own stuff!

We took DS away when he was just 3. While he loved the pool he told us very seriously on the way home that we should never take him in holiday again. I remind him if this every time he asks about going to Disneyland

Holidays with preschoolers are hard work. They don't cope well with changes to routine. I found holidays at that this age really hard because it was hard not to think of dd as ungrateful for the effort/money being spent even though logically I knew it was unfair to expect her to understand.
I soon found that lowered expectations and not expecting everyday to be perfect made holidays much more enjoyable for everyone.