Going on holiday with young DCs - worth the hassle?

[Shelduck]

DSs are 4yo and 1yo. We’ve just come back from a short holiday and it’s the first time I’ve felt it almost wasn’t worth the hassle.

No rest at all for DH and I, same exhausting daily routine only without the convenience of being in your own home (i.e. child-proofing). DS1 is going through a phase of having total meltdowns in public. DS2 is into absolutely everything, and you have to be on top of him constantly.

And this is just a cheap house by the seaside – it’s not like we were pony-trekking in the Andes, or kayaking around the Azores or anything!

On balance, I think it probably is worth going on holiday:

1. I think it’s important to try and spend time together as a family, even with the meltdowns and whinging.
2. I think it’s good to try and get the DCs out and about and visiting new places and seeing new things.
3. I think if I bottle out of going on holiday and wait “until it gets easier”, it will never happen, so I sort of feel it’s something I need to do so that I prove to myself that it can be done!

So I’m glad we went on holiday, and I feel lucky to be able to go. But I can’t say it felt a lot of fun…Just wondered what other people think about going on holiday with young DCs?

I think I agree that in balance it is probably worth it.

However, I have an almost one year and 2.5 year old and wasn't going to go until my mum offered to come with us for the week to help. I still don't feel it's going to be a holiday as such in terms of being able to relax and enjoy myself, but it will be a bit more manageable with three adults and two little ones and the kids will enjoy it.

My idea of a 'holiday' is eating out at nice restaurants, chilling by the pool and going to the beach. I think this is a pipe dream for me until my two are at least 4 and 5!

I agree with you. I only have 2.9yo DS and one on the way and we've been abroad once and on a couple of "staycations" with a few weekends/nights away too. IMO it's same shit different location and it is more difficult because your away from all that is familiar including surroundings. We will continue to go away and prob go abroad again before DS2 turns two however I'm under no illusion that it'll be a relaxing holiday!!! My BIL and SIL are driving to southern Spain in two weeks with an immature 5 year old and a 2.5 year old. I think they're mad!

I think it's definitely worth it
The first time I took mine away they were 2 & 3 (and I flew out alone with them) and it was honestly lovely, possibly the best holiday I've ever had
We did it again when they were 3 & 5 which was a bit easier (and we had less luggage!)
And I'm currently in the canaries with a 7 year old, 5 year old and an 8 month old, which has been harder of course, but the uninterrupted family time has been exactly what we all needed

Tbh if you have children who regularly have meltdowns and such in public then I possibly wouldn't bother, I definitely wouldn't take them abroad
We're quite lucky in that when one of ours does have a tantrum it's quite a rare thing and they're generally quite adaptable and easy going

These were just the foreign holidays I'm talking about on here, we've also done a few caravan holidays - which of course the kids always prefer

I will say aswell that since we had children we always holiday in a villa, not a hotel, I would imagine a hotel being really really hard work with 3 kids and all of their crap you have to cart around