Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Ski and snowboarding

For ski chat, join the Mumsnet Ski forum. Check out our guide to the best resorts in Europe and our family ski holiday packing list.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

skiing with 2yo and 3mo? are we insane?

43 replies

utopian99 · 20/12/2014 02:37

So - we used to go every year and then haven't since ds1 was born due to timing and moving house. We can for the first time in 2 years this spring, but ds2 will only be 3 months old by then. Someone in our nct group said they'd been when their ds1 was smaller and apparently the higher altitude plus relatively enclosed nature of the resort hotels often mean bugs are easier for little ones to catch.

Have any of you experienced this or got an opinion? It would probably only be a long weekend Thursday to Monday or something anyway, but are we mad? Also, I am aware that although DH is easily good enough (and a skier) to wear ds2, I am not good enough (and to complicate things am a boarder) to wear either of them.

We'd still be keen in principle though!

Any thoughts on any of this welcome!

OP posts:

LIZS · 20/12/2014 10:28

The main tour operators don't cater for weekenders and as change over day is usually Saturday/Sunday it can be tricky for childcare. You'd probably have to book direct and find a nanny yourself.

Artandco · 20/12/2014 10:39

Oh and agree I would go at least a week. It takes time driving up into the mountains so lot of faff for 3 days.

Stripylikeatiger · 20/12/2014 10:53

I wouldn't hesitate to take a toddler, ds went skiing for the first time last year at 13 months old. We also took him skiing when he was around 4 months old but we took it in turns to look after him, there is no way I would consider wearing a 3 month old, I don't think you could find a helmet small enough for a tiny baby.

SixerofthePixies · 20/12/2014 10:55

Seriously your dh would ski and 'wear' a 3mo baby? It doesn't matter how good a skier he is. One accident and your baby would be dead.

I just don't get this mentality. Go and have a nice holiday that you all can enjoy. Save the skiing for when your dc are old enough to enjoy and take part too.

SanityClause · 20/12/2014 22:07

Yes, a bit late, artandco. He's 10, and snowboards, now.

Good advice about private lessons, though.

TheABC · 20/12/2014 22:17

Sorry, OP, I would leave the children at home with grandparents/trusted family. We are both keen boarders here, but until DS is old enough to properly enjoy it, we have given up on wintertime holidays. Plus, I shudder at the thought of trying to occupy a young toddler through the airport and during the plane trip. Old enough to run everywhere, too young to bribe or distract for very long.

Please don't babywear out on the slopes.

Original poster

utopian99 · 21/12/2014 01:19

Hi, thanks for the responses!
I was sort of writing stream of consciousness stuff regarding the whole point being that we couldn't take them both out together, but I also further take people's point about there being a further risk from either puzzle, so even fewer worries about us trying anything on that score.

Also, it sounds like my concerns about bugs and the effects of altitude are grounded in reality, and I wouldn't want to give either of them major exposure to that. Ds1 has flown at 6 months and also 19 and 20 months though, theabc, and was fine to manage through the airport/flight, so that's not as scary as you make out!

Have spoken to dh about it in light of the responses though, and it seems we might be better waiting for a year. Have friends with similar ages children, so would probably go in tandem with them and take turns for two of us to go out while two stayed at the chalet, etc.

Plenty of time to get round to it as they get bigger I guess!

OP posts:

anotherdayanothersquabble · 21/12/2014 09:32

We have skied a lot and taken young children (6 months youngest) but it was hard, there were bugs and the altitude does affect sleep. 8 years later, I am still reminded of dumping of the clothes my daughter was wearing in the bin at Geneva airport just before we boarded the plane and hoping that she would not have a repeat performance on the flight. Definitely easier as they get older!!

Artandco · 21/12/2014 10:19

The flights and travelling are the easies bits tbh

surreygoldfish · 21/12/2014 13:05

We've skiied every year since DS1 and 2 were 5/4 respectively. DD arrived the following year and we didn't want to not ski again until she was 3 so we went with Ski Esprit every year for the next 6 years! Accomodation variable but childcare has been consistently good. DD was about 8 months when we first went and I wouldn't take a baby to a high altitude resort again - didn't sleep, returned with a serious chest infection. We always went for the ski lessons/ ski with us or go to kids club in the afternoon - nowadays I like DD to come out with us in the afternoon as I can't keep up with DH, DS1 orDS2

Muchtoomuchtodo · 21/12/2014 20:41

I'd hold fire for this year - skiing at 3 months postnatally won't be brilliant for your recovering bipody and it all sounds like a huge amount of effort for a long weekend.

Glad to hear you've taken onboard that skiing with a child strapped on is an extremely bad idea.

We've been with Family Ski since ds2 was 1 1/2 and have found them to be great with the skiing and non-skiing children.

monkeyandlion · 21/12/2014 20:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

anotherdayanothersquabble · 21/12/2014 22:36

I think she has gotten the message, she did ask for advise, hasn't actually done it and has taken the advice on board.

FWIW op, there are plenty of people on here who have taken kids skiing at young ages (and even done ill advised things like snowboarding while pregnant), but we live and learn while trying to balance out kids needs and ours and hope we all benefit overall and no one too is damaged in the process.

museumum · 21/12/2014 22:49

I've been with friends and their 8mo old and am taking my ds this season at 18mo. Friends from my antenatal group took theirs at 6mo.
Not all resorts are at altitude, and you obviously wouldn't take the baby up the mountain. In Austria we slept at 800m which is not "altitude". I don't think anything below 1500-1800 would have any effect at all.
My friends with the 6mo old put her in French nursery for 5 or so he's a day and she was totally fine. They had a great week.
Our ds is going into the British tour operators childcare which is based in our chalet. Dh and I are so looking forward to spending time together (we've not been out together once since he was born!).

Original poster

utopian99 · 22/12/2014 03:07

Realise my second post said "about there being a further risk from either puzzle", which must be auto correct - should have been "other people". Thanks for pointing out in my defence that I have said that we've agreed this anotherday!

monkey if you read my OP you'd see I was explaining (in a possibly vague way, given I was writing at 2am,) that I understood that we couldn't sensibly do this. I also never suggested either of us were planning to wear either of them up lifts/on runs etc either.
Obviously I didn't do a great job explaining this in the OP I see, but as per my second post we realise that we need to rethink other aspects too until people are older. Nonetheless you seem to take delight in aiming to be offensive even after my second post, but I suppose this is the risk with all Internet forums.

Thanks everyone else for your advice and experiences though, and as I said previously we'll wait for them to be older and able to use childcare, ski school or other ideas.

OP posts:

Siennasun · 23/12/2014 23:24

I saw an English couple with the dad skiing with his baby girl in a backpack in France this year. We were behind themin queue for chair lift. They were arguing, both looked miserable. Baby looked unconscious uncomfortable. The lift people wouldn't let them on the chair and the dad kicked off.

Not saying you would seriously do this OP, but some idiots people actually do. If it's not illegal, it should be! Poor little girl, I hope she was ok.

We did take DS on a skiing holiday aged 1 and it was fine. He stayed in the local nursery (which was lovely) a couple of days, and the other days we alternated skiing with staying with children and doing fun kids stuff - snowmen, sledging, swimming, etc. We stayed in Les Gets low altitude, short transfer, family friendly.

We went with friends, which makes it easier as you can share childcare and still have people to ski with while one of you is with the kids.
We have also been to Morzine with my parents who no longer ski and we're happy to look after DS in the morning while we skied.

It's definitely doable but not sure how easy it would be with a baby and a toddler, if it was just the 2 of you with no support,unless you do a ski famille type of package

Ubik1 · 23/12/2014 23:29

I cannot believe people take babies skiing in backpacks. I'm truly shocked.

I was a bit cat's- bum faced seeing enthusiastic dad with very new baby in front carrier bounding to to the summit of a munro. But at least it was summer. And he wasn't fucking skiing.

Meh

Lissie00 · 25/12/2014 22:33

My top tip would be look for a small, well reviewed company, that has an in-house nanny service. This saves having to drag littlies out in the cold, in unfamiliar clothing to an unfamiliar environment with unfamiliar carers. With our DS, at 3 months, we took my sister as nanny. at 15 months we put him in an in resort nursery (disaster) at just over three we found (through mumsnet) www.snowfocus.com and have gone back to them every year since! Nannies are in house and if you want it will cover from 9am to 6pm, including transporting older ones for ski school. No need to compromise your own ski time by having to rush back and you can relax knowing they are warm and happy.

Flip

1 2