Please tell me it is possible to go on holiday...

[staryeyed]

We have not been on holiday for years and Im desperate to get away for a break but when I think about the practicality and the logistics It puts me off. Ds 2.10 is not potty trained so we would have to take nappies and wipes. He is on a gluten free/casein free/soy free diet, We also give him supplements that have to be refrigerated. Then there is the whole thing of what could we actually do once we get there? My DS has liked it at the beach but is not interested in Zoos, farms etc although he loved Legoland. He is quite good really but requires a lot of supervision. Any suggestions/ positive stories or am I mad to even consider it?

You won't know till you try! The nappies and wipes things and not potty trained shouldn't be a big issue (famous last words). Possibly some sort of self-catering cottage/appartment near a beach in UK would be suitable - so you could prepare food and have a fridge available?

we have been taking DS2 ( asd, gfcf additive free diet) since he was 4. We mostly go to France and spain but have done florida/carribean too.
Florida was apiece of cake as I ordered gfcf food on line from uk and it was delivered to where we were living in Kissimee.

I think i would have been too much of a coward to try tbh but my DH was just determined that our whole lives were not going to be foreign holiday free as we had so loved travelling before DS2's regression. So ( brave man) he just booked virgin holiday to florida in the full knowledge that if our boy freaked out getting on the plane we would all just have to turn around and go home.
Fortunately, alothough very severe DS2 LOVES flying. I never never in a million years would I have anticipated that but thank god as we go away once ortwice a year now).

To be frank holidays are pricey. We book villas rather than hotels, with kitchen so we can cook and bake. I just take a hard case to put food in. never had a problem. We are going to La manga in March and I am already looking at florida/carribean for next year ( our 20th wedding anniversary and we want to go back to honeymoon Island with the children).
I really do realise that i am very very very lucky to be able to afford villas etc but I just wanted to say that we have found it possible - and that we all ( including DS2) benefit enormously from the trips.
Oh and in the early years we also particularly benefitted from villas with pools as DS1 used to be very embaressed by DS2's crowd forming behaviour by the pool . Much less of an issue now although he does take his kit off pretty quickly for all the world to see if I don't get to him with a towel pronto.

Thompsons villas can be quite reasonable as ( unless they have changed recently) you pay for the villa rather than pp and as there are 5 of us that is quite a good deal.

we took dd last year to a home education festival. Hired a static caravan rather than camp. DD (4) requires mashed food as she can't chew plus formula milk. So there were nappies, wheelchair, all her various epilepsy meds, 300 million bibs, wipes, clothes etc etc
And we went by train. Train to London then taxi across London then train to Colchester and taxi to Mersea Island
It did cost more as camping is cheap but the caravan was ambitiously priced at 380 quid for the week

We took the lads to Butlins in Somerset last Summer. Ds1 was 4 and Ds2 was nearly 2 and they were both in nappies.

Thanks everyone. Its not so much that he is in nappies but the sheer volume that he needs he sometimes poos 9 times a day. so we would need loads for a week to be on the safe side- not such a problem for a UK based place. Pagwatch I hadn't even thought that DS might be afraid to fly. Villa might be an idea if we can afford it. Will have to see.

NMC you are braver than I am.

sorry - adding to your concerns wasn't my intention !

DS was still in nappies first time we went away and we just took enough for flight and boughtthem over there. Whilst we were getting them free in the UK they were actually cheaper in Spain than UK prices so wasn't that big an expense ( on top of everything else!)

We also transport refridgerated minerals and vits in cooler bag with lots of freezer blocks.

We have just bitten the bullet and booked a holiday for April in California.

I have not taken dd1 in a plane since she was about a year old (now 3 1/2), but tbh, even if she screams the whole way (which I doubt, although think she will dislike it), once we are there she will prob be ok.

I was resisting the whole thing, but decided to try it out as the last couple of times we have been away (once to friends, once to BIBIC) dd1 has settled really well - she amazed us when down at BIBIC when, having been woken by dd2 in the middle of the night (dd2 11 months) and tried to get into our bed - dh turned over and said "dd1, it's not morning yet, time to go back to bed", and off she trotted! and not a peep til morning! So after that, I reckon that once we get her somewhere, she'll be fine.

We're off to USA to see some friends, but would have chosen somewhere similar anyway as we're also GF/CF - whatever we can get over here, we must be able to get over there...

Also do the self-catering thing due to GF/CF(sadly - would love to take advantage of hotel catering once again, and having lived in a hotel for 7 months pre-dd1 I never thought I'd say that agian!).

Go for it!
we've not been abroad for a couple of years because ds2 was hysterical for the entire flight. In the end has sat with his hands on his ears & a coat over his head, rocking on my lap & screaming. I felt so sorry for the other passengers.
But his new obsession is planes so we are trying to keep it going to the summer as we are going to give flying another go.
We have had holidays in this country, self catering on smallish sites, so a bit of entertainment for ds1 & a bar of course but not so busy that ds2 is constantly overwhelmed.
In fact our last holiday dh & I both found almost relaxing.

We haven't been away for a couple of years but are going to a self catering cottage at Easter. Like Stary it's the practicalities that put me off. I thought at the last minute to check that it had a freezer - DS2 can't eat many manufactured gf/cf foods as he has so many other allergies, so I have to make all his meals from scratch and freeze them.
I admit that going abroad is more daunting simply because of the food issues and all the stuff we'll have to carry, but we've booked to go to Florida next year so the posts on this thread are very reassuring. We're going to try a short UK flight first!

One of the things that concerns me most is safety - even if a cottage has photos on the site it's hard to see areas that might be a problem. Luckily with this one the owners have been very helpful (and are both GPs!) so I hope it'll be OK. It'll be the first time since having the DSes that we've been away without my parents (though even now they're coming down for two days). We'll see...

UK holiday at a place like Centre Parcs perhaps? Accommodation is self-catering, so you will have the required fridge. What you then do activity wise is up to you... I'd take each day as it comes (I accompanied a family with two SN children to Centre Parcs last summer, and I find it worked well just going with the flow). Main thing for him to do would be the swimming pool - does he like water? There are other things he may like, such as going on the boating lake, may like the Timeout Club (nursery) to give you a break, riding a bike.
Sidenote: Legoland is great (I live near there).

Are there any charities/agencies that will come on holiday with a family to provide respite? Thats one of the issues of holidays. Quite often it isn't relaxing as there's no respite acre, just dd 24 hours a day.

We are lucky because we can stay at my parents' house in France. But anywhere self-catering would be the same. We spend a bit of time investigating attractions out there before we go - there's a theme park called Wallabi with a few branches in France which has a few legoland-level rides iyswim. However, I find you have to go within French school holiday times as many attractions are only open then - as soon as the kids go back to school everything shuts.

I tend to order nappies on the internet - I go to a FR web site and order them for free local delivery.

Foodwise France has a lot of big supermarkets and though their labelling regs aren't quite as good as ours it's close; you just have to accquaint yourself with the French words for various ingredients before you go. I think the UK allergy site (I forget the name) lets you buy a little pack of cards with translations of "my child is allergic to dairy" and "my child is allergic to wheat" (not technically true but soooo much easier than explaining). They are useful not just for restaurants but also shops like bakeries which don't label things properly.

Our meds are refrigerated and come through in hand luggage - I order them specifically in 100ml bottles to get round the restrictions and we share them out amongst our hand luggage - haul them out of the cooler bag for x-ray then put them back again.

We've had wheelchair issues with French airports in the past. I believe that from June this year the EU regs change and if you send your handling requirements and flight details to the airport in writing to arrive at least 3 days before the flight, they have to accomodate you now. I'm hoping that includes letting you have your own buggy to the gate rather than some totally inappropriate non-restraining adult wheelchair.

Having said all that, we've just had 2 weeks in a posh hotel in Thailand while DD1 was in respite at the hospice. Best holiday we've ever had.

Go now while he's little. We managed all sorts when ds1 was little but haven't been on holiday with him for five years and can't see us going again tbh. Not for quite a few years anyway.

IN your situation I'd do a UK based on either near a beach or a national park so you have the chance for lots of walks etc.

I wouldn't do more than a week tops.

I'd love to branch further afield and go somewhere abroad. We manage to get away a fair amount, but its always self catering in this country. Our next trip is a weeks s/c lodge in Oban, Scotland (with the obligatory pilgrimage to "balamroy"!)
I'm on my own with 3DD and luckily my elder 2 DD are a great help with DD3, so we get out swimming and to restaurants and so on. However I keep toying idly with the idea of a short trip (france/spain) or a longer one (USA) that means no language barrier. I don't know, the thought of it just wears me out though! Another option would be a long weekend abroad for just me and elder 2 dd, whilst DD3 is with her dad, for me to get some confidence before taking them all on my own.

balamory I'm sure you knew what I meant!

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I have to convince my DP as well because he thinks its gonna be too much like hard work.

Yes go on holiday whilst ds is small, and for us self catering house has worked best. It can be rather tiring since home is often better set up safty-wise, but it is a change. Personally I avoid the sort of things that will attract other families of same age nt children, (holiday parks etc) but its nice to be with friends or family (extra hands and social contact). We have a small portable fridge which plugs into the car for longer journeys. When ds was smaller I always took his own bedding and other familiar objects so he felt at home. We also took spare safety gates, plug in night lights and other essentials for our childs comfort or safety( to keep things as similar to home as posible). We are lucky in that Ds likes travelling and treats the car as part of his home! He also enjoys flying! We travel to france often now (via the tunnel so car all the way), and find the French more accommodating/ understanding!