[AmityD]

Holidaying with kids. Frankly, someone needs to come up with a better name for it. Because when I think of holidays I think of relaxing, indulgence, lazy days, sipping cocktails by the pool, leisurely shopping, long lunches and late nights out. And holidaying with kids is NONE of those things. It’s fun, but a holiday it is not.

It begins with the packing. When holidaying with kids, no matter how long you are going away for, it is essential to pack enough stuff to last you about a year. Nappies, wipes, snacks, drink bottles, monitors, portacorts, prams, teddies, dummies, blankies, colouring in things, favourite toys, favourite food, DVDs, Panadol, thermometer, bandaids…You basically need to transport your entire house with you, lest you forget anything crucial and the loss of it ruins everybody’s time. So far, not that relaxing.

Then there is the travelling. This time my desperation to get to the barmy shores of North QLD meant we had to brave a 4.30am rising, two flights and a three hour stop over in between. Airlie beach, you had better deliver.

All I can say about flying with kids is, iPod and iPad I owe you my life. My various technological toys kept both children amused throughout a long day in transit. I downloaded a few episodes of my son’s favourite shows and that kept him entertained. And my 19 month old is so obsessed with the Apple devices she can happily flick through them for hours. So my only problem came when it was time to turn them off. After having been the perfect passenger for the whole flight on landing Poppy started to thrash around, screaming incessantly. The lady in front leant over and said understanding ‘Poor thing, are her ears hurting?’ ‘No’ I replied, slightly embarrassed. ‘I had to turn the iPad off.’

But, whether or not Poppy’s iPad obsession has good or bad ramifications in the long term, at the time I owed it a debt of gratitude. Especially when I discovered there were no hire strollers at Brisbane airport, so I had no way of getting her to sleep in between flights. Hello again iPad, my entertaining friend.

So finally, finally, we arrived at our destination. And I’m not receiving any kick back from this but can thoroughly recommend the Big 4 Adventure Resort in Airlie beach. A huge pool with waterslides, jumping pillow, playground, tennis, basketball, mini golf, hire carts, outdoor movies, kids club, organised activities and huge house like cabins, it was kid heaven. There was so much for kids to do and the staff could not have been friendlier. So if my kids were older and could have roamed around unsupervised I actually would have had the holiday of my dreams. Alas, Jamison didn’t want to stay in the kids club (oh how I tried) and Poppy is, well, 19 months. So mummy on the waterslide it is!

So, while there wasn’t much relaxing to be had, seeing them have the time of their lives was wonderful. Turning off my computer, switching off my mind (and hiding the iPad) meant I could engage with them in a way you just don’t when you’re madly running your day to day life. They had my undivided attention and they thrived in it.

But of course the need to be a nagging parent can never take a holiday. The constant sunscreen application, reminders to put hats on, stay in the shade, drink some water, put your earplugs in (grommets) don’t dive in the shallow end, don’t annoy your sister, don’t spill your drink, don’t yell in a café, let’s change your nappy, let’s get you lunch, it’s time for sleep, go to sleep, sleep time now, GO TO SLEEP!!!

After about day 6 I was ready for another holiday. Alone. I loved all that quality time, but there was no escaping it. Every shower, they're there with me. Sleeping at night, there were legs in my stomach and hot breathe in my face. When I told a single friend of mine we were going on a holiday she joked we might actually have time to have sex. Ha! With sleep routines interrupted, excitement leading to late nights and the musical beds reaching a concerto, there was even LESS chance of that than normal!

Interestingly, a new study from the University of Ballarat found that for many family holidays are more stressful than work, with 20% of participants finding their stress levels actually increased on holiday. I'm guessing you won't find that printed on any travel brochures!

So after a sun drenched week of postcard moments and memories made, we packed up our years worth of stuff and headed home. But before we could get there we had another two flights and three hours in between, meaning we left at midday and got home at 11pm. During which time Poppy didn’t sleep for a moment. Not. One. Moment. Just when I thought I had reached the point of losing my mind, 2.5 hours into a stopover with no stroller, I discovered a leaky nappy. With no change of clothes. Are we having fun yet????

Holidays with kids. They are the stuff memories are made of, they bond families, create happy contented kids and tired but contented parents. They are worth the effort. But they are no holiday. ☺

How have you found holidaying with your kids?

This post has been edited by AmityD: 17/01/2012, 10:44 AM

[wallofdodo]

We just stayed at a Big 4 as well! Not in Airlie beach though, they are fantastic. So many families, if my 3 yr old was a little older, yes I would have let him roam as well.

A single friend just asked me how the trip was, I said 'not relaxing but fun'. I think that the memories are priceless and worth the break in routine.

[mrsjessop]

I always thought the best holidays with really little kids were with grandparents. Fortunately dh's parents a) lived in a small beachside community and b) owned/operated a childcare centre! Used to be great when the kids were little - could just send them tottering over the paddock for a few hours in childcare while we went to the non-kid friendly surf beach, then home for lunch and a nap, out somewhere child friendly in the afternoon and then early dinner and bed. Dh and I could then even go on a date sometimes - although unfortunately this community is so quiet that there is really nowhere much to go at night.

Self catering holidays with little kids, while fun, are really not holidays at all.

[Freyja]

I always thought the best holidays with really little kids were with grandparents.

Absolutely! We've just returned from 2 weeks in QLD with my Mum and Dad and it really does make a difference. We got an apartment and my parents got an adjoining studio so we had the best of both worlds - separate space when required but easy access as well. Even the ten minutes her and there when the kids went to play with Nanny and Pop were glorious. Ah - a quiet cup of tea enjoying the view!

Whitewater World was fun with 4 adults, 3 kids. Every adult got a turn to relax on the sunlounge at some point. Poppy was particularly useful when it came to the adventure slides - and it gave him a good excuse to join in!

We even got to go out to dinner as a couple twice! We still got up each morning and had beach/pool time as a family while nan and pop slept in. We also had a couple of 'do your own thing' days where nan and pop made their own plans. Although nan and pop insisted they weren't worn out by the end of the holiday they stayed on for a few extra days - probably to recoup! However, they feel happy to be included and say the kids keep them young - and pop is always happy to act like the kids.

A holiday WITHOUT the grandparents is pretty much what the OP described.

[EBeditor]

Oh my goodness Amity, we flew with our similarly-aged kids just before Christmas and our DD also had iPad rage. Then she came down with a cold on our first day and was miserable most of holiday.

Kids club was a saviour for us, DS loved it and DD didn't mind a couple of short stints so we were able to have one relaxing meal and a short snorkel. That's life as a parent huh!

[Aimless]

Was just about to post a new topic, asking if anyone actually has fun on holidays with their kids?

DH and I took our 3yo and 1yo to Ettalong Beach for a week. While it was great to see them running around, having fun on the beach, DH and I were so tired by the end of the week, we needed another holiday. We just did not get one minute of peace to ourselves during the day. Luckily, they left us alone at night as the boys shared the adjacent room and were so knackered from the day's activities, they crashed - which is pretty much what DH and I did.

I'm now scared as I want the whole family to go on an overseas holiday next year - when they're 5 and 3, but I'm thinking it may be the same thing - albeit more expensive.

[biene_maja]

We've been "on holidays" twice with one & then two kids so far and it definitely wasn't a holiday for us. My family lives in Germany so we flew over when DD1 was 2 1/2 and when DD1 was 4 and DD2 was 1. The first trip was hard enough but after the second one we've said we won't be doing this again until the kids are quite a bit older. We were absolutely exhausted afterwards. The kids still had fun seeing my family, playing in the snow etc but overall we feel it was too hard on us.

So we probably won't go back to Germany until our youngest is 3 and the older ones are 8 & 5.

What we are planning for now is the "ultimate" family holiday for all of us. When DS is about 18 months-2 years we want to go to Lindeman Island with another family who has kids the same age as ours. From what I hear they have the best kids' club for kids of all different ages and by taking "instant" friends we're sure our kids won't mind staying in the Kids' club a few hours a day which means we will hopefully get some time to relax.

This post has been edited by biene_maja: 19/01/2012, 09:00 AM

[BubblyBexxx]

Our daughter is almost 3 and we have taken her to Malaysia, Maldives, Singapore, Egypt, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, New York and the Bahamas plus a couple of domestic trips.

Can holidays with kids be fun? I don't think so. But holidays with ONE child are amazing.
There is no chaos and fighting, just fun sharing new experiences with her. We don't even use kids clubs as I really don't see the point of paying thousands of dollars to have a holiday with your family only to dump them in childcare.

All the "fun" things that are done in kids clubs can be done by the parents- going swimming, out on a boat, collecting shells, sandcastles etc and children do not need someone to entertain them 24/7- Mummy and Daddy can spend great time together having a drink and chatting whilst the little one is digging holes in the sand etc.

And if they want the company of other children, they will find it! Making new friends on the beach is easy when you're 2!

[MissNickers]

I'm just about to head to Fiji with my 18 month old and was thinking the iPad for the plane ride. Would love to know what apps people recommend for their toddlers. I've got the Play School one which has been a hit but would love to know of more.

Oi the thought of packing ... I've just gone and bought a new suitcase, but I'm sure I'll need more space!

[BubblyBexxx]

I'm just about to head to Fiji with my 18 month old and was thinking the iPad for the plane ride. Would love to know what apps people recommend for their toddlers. I've got the Play School one which has been a hit but would love to know of more.

Oi the thought of packing ... I've just gone and bought a new suitcase, but I'm sure I'll need more space!

Fiji is a short trip, you will be fine....for an 18 month old I preferred Playdoh and stickers!