How do other parents organise School holiday cover for their children?

smithyjules

We have 2 small smithys, on DD aged 7 and a DS aged 3 (thankfully still covered by nursery until he starts school in September)

Up until now School holidays were covered by my Husband who was at uni. I took holiday for fun days out and time with the children but not as a neccesity IYSWIM.

It has dawned on me today that now we are both working full-time (I work 9.30-4.30 mon-fri) that we are about to embark on the exciting journey of co-ordinating our holiday to cover the school holidays. What a drama! I have been blissfully unaware until now. I am sitting here with a list of dates wondering if there is some simple way of organising it all, and thought if anyone would know it would be you marvelous lot!

So come on, spill the beans is there a genius plan that makes it any easier?!

We both work for large organisations so booking holiday is a bit of a juggle anyway.

It has also dawned on me that from September we will have both small smithys at home in the holidays. A thought I am not relishing! I love by herberts dearly, and individually they are fantastic fun to be with, bordering on angelic with cheeky twist. Together they are like a pair of chimps (with the DS being an absolute terror...something we are working on!). They adore each other but seem to thrive on driving each other and us bananas.

I think I may have a glass of wine tonight!

ALI1973

You need to decide which holidays are to be "family" holidays (the ones where you are all off together) and whatever is left then divide between the two of you as to who is going to have which ones off work. Whatever remains, you need to seek out of school care - which may be a club/childminder/activity club at local sports centre.

HTH

touch*my*food*feel*myfork

I am now fortunate that i work in a school and my son is at an age he can be left for an hour or two, but when our inset days are not the same, then my mum pops up for me, previously i have used summer clubs - i find the local council run sports centres the best/cheapest - but it is a case of just finding whats available locally to you, if your lucky you may have a choice of more than one - but i will say you may have a struggle with the younger one as most round here are for 5+ age

sooty&sweep

For us its a mixture of us, grandparents & holiday clubs. I try to mix it up a little so they're not doing the same thing for too long so they don't get bored & us /grandparents don't get too stressed.
You can use childcare vouchers to help pay for holiday clubs.
My son is 13 in a couple of weeks time and so officially he will be too old for the holiday ckub this year so not sure what we'll do now !
Jen

GobbledyGook

Out of school cares, childminders who have term time only children, holiday clubs, help from family and holidays from work - I think a lot of people survive on a combination of all of the above.

pinkshoes

You actually get enough holiday to cover all school holidays between you???

My son's nursery offers a flexi contract, booking in advance the days you want. In term time it is full of teacher's kids, and in the hols it has kids upto aged 12 whose parents work.

There's also various holiday clubs.

Personally I changed my career to one that matched term times, so I will no longer have this issue when DS is school age!

FBaby

Organising school holidays cover has been one of my biggest challenge as a working mum. I was lucky in a way that there have always been holiday clubs available, however, with the cost of £20 a day, for two children and no tax credits, it's always been a mission to try to avoid it as much as possible. It has therefore involved arranging it weeks before (usually as soon as one holiday was over), and working out with other working parents arrangements so we could have each other's children as much as possible. When it involved three parents and six kids, with parents working part-time, it has been quite a challenge! I definitely could put down experience of arranging rota on my CVs. It's then been a case of taking days off there and then when not going away, kids at their dad (but he would only have them a couple of days there and then and always confirmed at the last minute), and on very few occasions, a family member looking after them for one day (when desperate).

They are now at the age when they can stay home alone so most of the stress is now gone. I still try to arrange things for them because I don't want them home alone for days on, but it's much more flexible.

My advice is: Don't wait until the last minute and try as much as possible to network and build good relationship with other parents (with preferably two children around the same age who get along with your kids).

smithyjules

Thank you all for your replies! You've given me some great ideas. I feel a bit more inspired now rather than defeated!

I wish we did have enough holiday between us but sadly not. I think I will decide which weeks we'll all have together and then split our remaining entitlement out. Then ask around family and friends to see about child-swapping and then cover the remainder with paid childcare.

Goodness it's quite a juggling act this parenting lark!
Thanks again x

claire16c

The holiday clubs around here are the cheapest way of doing it.

Others are - advertising for a holiday nanny - lots of nannys work for families who want term time only so look for other work in the holidays. You can put a free profile on childcare.co.uk

A few child minders do the same thing

Do swaps with other parents of your children's friends.

Grandparents.

And then obviously taking some family holidays too to split it all up.

I currently work as a nanny and the family I work for, took about 1 or 2 weeks off in the summer hols, so kids needed looking after for the other 4 - so I would cover 2 and then 2 weeks they went to their grand parents, they took 2 weeks off at xmas, and then I had the kids at easter. They also take each half term off. So I guess both parents must get around 5 weeks holiday and perhaps buy another week. I dont know if your company allows that.

Janepig

My two are 8 and 10 and me and DH are just sorting out our leave up until September at the moment. We have enough leave between us to cover all the days (I think), but that leaves us with pretty much no time off together. For instance, February half term I'm taking Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday off and DH is taking Thursday and Friday. He's taking the first week of Easter, I'm taking the second. Etc...

We used to use MIL for childcare up until about a year ago, I'd book a Monday and Tuesday off, DH would book Thursday and Friday, and she'd have them on a Wednesday, but we don't do that now. DS is also now old enough to go to sports club at the leisure centre with DD, but it costs a bomb so I'll be using that as little as possible, maybe just the odd day as a treat.

Jx

GwylimT

During the school holidays we use a childminder 3 days a week as my wife doesn't work Thursday and Friday, depending on my schedule there are some weeks where we don't need any care, which is why we use a childminder and not a nursery as we have found them to be far more flexible.