Where to go by myself with 3 kids ages 6, 3 and 1.

[Anonymous]

There's a resort in Jamaica that assigns you a nanny for your whole stay there. I don't recall the name, but Google might pull it up.

[Anonymous]

You guys are a bunch of downers. OP, I know you said no beach, but I took my 4 yo and 1 yo to Florida earlier this year for a four day trip, just us. We picked a beach with gentle waves and my 4 yo is pretty tentative, so she amused herself at the edge of the water, and 1 yo hung out in the sand with me. We had a good time. You have a full extra child over what I had, so maybe it would be too much but if you are looking for local, Lewes or anywhere on the Bay has gentle surf.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You guys are a bunch of downers. OP, I know you said no beach, but I took my 4 yo and 1 yo to Florida earlier this year for a four day trip, just us. We picked a beach with gentle waves and my 4 yo is pretty tentative, so she amused herself at the edge of the water, and 1 yo hung out in the sand with me. We had a good time. You have a full extra child over what I had, so maybe it would be too much but if you are looking for local, Lewes or anywhere on the Bay has gentle surf.

2 kids is different than 3 kids. I have 2 kids and went on many several solo trips. I'm now pregnant with my 3rd and doubt I will be able to go anywhere solo.

[Anonymous]

Ocean city nj, find a nice house a couple blocks from the beach and boardwalk. Bring or buy a foldable wagon. Then rent a trike with extra kid seats for a day, to explore. There's loads of places for cheap breakfast, a house will give you room to seperate the kids, and the boardwalk has loads of junk shops and kid stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your husband sounds like the one getting the vacation.

+1 ha ha!

Maybe you could go with another mom/kids and that would help? Two moms and six kids is easier than one mom and three kids.

[Anonymous]

Nemacolin has a kids club, including babysitting for babies for kids from 6 weeks up.

http://www.nemacolin.com/activities/childrens

I vote for a staycation with enough babysitting that you can get some one-on-one with each kid and you're not totally frazzled. I could manage two on my own, and now that my three are older, I can manage them on my own, but the ages of your littles? Hell no.

[Anonymous]

OP, I agree with you on the memories, etc. I've taken kids places on my own, but camping would never be one of them because as a woman traveling alone with young children it makes you vulnerable. I took my two boys to Philly for two nights last summer, and even though I think of myself as pretty intrepid, we retired to the room at dark purely for safety reasons.

And then I'd think through even one kid getting violently ill because they dropped something on the floor and put it in their mouth, and then what that drive home might be like.

For those ages, I think the only thing they would all enjoy equally is the beach. But you can't really play with the older ones in the water without someone watching the baby. Not sure how that's gonna work.

[Anonymous]

I would go to a resort with a lot of activities or a town to explore (like the Williamsburg suggestion). The beach is just way too hard with 1 parent and kids that age. You don't have enough hands to ensure everyone stays alive in the ocean. A lake front resort would be doable though.

Homestead has a kids club that starts at age 3. You could put the older two in there while your youngest takes an afternoon nap. Their pool is really nice as well and they usually have plenty of activities planned. I personally wouldn't want to stay there for a week but it's great for a few days.

I like PP's Williamsburg resort suggestion. Or maybe one of the family campgrounds around here where you can rent a cabin and they offer lots of activities for kids?

[Anonymous]

I would stay home if you really want to get out of town find a Four Seasons with a kids club maybe the one in Orlando or perhaps a Club Med.

[Anonymous]

Stay home. Hire a babysitter. Take the other kids out special day trips for a couple of days. Take yourself to Salamander for a day. Schedule lunch with a friend for another day. The memories that you make on a vacation with all three may not be the memories you would like.

[Anonymous]

The place in Jamaica with the nannies assigned to you is called FDR Resort.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When my kids were that age (I also had three), I enjoyed camping, indoor/outdoor water parks and places where we could do some easy hiking (with the youngest in the backpack). Many campgrounds have cabins if you don't want to tent camp. I often took my three kids on trips.

For a specific suggestion, book a cabin that has showers and cooking facilities at the KOA in Niagara Falla, NY. Take two or three days for travel. Go the Pittsburgh route to get there. On the way between Pittsburgh and Erie there is a water park. Spend one or two nights. Then a few days at Niagara Falls. Do all of the great touristy stuff. On the way home, take the route through Corning, NY. Stop for a night and visit the Corning Glass Museum. Take a class in glass fusing. i did this when my kids were your kids ages and it was great.

Not many people are as adventurous as you to take your kids away alone. But once you get a grip under your belt, you will have so many opportunities for adventures.

+1

Agreed that once you do it, you'll have more confidence. I have 2 and do a long roadtrip every year with only 2. The oldest is nearly 9 now. The key for me especially when they were toddlers were being prepared and organized. Having important things handy in the car (eg, snacks that could be tossed back to the kids, having a cooler for roadside lunch / snack easily accessible, having a smart set of activities aboard). This year it was a breeze. I hardly had to think when we packed up this year. Been wanting to do Niagra Falls. If you want something closer, cabins at Rocky Gap were great when the oldest was 3. There's a small lake beach. The town of Cumberland was nice too. Oh and it has a train the kids might like riding up to frostberg.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I agree with you on the memories, etc. I've taken kids places on my own, but camping would never be one of them because as a woman traveling alone with young children it makes you vulnerable. I took my two boys to Philly for two nights last summer, and even though I think of myself as pretty intrepid, we retired to the room at dark purely for safety reasons.

And then I'd think through even one kid getting violently ill because they dropped something on the floor and put it in their mouth, and then what that drive home might be like.

For those ages, I think the only thing they would all enjoy equally is the beach. But you can't really play with the older ones in the water without someone watching the baby. Not sure how that's gonna work.

To each their own. Went car camping with toddlers -- set up tent, brought bikes, did SIMPLE camp food (no grill, roasted hot dogs on sticks, lunch meat sandwiches, yogurt breakfast, etc.). Stayed 3 days. In some ways camping felt safer than staying at Marriott or Hilton alone with kids, but 100% more interesting for everyone. Campers are far more sedate than people at hotels. Stayed at the W in Chicago alone with an infant and it was the worst experience staying with a kid. Violent music thumping all night, drunk people up and down the halls, didn't change much after switching rooms. The Red Roof Inn in Monroeville, PA was far more pleasant. I was hesitant to stay there with toddlers, but I would do again in a heartbeat over the $300+ W experience.

My point is you never know until you try.

[Anonymous]

Again, people, three kids is a whole other ball of wax than two. Having three, when I have two by myself it feels easy; just one feels like a luxury. The kids' temperaments also matter: if even one is a runner or not good at following directions, you're completely screwed with three in a way you're not with two.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Again, people, three kids is a whole other ball of wax than two. Having three, when I have two by myself it feels easy; just one feels like a luxury. The kids' temperaments also matter: if even one is a runner or not good at following directions, you're completely screwed with three in a way you're not with two.

It can be. I've taken an extra kid along before (not mine, but a friend's). OP has to figure out what she is willing to try, and will probably find she can do more than she thought possible. She doesn't have to stay home, or go to a resort, or grandparents' homes.