I remember a season where the idea of a holiday felt more exhausting than staying home. The packing lists, the nap timing, the feeding stuff, and the mental load of trying to make it all feel “worth it”. When money’s tight and you’ve got a baby or toddler in tow, even a short getaway can feel like more effort than it’s worth.
If that’s you right now, craving a break but feeling limited by budget, energy, or capacity, you’re not doing anything wrong. You’re responding to a very full season of life. And sometimes the most supportive option isn’t a big trip away. It’s a staycation that’s close to home, simple to plan, and actually gives you a proper exhale.
Why a change of scenery matters more than distance
When life feels relentless, it’s often not because you’re doing one big thing. It’s because you’re doing a hundred small things, all day, every day. At home, the to-do list is everywhere you look, laundry, dishes, meals, toys, the constant decision-making that never really switches off.
A staycation works because it removes you from the cues that keep your brain in “on” mode. Even one or two nights away can feel like a reset when you’re not staring at your own chores and someone else is making the bed and changing the sheets. Honestly, that alone can feel like a holiday.
A budget-friendly break can still feel really good
A budget-friendly staycation isn’t a lesser version of a holiday. For lots of families, it is the holiday. And it counts.
Choosing somewhere close to home usually means less travel cost and less travel fatigue. And shorter stays can be surprisingly restorative with little ones because you’re not spending half the trip recovering from getting there.
If you can, choose the kind of place that makes your life easier. A fridge for snacks. A kitchenette so you’re not buying every meal out. Breakfast included if it fits the budget. A pool, beach, or park nearby so you’re not paying extra to keep everyone entertained. It doesn’t need to be fancy. It just needs to take some pressure off.
Pack for comfort, not for every possible scenario
Packing is where the stress can start, especially when you’re trying to predict every “what if”. But you don’t need to bring the whole nursery.
What helps most is the basics that keep your little one settled. Familiar sleep things. A comfort toy. The bedtime cue you already use at home. A way to block light if that matters for sleep. Those few items can carry you.
Everything else can usually be sorted if you need it. Most places have shops. You can buy an extra onesie if something goes wrong. You don’t need seven outfit changes per day to have a good time.
Plan around rest so it actually feels like a break
It’s tempting to cram in activities because you’ve paid for a night away. But a break that adds stress isn’t a break.
If your baby or toddler still naps, plan your day around that. That might look like a gentle outing in the morning, back to the room for nap time, then something simple in the afternoon. The beauty of a staycation is you can return to your base and reset.
And here’s the part people don’t say out loud. Going back to the room for naps doesn’t mean you’ve “wasted” the trip. It’s often the bit that makes the whole thing work. You can read, rest, scroll in peace, or just lie there and do absolutely nothing. That’s the point.
What “actually feels like a break” looks like in this season
A successful staycation with kids won’t look like your pre-kids holidays. That doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing. It just means the goal has shifted.
Success might be both parents sleeping past 6:30 because you’re not in your own house listening for every sound. It might be a breakfast you didn’t cook. It might be not having to clean the bathroom. It might be having one proper conversation with your partner without multitasking.
When expectations soften, enjoyment rises. The goal isn’t perfection. It’s relief.
A simple staycation checklist for mums
If you want this to feel easier, keep it ridiculously simple:
- Choose somewhere within one to two hours of home so the drive doesn’t wipe you out
- Book one or two nights as your mini reset
- Prioritise sleep and ease over entertainment
- Pack for sleep, feeding, and comfort, then stop
- Plan around naps so everyone stays regulated
- Bring snacks and one easy backup meal option
- Define success as less mental load, not more activities
Rest that fits real life
In a season where the cost of living plays a role in whether you holiday at all, it’s completely normal to feel a mix of emotions about taking a break. And for many families, a staycation isn’t the backup plan. It is the holiday, and it deserves to feel just as real and restorative.
Choosing something close to home doesn’t make it less meaningful. It makes it doable. It’s a practical way to step out of the everyday, ease the mental load, and give your nervous system a chance to reset.
You don’t need a big trip away to feel supported. Sometimes, one or two nights in a different space is enough to help you breathe again and remind you that rest is still possible in this season. And you’re not alone in needing it. 💛
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