Is Forest Holidays Good for Babies and Toddlers?

Over the last five years, I’ve had three breaks at Forest Holidays.

One at Blackwood Forest, and two at Forest of Dean.

We’ve always gone here with our friends and have experienced different holidays in the same place. One with two babies. One with two toddlers and a baby, and one pregnant with two toddlers.

I think I’m pretty well educated in Forest Holidays with kids anything from six months to four years.

So, here’s my answer to “Is Forest Holidays good for babies and toddlers?”

Is Forest Holidays good for babies?

I went to Forest Holidays Forest of Dean with Ida and our friends daughter, Ivy, when they were 7 months old and 11 months old.

The joy of a holiday in the forest with these ages is that they still nap. You can nap them at home and enjoy the hot tub, or you can nap them on an epic walk in the forest.

At these ages, our girls weren’t crawling or walking so they were quite happy in the buggy.

Pro tip. Take an off roader buggy, sling, or backpack carrier. There aren’t dry paths around these ends. You really are in the forest.

Is forest holidays good for toddlers?

We took Ivy and Ida back to Forest Holidays when they were 18 months and almost two.

They were both walking now, and not so happy to be strapped into a sling or backpack. But they also didn’t want to walk far.

This did limit us a little. We found ourselves in Basingstoke town centre looking around the shops one day, and at a garden centre another.

At these ages they had a limited attention span and limited interest in walking or being carried.

If you have a toddler who loves roaming around picking up sticks and other treasure, and you don’t have any expectations to walk far, then toddlers at forest holidays is okay.

We went in winter and so lots of the activities were closed, like forest school. I think they’d have been slightly too young for this anyway.

Fact is, you have to entertain toddlers. And you have to do it on a forest holiday, too.

Is Forest Holidays good for preschoolers?

We went back to Forest of Dean Forest Holidays (this was our fave one) when Ivy and Ida were almost three. Martha was 11 months.

The good thing about this age was we were happy for the girls to go in the hot tub. This gave us a little activity to do with them. They were also more up for going out walking and playing in the park. Our walks didn’t cover much ground, but you just have to accept that when you’re going away with young ones.

What is there for young kids and toddlers to do at Forest Holidays?

The facilities vary by site and season, but at Forest Holidays Forest of Dean and Basingstoke, we found:

• A short nature trail with pictures to spot
• A play park
• Pottery painting and cafe
• Hot tub
• Nature walks