Mum slammed for only taking one of her kids on holiday while the other stays home – but insists she’s ‘not a bad parent’
A COUPLE have divided opinions after choosing to take their baby on holiday, but leave their toddler at home.
Georgia and Chris Brown, both 30, booked a four-day trip for three to Morocco.
Four-month-old, Harry, went with his parents while George, two, stayed at home with his gran.
The pair say they wanted “one-on-one time” with Harry that wouldn’t be possible with a toddler in tow.
Business consultant, Georgia, and sales executive, Chris, took George to Sorrento, Italy, when he was a baby.
They said they wanted Harry to have a similar holiday where he could be the centre of attention.
“We wanted to have that one-on-one time with Harry,” Georgia, of southeast London, said.
“George’s first holiday was all about him and we wanted that experience with Harry.
“When you have a toddler it’s a very different experience because you’re always looking out for them.
“He’s running wild and his brother sits in the back seat a lot of the time.
“Harry follows George’s routine and his life very much revolves around what his brother’s doing.
“For example, I may have to wake Harry up from a nap to take George on a play date.”
Chris bought the holiday as a surprise for Georgia’s birthday.
Georgia was surprised when she saw that only one child had been booked for the holiday.
Georgia said: “Dads can struggle to bond at the beginning.
“He’s the default parent to George because I’m breastfeeding Harry.
“Chris doesn’t get to spend that much time with Harry because he’s back at work so it gave him that time as well.
“It was a surprise that George wasn’t coming and when he gave me the ticket and I saw one child, I thought ‘Where’s the other one?’
“But I understood and thought it was quite sweet when he explained.
“George is a very loved baby so I never thought it would hurt him or he wouldn’t have a great time with his gran.”
Georgia shared a clip of her on holiday with Chris and Harry on TikTok and was bombarded with comments branding her a “bad parent”.
She said: “It’s crazy, I didn’t expect it to get the reaction it did.
“So many people have said we’re bad parents, we shouldn’t be parents and shouldn’t have had a second child.
“People were saying ‘that poor boy’ and that he’ll grow up and never speak to me again.
“They said he’d tell the story in counselling.
“I was wondering if I was a bad parent but I’m absolutely not and I’m not going to listen to these people who think it’s ok to put other people down.
“Other people said we can’t handle the toddler but we can because we have a toddler and do handle him.
“A lot of mums were commenting.
“Mums know this is the hardest job in the world so the fact there’s so many women putting me down because they don’t agree with it is crazy.
“People are saying it’ll really impact him and he’ll remember.
I genuinely don’t care about all the hate I’ve got because we had an amazing time. Georgia Brown
“The boy can’t remember what he had for dinner.
“He’s independent and never been a clingy baby.
“We FaceTimed him every day.
“He wasn’t crying asking where I was, he was telling us what he’d been doing.
“I can’t let it get to me because these people don’t know me and are just online bullies”
Trolls also accused the couple of choosing to take one child on holiday because they couldn’t afford to take both which Georgia denies.
She said: “About 100 people said ‘Just admit that you couldn’t afford to take both’.
“I don’t need to justify myself to them but that’s not the case.
“Some people said that they would love to do it but they can only afford one holiday a year so they take all the children.”
Georgia says that despite the online abuse, she doesn’t regret her decision.
The North African holiday was back in March and the family have been on holiday as a four twice since to Germany and Ireland.
She added: “I’m so glad we did it. It was lovely.
“I genuinely don’t care about all the hate I’ve got because we had an amazing time.
“People said the baby will never remember but me and Chris will remember.
Holiday packing tips
Jemma Solomon, aka The Label Lady has got 5 packing tips to help you get organised for your next holiday.
1. Write a list
Think about all the essentials you need to take with you; suncream, medicine, a few games for the kids, beach towels, and write everything in one list, which you can tick off as you add it to your suitcase.
Or for complete ease, try Google’s AI app – Gemini – which will create a list for you and help you not over pack.
2. Involve your kids
Jemma said: “My girls are getting older, they’re 11 and nine, and they enjoy helping to pack. So I send them a list, and say ‘this is what you need’ and they follow the list.
“And then I give them a rucksack each – and say to them ‘you can have whatever you want in there as long as it’s not liquid’, and they can take that on the plane. And that’s their ‘home away from home’ items.”
3. Try a hack or two
She said: “I think they all work, but for different reasons – and you’ve just got to pick the right one for your trip.
“Rolling your clothes is really good to stop your clothes from getting creases. And if you’re trying to get a lot of items into your case, it’s a space saver.
“Packing cubes are great – for example, I’m going on holiday with my three kids and we’re all using the same suitcase for our clothes.
“These handy compartments let you separate your clothes, toiletries and tech into designated cubes, maximising luggage space by keeping your items compressed and neatly stacked.
“I love taking them abroad with the family and it means my kids can easily take charge of their own items once we’ve arrived.”
4. Decant beauty products
Do you really need to take full-size bottles of shampoo and conditioner with you? The beauty industry has evolved so much, you can now buy shampoo bars or sheets – which are much lighter and smaller.
Or, if you’ll be popping to the shops when you’re abroad, consider buying some items when you arrive.
5. Get organised before you come home
Jemma said: “When you repack on holiday [before coming home], the trick is to separate clean from dirty clothes.
“Also pack it in some form of order – so lights, darks, colours for items that need washing, or if you wash your clothes by person in the household, piles for each person.
“Then you can put it straight into the washing machine. Do it straight away, don’t leave it.”
“My mum and sister took care of George at ours so he wasn’t disrupted and he had a great time.
“He went to the zoo, and went to his cousins to make pizza.
“He had an amazing time and it was amazing that my mum was able to spend time with George.”
Cruel trolls have bombarded Georgia and Chris with abuse for not including George.
Others have been more supportive.
One said: “Forgetting what ‘family’ means.
“S*** parenting, supposed to be a unit.”
Another added: “Surely this would make the older sibling feel even more left out no?
“They’re adjusting to having a new baby in the house and you leave them at home.”
However, the couple did also receive some supportive comments from followers.
A third viewer said: “There’s nothing wrong with what you’ve done if you’ve left them with loving family members.
“I’m sorry people are just hating because they clearly don’t understand how hard it is and you are entitled to a holiday.”
Another said: “Oh no, a mum spending quality time with her other child, call the authorities.
“Her eldest isn’t abandoned, he’s just secure enough not to fall apart when mum takes a break.
“Some of you could take notes.”
