Hitting the road with six-month-old James would clearly entail something far less free and easy than my good self and better half heading into the sunset in a soft top roadster.
Oh, no, if we were going to make for the hills with our two little 'uns we'd have to make sure that we took all the comforts of home with us.
The perfect solution presented itself in the guise of a shiny new Swift Kon-Tiki motorhome, boasting a sufficient number of beds for the three older members of the family (in fact there was room for five adults to sleep), as well as enough space to store all the essentials when it comes to coping with a newborn.
And so it was that we finally set out on the open road fully laden with bikes, a cot, baby bath, steriliser and yes, even the kitchen sink!
In fact, our motorhome adventure was furnished with far more than just the kitchen sink.
In a package slightly longer than a Mercedes Sprinter and built on a Fiat Ducatto platform was a luxurious home-from-home trimmed in light wood and comfortable soft furnishings and boasting all of the home comforts a young family really needs.
There was a fully fitted kitchen, two sitting rooms - both of which doubled as bedrooms - and a bathroom complete with shower, chemical toilet and sink. It even came with air conditioning and a cabinet to store the telly.
Even before we set off it felt as though we'd arrived.
But to put the notion of motorhome life properly through its paces, the Donohue clan had opted for a two-centre stay, Caravan Club style.
The first few days of our adventure would be a countryside break within the confines of Clumber Park, a picturesque wooded retreat fashioned from former coalfields in Nottinghamshire.
It provided a brilliant base for long walks amid the tree-lined avenues.
Then, suitably refreshed, we would head somewhere bright and glitzy for a few days of child-friendly hedonism.
Yes, you guessed, it just had to be Skegness. Boasting a seal sanctuary, family-friendly pubs and a nicer than you would expect beach, it felt like we were staying in Blackpool's smaller and better-behaved sister.
But, as a reader of the motoring pages, you'll be most interested to discover just how easy this behemoth was to drive.
As we headed off towards Nottinghamshire on a bright Sunday evening, we may have looked like Chevy Chase and his family heading off on a National Lampoon-style trip to Wally World, but it was actually pretty easy going.
Unsurprisingly, the big Fiat Ducatto drove pretty much like a large van, with the only discernible difference that there was a constant soundtrack of rattling crockery and the slightly surreal picture of my own family sitting behind me in a road-going lounge when I looked in the rear view mirror.
Even the 65mph average motorway speed wasn't so much an irritation as a way to acclimatise to a week of taking it slowly.
Fortunately, the Caravan Club site at Clumber is designed with beginners in mind. I had worried a bit about connecting the electricity cable (a doddle), filling up the water (no sweat) and emptying the chemical toilet (don't ask) but in truth all of these necessary functions were accomplished fairly easily.
Just as easy - and something we got quickly used to - was switching the motor home from day to night mode.
For us, with a small baby and a toddler in tow, that meant building up the travel cot, rearranging the furniture and lowering the bunk bed situated over the driver's seat before we could even think about cracking open a bottle of red.
But, you know, we quickly got used to living with limited space and our own house felt like a castle when we got home.
Breaking camp for Skegness was similarly simplistic and the lasting memory is one of an easy going break, rather than an automotive marathon.
I'd recommend it, but I'll leave the final word to the elder of my two children, Eleanor, who has now taken to drawing pictures of "holiday houses" that invariably include a set of alloys and a steering wheel.
"It doesn't feel like a holiday unless we're on wheels," is the gist of what Eleanor says. And if her brother could talk, I'm sure he would agree.
