The most likely reason is that under2s are supposedly 'free' but in reality they're not because the overall cost of the holiday to the TO still has to be covered apart from the flight when they really are travelling free as long as you are prepared to have them on your knee rather than them having their own seat. So, for example, taking an under2 on a SC holidayis going to bump up any under-occupancy charges - the cost of renting the apartment in total going to remain pretty much the same whther that is shared across 2 adults or 2 adults and a child.

The same happens in relation to so-called 'free' or 'reduced' child places - it's often cheaper overall to just book the children in as another adult. The only way to do it so that you can make realistic comparisons is to see what the total price comes out as for each of the various combinations turn rather than checking the price per head. And as I'm assuming that none of you have booked yet, you need to decide how much you are or aren't prepared to pay towards the costs of your sister bringing her baby with her in order to make it possible for her and her partner to join you on this holiday.

My nieces are now both adults by any definition but on family holidays when I, my brother and his two girls and our parents went away together while they were both still young teens it was often cheapest in total with a SC holiday to just book for 6 adults. Then, regardless of how we were spread around possibly 2 apartments we always divided the total cost by the 4 'proper' adults rather than just my brother picking up the tab for him and the girls. It was a family holiday, we all got a lot of pleasure from being away together, especially my parents being able to have some real quality time with their grandaughters, who at the time didn't live clsoe by, and sharing out the cost that way made it doable for my brother whereas him paying 50% of the total cost would hzve put it out of his reach all together.

SM

Similar to SMa, when our kids were young I would price up the holiday with a 'Free Child' place and then price it with them as an child or adult and usually it worked out cheaper to actually pay for them, travel companies are very clever when the price holidays

We recently booked a holiday with Direct Holidays and when DH was pricing it online I told him to check whether putting one of the children through as an adult made a difference (we had one free child place). It didn't but when he went to actually book it the booking wouldn't go through so he had to phone them and the person he spoke to also suggested we should look at booking for 3 adults and one child.

Thanks for all your replies. I feel terrible but to be honest I hadn't really thought about paying towards their holiday, just thought really that we'd pay for us and they would sort out theirs. I'll speak to her though and see if the price is stopping them and see what we can sort out.