Worrying about the weather while camping

[theclampits]

Due to do our first ever camping trip this weekend to the east coast and the weather not looking great, it’s not so much the day it’s more the night worrying me as it’s saying it’s going to drop to 4 degrees ! We don’t have sleeping bags but duvets and blanket, have got alot of floor insulation ready like foam mats with foil backs, picnic blanket with foil mats etc.
I’m worrying about the little ones really, they’re 1 and 2. I’ve got them fleece pjs and they’ll be in with us, do you think it’ll be okay?
Really worrying

I’m also diagnosed ocd and anxiety and part of my post natal depression was instrusive thoughts about SIDS! It still makes me feel sick to say that word.
I think I’m more worried about them getting TOO warm ?!

Buy sleeping bags. Take them with your duvets. Do you have electric hook up? Take hot water bottles too!

I came on to say hot water bottles too! I camp with duvets and blankets but my adult son prefers a sleeping bag. Don’t get cold before you go to bed, so keep warm in the evenings. If you go to bed warm, you should be fine.

We’ve got a hook up yes thankfully ! And planning on taking hot water bottles.
I’ve read so much people saying no need for sleeping bags in the summer months, then I saw the weather forecast lol
I’m already taking 3 duvets and a single duvets, a huge fleece blanket to put on the airbed, and extra blankets to layer up.

Hats and fleecy socks are also handy if it gets chilly at night. They will be fine. My kids always used to wriggle out of their sleeping bags and roll onto the floor and still stayed asleep.

Honestly, with children that small I wouldn’t go camping for the first time with them unless it was much warmer. I feel like this trip might put you off for life if the weather is cold and wet. We took ours camping when they were younger than yours, and it was enough work even in warm weather, without having to try and keep everyone warm and dry. Can you postpone until the summer?

Wooly usy and thick socks.

Arghhh this is making me feel my worrying is justified! Can’t postpone really as I’ve paid a good £250 for this trip. It’s a haven site…

Im having a look at those readybeds for kids, anyone ever used them?

Met office isn’t as bad as the Apple weather

Sorry as a veteran camper with kids I was just being honest!

Hopefully the weather won’t be as bad as you think and you have a great time 🤞

Make sure they have decent layers for in the day, don't let them get chilly...

No I do appreciate the honesty, especially from someone with experience. I guess we won’t know until we try it…
I used to go all the time as a kid but obviously my memories might differ from my moms 😆

Will a standard vest and fleecey pjs be enough? With two pairs of socks on feet ?

We have a camper van and go on multiple trips every year . We are retired so, if the weather is lovely, we go. If the weather is wet/ cold/ hugely windy we don't. Camping is lovely in good weather ( spent last week in Tenby) and awful in bad weather. We have grandchildren of a similar age to your children. I can't think of many things more exhausting than taking them camping in anything other than good weather. I'd only take them on holiday if I was staying in a house. There are holidays and there are endurance tests.

We camp every year, rain or shine since way before the kids were born. They're teens now.

Don't get soaked through at all. Puddle suits, especially for crawlers, are a godsend. Wellies a must. Waterproof trousers for the adults.
If you've got brushed cotton or even better, teddy bear fleece duvet covers that will help.

Sounds like you're on it insulating the floor.
Airbeds are cold to lie on, put fleece blankets below.

Youngest was 6 months the first time she went. She had a cotton onesie with a padded snowsuit on top. She got to sleep in the travel cot, more to keep her safe from her nearly nearly 2 year old sister! Blankets for if it got cold. That was July.

The older one was nearly a year when she first went, she had a fleece onesie and baby sleeping bag with arms. Again blankets on top, but if she cried she came in with me.

I was always worried about them slipping down inside sleeping bags so didn't buy them until they were about 3 & 4. Even then I didn't zip them up, just used them as duvets, until they were older. At that stage they used to snuggle up together.

The second sun hits a tent you know about it. It heats up very fast, so that's something to watch in the daytime. (Hope you get some sun!)

It will be fine.
You quickly acclimatise to being cooler when you camp.
Layers are your friend. T-shirts under the PJ's to trap a layer of warm air and socks if it feels chilly.
Duvets will be fine. But I would recommend a sleeping bag liner as a good way of keeping cosy.
Decent wet weather gear and easy slip on shoes to get to the toilets!

Yes, you reminded me! We did use Readybeds when they were maybe 2 & 3 they were good. The built in duvet is thin though so I think we had them side by side and one single duvet on top.

Yes to wooly hats to sleep in.

The best camping trip I had was with a friend. We took our children aged 6 to 14 in the February half term along with two dogs. It was so cold that the dogs' water bowls were solid blocks of ice in the morning!

Sounds like you're well prepared but what I found useful was an electric blow heater (DO NOT USE A GAS HEATER IN A TENT!). We set it up in the middle of the tent and it worked well.

Don't let your anxiety spoil what will be, I'm sure, a fantastic holiday! Have a great time!

My camping rule now is I won't go camping if the temperature is forecast to be below 10C at night/in the morning.

Experience has taught me it is just an endurance fest when it's colder than this and not enjoyable at all. It is a good rule!

Don’t worry OP!! We took our tiny DC camping the other week and it was FREEZING. They both just had duvets and pillows and normal non fleecy PJs and were absolutely fine. Ended up kicking off their duvets during the night. And slept brilliantly!

Enjoy your camping!! I’ve learned over the years all you can do is pack the basics and go with the flow. You’ll always have experiences of it being too wet or cold or hot, but that doesn’t mean you’ll have the same experience next time you go. Plus it’s trial and error! You’ll learn loads from this weekend and then use that to inform your next trip etc.

I think you just need to give it a go - you can always come home if it’s truly miserable.

Personally I can’t think of anything worse than sleeping in a tent but I know lots of families that absolutely love it and who travel all over.

I wouldn’t take DC at those ages, unless you’re an experienced camper and have all the gear like sleeping bags for the temperature it’s going to be, and when they’re out of nappies. If you’re staying at a Haven can you get a mobile home instead which might be more comfortable with children that young?

Lots of good advice here already and it sounds like you have planned to keep the ground cold out which will really help.
We have a few of those fleece blankets (the sort you get in motorway services as picnic blankets) and they are brilliant for an extra layer if needed, they are warm, lightweight and they dry really quickly if they get wet.

We used to camp with ours all of the time when they were tiny.

Sleep in extra layers and make sure the ground is covered. You’ll be fine.

My one tip is to put a layer of something warm on top of the airbed so a fleecy blanket, for them to lie on with something warm on top. It creates a warm pocket and means they don’t lose heat to the air bed.