To think if your child spends most of the night screaming, you don't go camping

[RubbishRobotFromTheDawnOfTime]

And if he doesn't usually do that, you still don't bugger off and leave him with his GPs (who appear to be proponents of CIO) when he's still of an age to be shrieking for his mother all night. Which is why I don't leave my 2yo. I've given up trying to sleep and I've got to chase my two around till bloody sunset now

Just nip into boots and buy some muffles ear plugs op.

Some activities are suitable for babies, others not so suitable.

I reckon that the Mum was probably inebriated somewhere anyway and couldn't have driven there even if she were called. If I were the GPs, though, I'd probably take the child and go for a drive. Totally unfair on the other campers!

Yes babies and children cry and make noise and if you're going out in public you might be irritated/inconvenienced by other members of the public but it's generally pretty obvious whether people are trying their best to minimise disruption or couldn't give a fuck.

I'd probably say "goodness you had a terrible night" and see what they say. Earplugs are helpful but they won't block out a screaming baby.

I quite like camping, and take my two little 'uns (who don't spend the whole time crying, they like camping too) AND I don't mind other people's kids crying or making lots of noise.

If you have young kids you should only go to family friendly sites really, and if you want peace and tranquility try wild camping, where there are no other campers in sight.

OR
If you want silence, comfort, hot showers, Wi-Fi, and all the other creature comforts,
Stay in a hotel.

That said I don't believe in infants being away from their primary carer for 'fun' or unnecessary reasons at all, and would never condone cio.

Camping and babies is not a problem. We've taken ours regularly since they were about 6 months old. It's what you do with them in the night / early morning that's the issue.

See this is why we go to those tiny max 5 units sites with our C&CC membership. With 3 kids who have ASD we're usually the only occupants so we don't get the judgy looks and tuts if they're not coping.

We never used to find that in France. The French and Dutch campers were so easy going (and by the way they DON'T scream all night but they do have meltdowns). But last year we had some Brits next door who were vile so we feel we can't do that again.

Camping should be inclusive. To families with children of all ages, to disabled people. Yes you have kids getting upset sometimes, but where's the tolerance? That child might never have been like that before, you don't know.

I am zero tolerance by the way of pissheads shouting and singing at 3am. There's no need for that.

Oh, and early morning waking children were solved by iPads and headphones.

Just because it sounded like nothing was being done doesn't mean nothing was being done.

You really think noisy children and babies on campsites are a new thing?

noisy children are a day problem, I have never heard of noisy children at night. Since when do parents leave their kids running riot a night?

babies have always cried, what is new is ignoring the disturbance and not being considerate and leave other people sleep. People seem to get more and more stupid nowadays, it's frightening.

In my experience, the french are very easy going but they have well mannered kids and believe in kids being seen not heard. They don't wake up an entire campsite.

If it starts again tonight maybe you could go and approach the GP and suggest they get the parents as you can't bear another sleepless night.

Ah you poor thing. But sadly camping is camping- earplugs are essential kit as there will always be noisy drunk people, loud snorers, or crying children.

I am currently on a "last holiday before baby comes" on a remote part of a little island. Booked an adults-only hotel with a private beach, paid more for a sea view room, and arrived expecting a week of total relaxation.

Sadly our "sea view" room actually has a view of the next door caravan park, and this is in a country where people think nothing of children being awake (and running around screaming) until all hours...1am lastnight and from 6 this morning. And the private beach is just a small section of beach that belongs to the hotel....next to a large, public section of beach which has screaming children running up and down it all day.

Sigh. Not quite the relaxation I anticipated but we're just getting on with it. Part of life I suppose.

I doubt anyone "let" a small child scream for 12 hours

We have no idea what the adults in the tent were doing to try and stop the child crying

We have no idea why the child was crying

The child can't have been a baby if they were calling out Mummy

I seriously doubt the others in the tent were oblivious to a night of screaming. They we closer than the OP.

No one lieing next to a screaming child wouldn't try everything to stop it - whether there are others around or not.

I agree it's pretty selfish if they persist another night. Fair enough if you think camping with a baby/toddler is worth a try but after a like that, they should cut their losses and pack up or for the parents to collect the unhappy mites. Not fair on children or the rest of campsite.
We took our one year old camping last year (a friend organises a trip for her birthday each year). We had lots contingency plans including taking both cars and one I'd us staying completely sober each night in case it was necessary to drive home with baby. Also pitched tent quite a distance from rest of group etc. Luckily fine. She cried a bit one night when our eldest disturbed her - we rushed in and cuddled her and fortunately git her to sleep. She loved camping but if she hadn't we would not have gone again for a long time. Not only would it have been a pain for everyone else, it would have been incredibly stressful for us.
On the flip side we were once friendly with a family whose thinking was "no matter we have got children now, we are going to carry on doing all the same stuff we did before". They had two non sleepers who had lots of tantrums including numerous ones at night. They were asked to leave campsites and bed and breakfasts on a regular basis - it was that bad. Yet they carried on.Baffling. Selfishness aside, I wonder what enjoyment they possibly managed to get out of it

Some judgeypants on this thread aren't there. The grandparents could be mortified and have tried quietly to settle the lo. It's a shame the Op had a sleepless night. Don't know why the assumption should be made that GPS and mother had all been drinking though.

People can believe in seen and not heard all they like but it sometimes isn't possible with young children and with some older ones as well.

True enough, shark. Never seen French parents laughing at their kids taking the piss out of DS' flapping and stimming like the dickheads next door.

On my one and only camping trip there was a family who allowed their child to play a recorder at 5am.

I made the decision not to go camping until my DS understand the phrase 'be quite and go to sleep'. This is because I would find it stressful trying to keep them quite. Not because there is anything wrong with it.

That's why I don't do camping. I would be crying complaining all the night long and keeping everyone awake.

I've taken my DC's camping from a young age (youngest was 15 wks on guide camp) and have always bourne in mind the very early morning many years ago where there was a young toddler wailing loudly for well over an hour keeping the campsite awake which resulted in comments being shouted from shattered irate campers, and angry comments back from the father. It's frustrating when you perceive that there is little being done to solve the issue or minimise inconvenience to others.

My DCs are fine in the night. In the days of night feeds they'd barely get chance to moan before milk was immediately available, but DS2 can be reluctant to go to sleep. Not crying/ wailing etc, just hyper, happy toddler. If he's not settled by an appropriate time, then he is put into the car to minimise the effects on the rest of the campsite. It's not fair to do nothing when a baby's/ child's behaviour is negatively affecting other people around you.

Last night was better. Parents are there. But the child still has very screamy tendencies, and is really not a good sleeper. Makes me appreciate mine more, even though the 2yo has never gone through yet.

Camping with little ones can be great. I remember a trip with one child of 2 and an 8 week old baby. We camped for 3 weeks in brilliant weather, baby lived in a vest and nappy, 2 year old played with other children all day and I relaxed outside tent and very happy baby was breast fed most of the day and cuddled through the night. They were no bother at all and it was a fantastic holiday.

I haven't been camping for a few years, the last two trips were ruined by snoring. Wasn't helped in one case by them sitting drinking all evening and I have to say listening to two drunks snoring their heads off made me consider murder. No child has ever disturbed my sleep so much.

Lol @ snoring.
I've had a few of those too!