Camping in the garden of grandparents with a 2 year old, a 3 year old and a baby - I say fun DH says not.

[Foreverexhausted]

Just toying with ideas atm for fun, inexpensive things to do over the summer with my little ones.

Grandparents have a small but big enough garden for us to camp in and I think our children would love it! DH is saying no way!

We have camped before but never with children and never in grandparents garden :)

My children are so young I can imagine them finding this really exciting and loving sleeping in a tent, having BBQ's, sitting in the garden and playing games long after it's dark, but we will have a toilet/bath/kitchen with snacks etc on hand and will probably only do it for two nights!

AIBU for thinking this could be fun?

Anyone else done this? Did it work or not?

Bunch of misbags on here... Just do it.

I think it sounds good and of it goes wrong you are seconds away from your parents house and can go in.

Meh. I’m the person who took a 5 month old camping (& hasn’t stopped since) so probably not the best person to ask! Personally I would say that’s the easiest camping ever, you will find out quickly whether your children are good campers or not - and much better to do it with grandparents around. Only thing to consider is that if you are usually a “blackout blinds and separate rooms for each child” at home, then camping could go disastrously... Ours was used to Co-sleeping and so as long as he was next to us he didn’t really care about night/brightness/noise. If these will disturb your children maybe think again...

Sounds fun to me but we did 2 week camping holidays with ours as babies (though France, not the Himalayas)

Loved sleeping in the garden when I was little!

I say do it.

My dear you are entirely bonkers. But I'd probably do it - hence my user name!

I've been proper camping with a 4 year old and 10 month old. They loved it and slept better than they do at home! 😄

I'm tempted to give it a try, maybe have baby sleep indoors with grandparents and me, DH (I'm sure I can talk him round) and the 2 and 3 year olds sleep in the tent.

Oops no I'm not saying I'll be indoors and DH in the tent! Although that is a really good idea and has made me laugh! :) Just re read and meant

Maybe have baby sleep indoors with grandparents, and me DH (I'm sure I can talk him round) and the 2 and 3 year olds sleep in the tent.

Not RTFT but could you use blankets and make a tent in your front room and "camp" there for the night?

I think it will be brilliant fun. That's if the GPs are camping with them and you are many hundreds of miles away so can't come back when it invariably goes horribly wrong

I think it sounds brilliant for them. It might be more straightforward (and even more fun) when they are a little older ?
If it feels too much right now why not have the tent up during the day on a visit? Kind of a trial run.

Put a tent up for play/meals, the toddlers will love that.

I'd leave overnight camping til they're at least 5.

But good luck if you do go for it now x

We used to do this (or at least we tried to) when mine were small, but the novelty wore off after about ten minutes, and they wanted to go indoors.

Same experience here. I think they might've lasted an hour once or twice, but that's it.

MN doesn't do camping.

Mine have camped in the garden/ playhouse since 3&5 and love it. I put up the two 2 man tents so they get one to themselves.

They've been camping since babyhood. Did QM at Brownie camp when DS1 was 2 & DS2 was 3m. The kids were fine, 10 Brownies to entertain them was the easy bit. Catering on long days of standing while my pelvis and pelvic floor weren't fully recovered was the hard part.

2 weeks in France when they were 2&4, a big tent to zip them in with space to play in all weather was the critical part.

I tend to find camping more relaxing than being trussed up in a hotel room or supervising them around pools. Last year at 5&7 it was genuinely idyllic. The kids went all Enid Blyton with the other kids within a permitted zone and we sat back and relaxed. Bliss.

Sounds awful tbh. How would anyone get any sleep with a baby in the tent. My 2yo would go for a wander in the middle of the night.
Do it when the youngest is 3.5/4

Took my two (13 months apart) away camping in an actual tent in a well equipped camp site when they were around 2 and 3. It was a nightmare - they don't go to sleep because it's too light and too noisy, they wake up at the crack of dawn and are difficult to keep quiet and the sound travels really far in the still and quiet. They were running round the tent (during the day) and constantly tripping over the guy ropes.

I'd wait a while to be honest and your parents neighbours will thank you for waiting.

Get a pop up tent and camp in the house - mine loved that :)

In June here it's only dark for maybe 4 hours overnight 🙈 how would anyone sleep?!

We’ve always camped with DC. Youngest was 6/7w one year, had two in nappies and bf them both (but not in the Himalayas, just the New Forest ). We’ll be camping with 4 (two under four) on our next trip. Being in the garden will be a great introduction. Trick is blankets on the floor to keep the chill from the ground, and all snuggle up together to keep warm. It will show you whether you can do it or not, with the advantage of being able to retreat if you need to. I’d say go for it :)

Too young.

Fantastic for 6 year olds, not for such small ones..

THey wold like the first few hours then want their beds when they are cold . tired and grumpy.

I think it’s a great idea. Maybe you can sell dh on being allowed to sleep indoors with the baby if he doesn’t settle?

Love the idea of having proper loos and showers close by but all the fun and excitement of camping for the bigger dcs!

I’m not a “natural” camper (& dh even less so) but we’ve been most years since dc1 was about 15 months old. Do it!!

Mine loved camping from the moment they were aware they were camping. We did camping from age 3 onwards, because that’s when we started, but lots of camping families take babies.

I’d just go camping, whole hog. But maybe not with 3x 3 and under and no / reluctant DH.

My own tale of woe to add to those saying don't do it.
When my dd was about 18 months old, i had the opportunity to do something that meant an overnight stay in a campsite. I'd lift-shared down to this campsite with a friend who had a van she slept in (not a fully converted camper van), and i had a small tent. Anyway, my dd did not take to camping AT ALL. She cried and cried and eventually i knocked on my friends van, she said there was no room in there for me, so in the end, i dragged my sleeping mat and sleeping bag into the shower block and spent the rest of the night dozing in there. It was all truly dreadful experience, and i have not maintained my friendship with the van woman.
The only thing you could try is to camp in the garden with dh in the house ready to recieve any non campers.

Sounds like the actual worst

We camped at a festival two summers ago with a nearly 4 year old and a 15 month old. Quiet festival but some limited distractions from having other people around. It was bloody awful. My children who usually sleep at 7 (and need to sleep at 7) slept at 9:30 and 11. It would be better in a garden but I still wouldn’t fancy it. Can your big ones sleep in the same room? Mine got too excited and wound each other up.

We took ours when they were 9 months and 3. It was brilliant to be honest, we didn't go far (just Brecon, and we live in Aberystwyth) As long as you don't mind a bit of roughing it, you'll be grand. We ended up with me sharing with the 9 month old and DH sharing with the 3 year old, but no biggie, everyone got some sleep that way...