On the subject of keeping warm at night - will DD be okay on this?

[Lovecat]

I'm pretty sure the answer is no...

We are camping on Saturday. I had planned to put DD (5) on an airbed with a fleece blanket on top, then in her sleeping bag, which is a 4-season jobby (given how cold it's been getting at night).

However, her friend is coming for a sleepover and although we offered our spare airbed and sleeping bag, she wants to bring her Disney Princess Ready Bed, so of course now DD wants to use her one - she has one of these which I picked up in a sale at TK Maxx.

She's never used it in a tent before, only at indoor sleepovers and I'm concerned that it's not going to be enough to keep her (or her friend) warm. Should I bring the sleeping bags as well to put over them like a quilt/put them in them inside the beds? Will that be enough to keep them warm? She has very toasty pjs (like a sweatshirt and jogging bottoms) and a thin fleece jumper, so I was hoping that would be okay.

If anyone has any advice or experience of this, I'd love to hear it - thanks :)

Have you got a silver backed picnic rug - put that underneath the airbeds and that will stop the cold from the ground going into the ready bed. Then put sleeping bags over the top of their ready beds. And I would suggest some sort of hat/hood as well.

yes i second the silver backed picnic rug trick...it made a lot of difference when we started using them.

Thanks - we do have a silver-backed rug, I'll use it.

Now, a mad question - which way up does the silver side go? (you can tell I've never done this before!)

silver side down

Thanks :)

Can you tell I gave up Physics as soon as they allowed me...?

Hi, we used one about a month ago and it was not warm enough for DD (4 1/2) she woke up cold in the middle of the night. Now if she wants to take it we put her in her sleeping bag inside the bed. Does that make sense ? This is scotland I'm talking about so maybe that makes a diff .

Also a hat and extra socks might be in order.

Put the rug on top of the airbed. It's the airbed (air) that gets cold, insulate the bodies from it. Is my theory, anyway.

We used the toddler version for Dd3 loads when she was little, we used to put her 2 season sleeping bag down the inside. she wore a fleecy suit and socks and was fine even with some really cold nights. I always put a picnic blanket under the airbeds aswell.
Good luck hope you have fun.

The readybeds are a bit on the flimsy side, as you already know. The picnic blankets are a good idea but I prefer to go with closed cell foam mats, or kari mats as they're also known. An emergency alternative is big boxes from the nearest shop, opened out they make a great insulator underneath airbeds.

I get my kids to put their thermals on for P.J's, and also get the kids to put them on earlier on in the evening, then put their own clothes back on over the top. That way, come bedtime, there's no exposed skin getting cold.

Old fashioned woollen blankets (I have my parents 70's one from pre-duvets) or lots of fleecy blankets for on top of the child is a good idea too.

Well, thank you all, I went with the picnic mat beneath the ready-bed and sleeping bag inside it, with a fleece rug over the top. DD was actually too hot and took off the fleece rug in the night!

Both the girls were fine, we did have a sleepy little voice at about 2 in the morning saying "LC, there are badgers in the tent" but I don't think that was to do with the cold...:)

Thanks again for all your help & advice.