What do your kids sleep on?

[pongonperdy]

My DC are 5 and 2. Just wondering if we should get mats/airbeds and which sleeping bags. Do you tend to take extra blankets etc too.

My DD just uses a mat under her sleeping bag but has always needed an extra blanket. Sleeping bag was the cheapest one going though.

My kids are the same age. Here's what we do.

Mats on the floor, then double duvet on top, then 3/4 single duvets on top and we all snuggle in together.

If we feel cheeky, we put the kids in the middle, then when dh and I go to bed we move their sleeping bodies to the outside and get inbetween them where their bodies have warmed it up for us

Ours have mats and the same sleeping bags as us, although ds2 hasn't utilised 80% of the length of his yet, being only 2 when he insisted on "the same as ds1". He and his bag have an amazing ability to roam around the sleeping area together while he sleeps, kicking me from all angles.
Not sure what to do with dd yet - she will be 8 months or so next summer. She can not be worse to sleep next to than ds2, though.

blow up beds for all, I say. Comfy Mc Comfy

Was thinking of duvets but concerned about the space in the car. May look at blow up airbeds or inflatable mats.

Getting excited about taking them camping .

We have a double and single airbeds pushed together. Ds and I sleep on the double and dh is on the single with ds in the middle. We have 2 double sleeping bags and overlap them so no draughty edges and ds gets double layer. Blankets underneath and on top. Cosy.

Ds (6) has airbed with sleeping bag, dd (2) has ready bed with childs duvet on top then we all have a huge blanket on top of that... By morning both kids have kicked most of the stuff off and are the other side of the tent - but still sleep fine.

My two both sleep on thermarest base camps (R)' same as dh and me.

In this country (am rethinking bed set up for overseas wher it IS going to be HOT) this is my set up from floor upwards.

Aldi picnic blanket with foil underside (foil bit downwards)
Thermarest with sheet on.
Child in fleecy pjs, vest, socks and occasionally hat inside mummy sleeping bag.
Mummy sleeping bag toggles pulled tightly so that small area of face requiresd for respiration is exposed.
Fleece blanket over the top and tucked in round the sides and under thermarest to keep child in situ.

So far so good. No night time coldness.

They sleep on these thermarests:
www.facewest.co.uk/Thermarest-Trail-Lite.html

with sheet on.
vest, socks, PJ's, vango 3-4 season sleeping bag for older girl , 2 season sleeping bag for younger one (we couldn't get a small sleeping bag with higher season than that one), cream Ikea fleece blanket on top of sleeping bags.
Really struggled getting 2 year old to want to get into sleeping bag last year...hopefully will be easier this year!

Double inflatable mattress - got it from Millets. They sleep in 'mummy' style sleeping bags on top and have always been super snuggly.

DS age 3 now sleeps on a self inflating mat and has a north Face 3 season kids Sleeping bag and is cosy comfy corner in pjs and that. I am very envious of his sleeping bag though mostly he kicks himself out of it

We're looking forward to our 1st trip this year, also with a 6 year old and 2 year old.

For the 6 year old we got a bargain Aerobed from argos, reduced from £89.99 to £24.99, here.

For the 2 year old I've ordered a Kampa Eazy Junior airbed which has raised sides to stop little ones falling out, here

we use those self inflatable iso mats and "perfect at 10°c" sleeping bags.
saw us through 8°c one night when camping in August...

For our two year old, we use a ready bed but have replaced the air bed with a thermarest. We had problems with airbed deflating and also dd rolling over and ending up on the ground so thermarest works much better. We then then put proper sleeping bag inside ready bed with more fleecy blankets on top if necessary. Actually there isn't really much point to the ready bed now I've written it down, but dd calls it her "camping bed" and really loves it.

Slightly related question: do people tend to sleep in together with their DC when camping? We're looking at tents to take the DSes (2 and 4) this summer, I had thought to get a two-room one and put the boys in together, but is it easier if you're all in the same one?

Meg, we all sleep in together (mine are 5 and 6). At the moment it works very well for us as the occasional night or early morning waking can be dealt with instantly ("go back to sleep", pat-pat 'don't even THINK about it' face) without need for clambering in and out of sleeping bags and unzipping bedrooms.

It also makes middle of the night bedding adjustments on cold nights very simple.

I think if we had instant to sleep, non disturb-able and big lie in-ers we might consider switching to a tent with separate bedrooms but currently we ALL sleep much better and longer (oh the bliss of lie ins) being all in a lump together.

That and I quite like cuddling them in the night, never get to do it anymore at home.