Camping in France with a small baby - are we deluded?

[bushymcbush]

Our second dc is due in the middle of April. We want to go on holiday in the middle of June, so the baby will potentially be anything between 6 and 10 weeks old.

We also have a 3yr old.

We want to go to Brittany and stay in a pre-erected fully equipped tent.

Are we mad?

(PS. Does anyone know if French society frowns on public breast feeding?)

We did that and it was fine. It wasn't exactly a holiday though, but it was a change of scenery!

The good thing about being in a pre-erected tent is that you will have lights and a fridge. Not having running water is a pita though.

Oh I feel encouraged now! Thanks. Good point about the running water though.

We started camping in our very small caravan when DS was 6 weeks, the hardest aspect was keeping breast pump and bottles clean as I had major ishoos breastfeeding. If I hadn't had all that to worry about it would have been lovely! Later discovered Milton tablets which made camping loads easier.

I've seen lots of women BFing in France, might be one of those things that varies significantly from city to country though, hopefully someone else can enlighten you on that!

Good luck

We went with dd1 at 7 weeks with Canvas hols tent, it was fine. As slightly says, it wasn't so much a holiday as a change of scene, but it was nice.

Took dd2 at 10 weeks (CH tent again) and that was a doddle, the 'pain in the arse' bit was potty training dd1 at same time in a tent. Not my choice, I hasten to add: hers.

Lots of baby baths etc onsite, I didn't find the lask of running water a problem, just let DH deal with it.

Took DS away c 3months and camping proper at 6 months. Old timers by then, we have a canvas highchair and sling so no equipment needed. We have photos of him eating a baguette in the sling on the way back from the shop in the morning.

I've BF all three of mine & lived/traveled/holidayed in France: only ever had a comment re BF when in someone's home, they had individual ishooos (DH is French so we have a lot of French relatives). Very approved of culturally, however, because they have shorter maternity leave, many of DH's cousins etc switched to bottles at c.4 months for simplicity so horses for courses, as it is here.

Go for it! If you do take a buggy etc, I personally always find it a bit of a pain in France, as the pavements are so narrow and variable outside the main cities so I prefer slings over there. Changing nappies when out and about is also difficult, I do a lot of nappy changing in the boot of the car etc.

Having taken a very young baby on holiday to France i can honestly say don't worry. It's not a problem as all the campsites nowadays provide various amounts of equipment to suit your needs and the supermarkets tend to stock most brands that we are used to back in the UK in regards to nappies, formula etc.
One thing i would say is to check out the mobile homes as well as the tents. If you really want to go in a tent then fair enough but with young kids we found the mobile homes are just that much easier. From the shower and toilet down to the kitchen, we found it much much easier and its worth taking a look and seeing what you think. Also take a look at what you can get from each of the companies before you go. It saves an awful lot of space in your car if you pre book a lot of the stuff at the time of booking. have a look here to see what some of the companies offer. The first time we went we took a carry cot and all sorts for the baby and when we got there realised we didnt need to bother. I agree with Grumpla about the milton tablets. The first time we went we took a microwave steriliser which turned out to be a right pain. The next time we got one of the old fashioned milton buckets with tablets which was much simpler. Drop in the tablet and leave it alone.

In ref to the breast feeding, my wife never really had a roblem with this when we went to France but here's an article from the Guardian Not the most pleasant of reading but gives you an idea of how the French view the topic.

i've done exactly that, at same ages, with all 3 of my children. But we had a mobile and i think I'd do that rather than a tent as easy access to water and toilet. had a cabin for both ferry crossings, made it much easier and brittany good as didn't drive far.

only problem was having to agree names very quickly so could sort passports out. Oh and getting cream for baby thrush at chemists - gcse french didn't stretch to that. otherwise excellent - think the french were very welcoming. your 3 year old may be more of a challenge - as i can remember having to herd mine up a few times.

ps was breast feeding and don't remember any issues at all

COuld you get a mobile home instead of a tent? Slightly pricier but better equipped and more comfortable. I think public BF (albeit discreetlyobviously) in France is the norm. My parents live there and I have been to peoples house for dinner and they have bf in front of us guests so must be fairly commonplace.

If your baby is bf, it sounds very do-able - we did.

You will have to be quick with registering the birth and passport application, though.

Not mad. We camped in cornwall when ds was a few weeks old...in our own tent and small campervan, with feeding ishoos (I was expressing and topping up with FF...) we had electric hook up and a kettle so fine to do sterilising etc. Would have been even easier if I had cracked BFing (instead of cracked nipples!).

Cabin on ferry with a toddler is godsend.

I did this when my DS was six weeks. The only thing I found difficult was breastfeeding at night on an air bed: I couldn't get comfortable without a bedhead or wall to lean against.

Hopefully you will have proper mattresses with a headboard, but if not, consider taking loads of cushions/pillows etc for support.

HTH

we're going to a keycamp site in holland in June and staying in one of these mobile homes: www.keycamp.co.uk/about/miffy.html
although I see they don't have them on their Brittany campsite.
Don't think it sounds mad though, poss lack of running water a faff tho?

Main problem with the tent is the need to travel to the toilet in the middle of the night. With kids it can be a right pain but in the mobile much easier. All depends how much you crave the REAL canvas feel or whether you prefer not having to rough it! Well i say rough it, even the tents nowadays are really comfortable with many of the modcons.

Hmm, interesting.
Trickier to plan in advance when you obviously can't know what your new DC will be like! DS at 6 weeks was a doddle, but DD felt that nighttime was a good time to screeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam for ages for no apparent reason, and I would have found that very stressful in a tent,especially knowing how sound carries.

We did camp in Northumbria a few years ago and discovered one family camping with a toddler and a newborn, and the dad spent hours and hours at night jogging around the campsite with the newborn in a buggy as it was the only thing that kept her asleep! He slept in the daytime. I'm not sure that it was the best family holiday they had had......

But I'm a store of doom and gloom stories about camping, so ignore me! (And yes, we are a camping family, still camp every year - or I suppose the redst of my family do, I sort of exist alongside.....)

'rest' of my family, obviously!
Had got too carried away with being the camping Grinch there I think!

yes agree ASBYatt - another good reason for mobile rather than tent as less chance of waking up early (blinds at windows) and more sound proofing if they do. you would not be popular with neighbours if you woke everyone up early or through the night in a tent.

Thanks for all your replies and suggestions. The mobile homes are too expensive - even the cheapest seem to be double the cost of the tent. So tent it is I'm afraid!

My first dd wasn't a very fussy baby. She was easily settled at that age with a feed in the night. She loved sleeping and could sleep relatively late in the mornings too. I guess I was lucky and we'll have to hope for as much luck this time!

Anyway, I've gone and booked it now on the strength of all your positive comments, so if it all goes tits up I'll just have to blame mumsnet and do a spectacular flounce.

I wouldn't fuss about toilets - behind the tent or a potty for the 3 year old and a bucket for you!

Exactly what I was thinking IndieSkies