Eurocamp and an 18 month old who cries at bedtime - will I be lynched?

[Snowgirl1]

I haven't camped for years and have booked direct Eurostar tickets from London to South of France for the first week of September. I'd love to book a ready-erected tent, but at the moment DD seems to be going through a phase of crying quite a lot at bedtime. I'm worried that everyone on the campsite might be ready to lynch us after a couple of evenings as there would be no way of preventing the noise travelling. Should I book a mobile home/chalet instead? Or are campers a forgiving lot?

I've found them to be forgiving. Mainly because they are parents too and understand the problems of bedtimes with over tired children on holiday.

Would probably try to get the sleep problem sorted before you go if possible as it'll be far less stressful for you. Alternatively you could use the technique of the campers next to us this week and just let her run until she drops...

I would go with the 'run until she drops' technique too. On a recent camping trip with other friends we tried one night to get DD to go to bed at the same time as the other children. It was still light, she knew people were still up having fun round the fire and even though she was exhausted she protested at not being allowed to stay up and she was upset when she went to sleep. The next night we decided to let her stay up, put her pyjamas and fleece onesie on and she sat with us round the fire. She knew she could go to bed when she chose and she was asleep on DH's lap in no time, from where we transferred her easily to bed.

I know which option I would go for in future.

That said, we have never had complaints about crying children from anyone on a campsite, even during the night, let alone in the evening when most people are still up - everyone suffers with it at some point.

Otherworld and MummyPigs thanks for your feedback. Might brave it after all. I hadn't thought of just letting her stay up and fall asleep when she falls asleep, but I guess if the usual bedtime routine resulted in crying then that would definitely be an option.

We've tried all sorts to get her over the crying at bedtime (sitting in the room with her, leaving her on her own, getting her out of the cot and cuddling/soothing her, putting her to bed earlier/later) but once she's realised that it's bedtime there are tears until she falls asleep. Hopefully it's just a phase and she'll grow out of it by the first week of September!

Now I just need to persuade DH that a tent will be fun!

sympathies!

In my experience, all of my rigorous routines tend to go out the window when on holiday anyway.

Just play it by ear and try not to worry, I promise you won't be the only one with a crying child, and evening crying has to be better than 2am screaming!

Eurocamp is family and children central, so you won't have the only crying child, believe me!

YY to routines going out of the window on holiday.

She'll be busy busy busy all day, so the run til she drops option works for me too.

(Haven't you left it a bit late to be booking a holiday???)

I camped last week. In the evening, I could hear one little girl demanding, through wails, that they get her out of her RIGHT NOW!! ('they' being her parents). I didn't complain, I just smiled sympathetically and thanked god it wasn't one of mine who were still all playing at 9pm

Poledra, if you hadn't said it was last week, I would have thought that was DD on our camping trip. I forced her to go to sleep, through wails, and then thought why did I do that? Camping is supposed to be fun and a holiday, even if it is just for a weekend, so surely that should apply to children too? That is why, the next night, DH and I told her she could stay up round the fire as long as she wanted (as long as she was dressed for bed), Cue almost immediate collapse.

Great, thanks everyone. Feeling reassured.

YD it's not in the school summer holidays, so availability is looking okay - I've booked the travel, just not the accommodation because I've been humming and hawing about a tent and an 18 month old. Now I feel confident enough to go and book it - fingers crossed there is still availability!