Help convince me it's the right thing to do!!!!!

[sarahhal]

DH and I love camping but haven't really gone much since DS1, now 3 was born. We now have DS2 (9months) Months ago I decided that we would go to France in the summer but in a mobile home thingy. Booked with a company called Matthews Holidays but I keep looking at the price ( £1600 for two weeks including the long Brittany ferry crossing)and am really tempted to cancel (would lose my £100 deposit) and do it on our own with our tent. I think that my only worry is that the boys won't sleep well and just keep us and all the campsite up for hours!! It works out at just half the price to do it alone and TBH I think I prefer being in a tent to a caravan. I just can't stomach paying so much for two weeks in a caravan!

Aaah!! Need to decide in next couple of days so I don't lose any more than the deposit.

Anyone any advice for camping with a toddler and baby? Any tips on sleep/early waking in tent?

Do you want us to convince you that it's a good idea?

Have you got your own tent? If you are going to buy one then i recommend you go for one where you can all be in the one large bedroom so you don't end up crawling across a tent in the middle of the night. Something like an \link{http://www.outwell.co.uk/Outwell Indiana} where the rooms also separate.

There is also a really good thread on here about camping with small children, I'll try and track it down for you.
hth

grrr \link{http://www.outwell.co.uk/\try again}Outwell Indiana.

Do Matthews do tent hire too? It might be a good compromise for this year? Just a thought!

im about to try camping with a toddler and baby - Jess will be almost 2 (her birthday the day we leave) and Becky will be nearly 9 months. Im just biting the bullet and doing it.

Travel cot for baby - doubles up as playpen during the day

Early wakings - well im hoping all the fresh air will knock them out!!! (They are up about 6am at home anyway1)

I went for the first time last year with a 9 year old and 1 and a half year old and loved it. Make sure you buy a big tent.

\link{http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=3&threadid=8402\here's the thread about camping and children} hope it helps.

Thank you all! Have already got a decent size tent but still lust after a bigger one. Have now actually decided that we may forget going to France this year and stick to camping in the UK. Am pretty certain now that we are going to cancel the booked holiday as we just can't afford to fork out that much cash at the moment. Just back at work today after 10 months maternity leave so totally skint!!

Will have to be a regular on this topic now after being a lurker for so long!!

we're going camping, well in a caravan with kids for the 1st time this year, but will bring along our old 2 man tent for the boys to try out. made the mistake of looking at your link, lcc & have fallen totally in love with the Hartford xxl. I want that tent. Are they mega expensive? Couldn't see the prices. I will dream of that tent. getting over excited for no apparent reason.

Well I've done it and written to cancel the holiday. It feels the right thing to do and I'm now looking forward to just being able to head off somewhere in the UK. Both DH and I are teachers so we have the luxury of 6 weeks to try to get a good weather week somewhere!

Now, with the money we're saving let's look for a new tent