First camping trip with a little one. Need your top tips please!

[MissVic101]

Hiya. We are going to a wedding next August with camping. We can glamp in a bell tent for 150 quid for 3 nights and I would be up for that but husband points out we could spend the 150 on the camping gear we are going to need with a one year old (hopefully another one in the next couple of years too) and take it home with us. I have to admit he has a point. so I am thinking one of those with 2 large sleeping areas and a central section. Baby will be in with us I reckon but I am thinking travel cot for her sleeping arrangements. Is there anything you have found indispensable/useless when camping with a family. Any tips , tricks and recommendations gratefully accepted. Ps after flicking through the threads I really want a cobb!

You can worry about it far too much. I am assuming baby will be about 9 months to a year old by then.

Perfectly possible in a std 3 man type tent - we stuck an airbed in and that gave our first some safe cruising space to roll around on whilst dad did a Mountainbike race....We all kipped down together (no need for a cot etc.
If not BFing you can boil bottles on your camping stove no bother to sterilise - or use a cold steriliser and Miltons.

You really don't need much special kit - beyond that you will be using for a baby anyway.
In August - the weather will be great - the wedding will entertain you all - and you will all sleep like logs - enjoy ;-)))

We are really looking forward to it. She will be 11 months in August.Thanks for the reply. im not sure about the three of us in a three man though. That's what we have at the minute and its great for the 2 of us. It takes a double mat and our gear nicely with room to manoeuvre. Though I hear what your saying about not worrying and keeping it simple we will both be having a drink at some point over the weekend and I would worry about her getting tangled in us or in the mountain of stuff we will inevitably have for 3 day camping/wedding spectacular if everything was in one space. Maybe cot is over kill. Any other way to give her her own space and keep her warm enough?

I did lots of camping last year with one year and found a sling to be essential - two free hands to get water, wash the dishes, put up the tent and set up cooking equipment. It also meant I knew where DS was as he was crawling quite fast at that stage and a big field was like heaven to him! Randomly - porridge that you add hot water to. Handy to have a meal you can make very quickly if they wake up at 5.30am and it's dark and cold and they are very hungry! Learnt a lesson there :-)
Camping is brilliant with LO.

I think a travel cot with a one year old could be quite good as you can use it as a play pen when cooking or putting the tent up, etc.

Did you mean what they call a vis a vis tent, with to bedrooms facing each other and the living spacfe and entrance on the middle? I would get a roomy tunnel tent with one big sleeping compartment or a removable screen to create two sleeping compartments. Tunnel tents tend to have more head room in the bedrooms than a vis-à-vis, and you don't want to be unzipping and crossing the tent to get to your babies. More flexibility in having you all in together and space for the travel cot.
And yes, you need a bigger tent than 3 man. A 6 man tent does nicely for 3 of us!

Sling will definitely be coming with us! Yeah I guess she will be weaning then so ready brek - check! Imagine she will still be on the boob to some degree as well. As regards tents I am thinking we are of an age where we need to be able to stand up! Thinking some kind of living area for when the weather turns, maybe a folding table? Some investment pieces for our camping gear collection !

Yep blu, I did mean a vis a vis, though I didn't know it! Googling tunnel tents now

I would advise a tent with 2 sleeping pods at one side and the living area at the other. Ours is an outwell Oakland XL and the sleeping pods have a zip divider which can be opened to create a huge sleeping area. Far better for kids who don't like to feel too separated from you.

Have a look at the Vango Icarus 600, which Decathlon have for £199. You may get it cheaper - just found Cross Camping and Leisure have it for £185. I think the partition in the sleeping bit is optional, not sure. Quick to pitch, very waterproof, loads of headroom, Vango are a good make.

haha! Snap! Thats the one that caught my eye too though people seem to think the poles are a bit iffy? ? The outwell ones look really good quality. There is an outwell oregon 5 on sale at go outdoors 199 quid. Not got the nice windows off the icarus though. So the 150 budget is going to get stretched! Glamping not looking so pricey now!

There are a number of Icarus 600s on Ebay at the moment too for various prices but whether it is better to buy now or wait until more tents start coming on sale in Spring I don't know really.

I would second a tunnel tent rather than a vis a vis at this stage - I woukdn't fancy having the living area between you and the children while they are little.

We had a Little Life Arc 2 travel tent thing: www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00BEUF44C/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=103612307&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000UNKO2G&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=1KCDBW0KXVPR1HAN2KNM for DD when she was that age which packed down much smaller than a travel cot and has a zip at the side as well as at the top which is handy so you can pop a hand in and give them a pat or a cuddle without having to get out of bed yourself at night (assuming you have the cot next to you obv). They are pricey but you might get a bargain on Ebay perhaps.

Another alternative is Decathlon do a pop up baby tent and there are other pop up travel cots out there but they are not as stable as a normal travel cot (or Arc 2) and don't really double as a playpen.

All in one fleece sleepsuits are brilliant for keeping them warm (even in August it can get cold at night) so keep an eye out for bargains as the winter stuff starts being sold off at the start of Spring. We had one with a hood and fold back feet and wrists from trespass which was great but I am not sure they still make it - you can get them here though: www.campingworld.co.uk/Models.aspx?ModelID=5980&gclid=COHvtc_epLwCFSTMtAodbykADw&utm_source=google&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=UnitedKingdom and maybe other places.

Headtorches, found mine indispensable with unlighted portaloos!

Unlit.

We took my daughter camping for the first time last May when she was 10 months old. We took a travel cot with us, but this was used as a playpen outside the tent during the day. It was very sunny when we were away, so we could put a sheet over the top of the travel cot to keep her shaded. Also found the £12 highchair from ikea was ideal to take as doesn't take up much room and is easily washed etc. We have only had her away on few 2 night trips so have been happy enough in a 3 man tent, but would definitely want something I could stand up in for any longer trip - especially if the weather wasn't as good.

Yy to headtorches and IKEA highchair. IKEA also do a sheepskin rug thing which is brilliant for putting under them as insulation when they are sleeping. Keeps them snug.

Some sort of beach tent (pop up maybe) is also good as a place for them to play with shade if the weather is hot. Quite a big one if you want to put a travel cot in.