Tips for keeping children quiet

[Barbeasty]

DD enjoyed the test run camping in the garden, so we're planning to go and do it for real.

My concern is that lots of sites stipulate that people should be quiet between about 10pm and 8am. Now the 10pm bit is easy, but DD is 4 and was woken by the birds at 5.30am this weekend.

What can I take/ do to keep her quiet for a few hours in the morning?

Duck tape?

First of all, don't stress too much. You wont be the only one on the site with early rising children. People who are serious about their sleep bring ear plugs camping.

That said, there are a few things you can do to give yourself and everyone else a break. First of all make sure you have easy access to a drink for her. Also something easy and non-messy for her to eat if she wakes up hungry - brioches are a good idea for this, with or without choc chips. Maybe a banana.

Try to get her doing quiet activities in the tent while you snooze if you can. Colouring in is the best one, or playing with lego maybe. Or, if you have to be involved, read lots of stories or do some arts and crafts - the Works usually have plenty of fairly simple craft packs which are great for early mornings in a tent. Just don't forget to bring glue and scissors .

As a last resort, having a portable DVD player or net book with films loaded can keep them quiet for ages, or even your phone if you have a few games on it.

Have a great time and remember, the first morning is usually the worst. By the second morning, she will be so tired out from all the fresh air and running around she will probably sleep later than you (hopefully).

Is she dexterous enough to manage a sticker book? No mess, no fuss and tends to really absorb their attention.

Thanks for some excellent suggestions.

I guess at the very least we can head to the shower block and not queue!

Get up and go out for a walk or even breakfast. A lovely dewy pj walk with thr dawn is nice in a while. Just stick a jacket and wellies in a creep out

When ours were little we didn't worry too much about getting them to bed on time. Big believers of bed time at home but camping was always different especially if we had a camp fire.

I think the fresh air often tires children out so they don't wake as early in the morning.

That being said I would much rather camp next to a family with noise from the children at 5.30am than a load of shouty campers up until 1am.

I wish the fresh air tired my children out ??. Even if we keep them up till 10pm, they are awake at 5. We tend to take the laptop with us and put them a dvd on to occupy them quietly for a couple of hours. Before we did this, it used to be reading books and colouring in.

I also make sure I have drinks for the morningin the bedroom and I take a big box of Cheerios as the dc will all eat them without milk, so they are an easy snack to give them to tie them over until I can drag myself out of bed to do proper breakfast.