Camping with a 11 months old and 3 year old- any tips?

[pootlepod]

We have camped plenty before but this will be our first long trip with both children. So any tips would be appreciated, especially-

*What would be best for the 11 month to sleep in, we have a self inflating mattress but would he be roaming all over the place or should we take a pop up cot as well?

*any other equipment that is very useful to take?

Where are you going? what is a long trip? we took ours backpacking in thr Pyrenees for 2 weeks walking and freecamping, carrying all our food & equipment, when our kids were 7/8 years old, and contined to do so until they would not be seen dead with wrinklies, when they were teenagers.
We softened up a bit as we got older, and the grandchildren occupied the awning on our caravan, in the Pyrenees, and also in France and Portugal.
For a 11 mont old definitely take a cot. In a tent everything can be heard & they wil be up to find out what is going on. ALL NIGHT. They will find plenty to do if its fine, but take plrnt of things to do if it is wet. Good luck1

Thank you- think we will be taking the cot as we need it for the ferry.

we're looking forward to it- really!

If you are going to the continent, remember that their kids stay up with the adults in the evening, and replace the sleep with an afternoon siesta when the sun is at its hottest. We all had a siesta actually. With kids the age of yours you will attract maternal litle girls from somewhere on the site, and you will find they are no trouble to entertain. They might even learn a few foreign phrases, and you usually end up befriending the parents of the maternal little girls. Do enjoy your holiday

We just spent a week camping with a 9 month old. We took a travel cot for him which we used as a playpen to contain him during the day. That kept him away from the stoves as well as the sand that he wanted to eat! Poor little chap spent most of the week in the pushchair (used as a highchair), the cot or the car. He was very glad to be allowed to crawl when we got to grandparents at the end of the week!

Also, although there is the possibility of him not sleeping because of so much going on, there is also the possibility that he does what ds2 did: whilst the wind tried to blow the tent down one evening, and dh and I had to decide whether to stay or bail (we stayed), ds2 slept peacefully in his cot like the proverbial baby!

How mobile is the 11mth old? We took DD (3) and DS (10mths) last September when he had just started walking, he was into EVERYTHING, though not as much as he was into it 2 weeks ago at 18mths

We kept ALL the stuff (cooking things, food, clothes etc) in our compartment, zipped up tight so out of reach. DD and DS slept in the other, smaller room with just bedding and toys - it was the tidiest we have ever been whilst camping!

DS sleeps on an ordinary air-mattress but if you are taking a cot for the ferry then that will double up as a bed and 'playpen' for when you want to cook etc.

Be very aware that other campers won't be very baby-conscious so you will need eyes in the back of your head!

Both children slept like a dream as they were out in the fresh air all day but DS was up quite early (as usual). Make sure you have changing bag/jumper/wellies in easy reach so one of you can get out quickly with the one that has woken up, leaving the other two to sleep!

Have a wonderful time, children and camping is fantastic

Both of mine we had in a travel cot as a babies.

in addition to other comments, plastic backed picnic rugs are good for babies & toddlers. We used one as an occasional carpet inside when wet, also somewhere to plonk them outside.