Starting from scratch, advice please for camping with 3 and 4 yr olds.

[ImFree2doasiwant]

Hello,

I really love camping, did a lot in my youth, but am early 40s, single, with 2 small children. I'd love to start getting a decent camping kit together, but need to start pretty much from scratch. I have a small tent which would do for a start, but am kern to get something bigger and more suitable. I have NOTHING else.

I'd be grateful for advice on
Bed/bedding for the kids
Food storage
Cooking gear
Wet weather!

What is the bare minimum? I don't have a huge budget. I think we could have some great times camping but don't want to miss anything. Being 40 something and having small children us altogether different to my past camping experiences

I just used normal bedding for my 4 and 6 year old as they didn’t get on with the sleeping bags we tried. I usually sleep with them and then put a couple of big fleecy throws in with us too and if cold out them in fleecy onesies.

Cooking wise we use a cadack but I’d just get a small gas cooker to start with because they’re small and easy. I guess you don’t want too much to sort out if you are camping alone with two small children. I usually take some premade meals (eg frozen spag Bol) to reheat when we camp as well as some more basic tins of sausages and beans.

I make sure we have a waterproof bag or box to store clothes in or keep them in the car. That way if the weather is awful and the tent floods/leaks you have dry clothes (only happened a couple of times to us and both times very wet weather was predicted.

I usually pack small toys I know will keep them entertained if needed (eg stickle bricks and drawing pads) and it rains. We do also download some audio books and some episodes of programmes so we have that option if needed.

I think choice of campsite is important with young children. We camped near a river when ours was little and although it was lovely it meant we couldn’t take our eyes of them at all. I prefer to camp close to woods so they can wonder off to the woods and back (within eye sight) and there is somewhere to explore close to the tent.

We have a share shop near us. Might be worth looking to see if you have one local to borrow some camp gear from if needed so you don’t have to buy it all in one go.

Borrow as much as you can and get the rest second hand. Get the kids torches for the night time and prepare for very early starts as the sun shines through the tent from silly
O'clock.

Roll mats, sleeping bags, Aldi had cheap cooking gear last week. Get waterproof trousers as well as coats plus wellies (ideal for middle of the night toilet runs though a potty can be a better idea at those ages). Basic cool box. You should be able to kit out the 3 of you for £100 in basic gear - start with Aldi or Lidl

A folding washing up bowl. Doesn’t sound like a vital piece of kit, but it is the MOST useful piece of camping equipment I’ve ever bought. Useful for a whole range of things and has pockets round the side for storing washing up liquid, clothes, shampoo, soap etc. Means you can wash up at tent, also hair wash/strip wash as required, store dirty dishes neatly, soak sore feet etc. Got laughed at when I bought it and again when I lent it to friends, everyone stopped laughing once they had experienced its fabulousness!

When anyone mentions camping with kids it always makes me think of Sophie Hook. Please get a padlock to prevent anyone unzipping the tent or a child getting out.

I know it could be a luxury and genuinely not needed for any 2-3 night trip, but I have an electric hook up, a mini fridge (30l) & kettle! An absolute life safer! Think hot drinks if it is wet & cold, milk butter and cheese in the fridge for a quick lunch.
I think sleeping bags are more fun for the kids and yes to camp beds (Aldi do cheap and durable ones!), which I highly Once - ours are 6years and still going strong!
Once you have found out that camping is still for you, get a polycotton tent - they are much better than the usual playing ones.

We started with our kids at a similar stage - they’re now teens and we’re still camping with great joy so I think your instincts are right, there’s a lot of fun to be had!

Sleeping - we used sleeping bags and self inflating mats for ours, they got on with those well. We also got them each their own little camping chair with an animal character on, they liked having their ‘own special chair’.
If you decide in advance whether you’re planning to use electric hookup (EHU) then you will be able to decide on your lighting and whether to get a ‘normal’ cool box or an electric one. We went without EHU for years but quite like the convenience now! If you decide against electric, a lot of campsites will let you freeze your ice packs so you can still go for a long stay and keep your food refrigerated in a cool box.
We bought wellies and all-in-one waterproofs for ours, they still had a great time on rainy trips. Just make sure you always have at least ONE warm dry outfit to change into or it gets miserable.
I also gave each of our little ones their own little wind up torch so they were able to access light if they needed it as the very dark nights could make them a bit anxious.
Honestly, we never took many toys. A board game and a ball, frisbee, the usual. They pretty much just liked running wild! No bubbles as they can ruin the waterproofing on tents. It does depend where you go, we liked quite basic sites but tried to choose ones with animals and/or a basic playground. Having farm animals onsite was massively popular with the kids.
Oh, and we got a Kampa Khazi (bucket with a lid and a toilet seat) otherwise we’d be getting up all night walking them to the toilet block! You can get separate standalone toilet tents if you like, we just brought ours into the living area when we went to bed. MUCH better than going out into the cold.
Good luck, best thing ever whether it rains or shines, honestly!!

Your problem will be trips to the loo in the middle of the night as you can’t leave one or both of them alone. You need to invest in a bucket and some gel that goes in the bottom.

The other major concern is putting a tent up whilst supervising two toddlers. Other campers may help you but they may not.

Cooker on gas next to a tent with two toddlers???

I’m an experienced camper and I would not go camping as a single parent with two little ones. I went to a Eurocamp site in Italy once a year and hired a ready erected tent until mine were a lot older ie teenagers.

Our kids are a similar age. They aren't toddlers at 3 and can follow simple instructions. I would take them alone.
They want to be with you so precook meals and take frozen, so you aren't cooking. I'd limit stays to a long weekend max. Storage is key so some ikea fabric boxes for clothes and cupboard for food is helpful.
We have blow up cheap air beds over a sim and sleeping bags are fine. When they were loads younger we took a proper sized travelcot to keep youngest off the ground.
Toy wise - stomp rocket, swingball, ball and things which encourage other kids so they make friends.

@JustMarriedBecca - in your post you say “we”. So much easier when there are two of you. Unless you have taken little kids away camping on your own you just don’t appreciate how hard it is. Try waking up in a dark tent in the middle of the night on your own with a child having a nightmare.

If I was you OP I would go very local to home so that if something goes wrong you can just up and go home and collect your tent later in the day. You will have fun I’m sure but don’t underestimate how hard it is compared to a couple doing it.

Some good advice already. It's useful to have something ready to go for breakfast- we take wrapped brioches/croissants/crepes and the little boxes of cereal. Even if you plan on cooking a cooked breakfast these can starve off a bit of hunger whist they wait. Ready made pancakes are a nice brekkie, rolls and wraps to have sausage/bacon in.

Take your small tent but if you have or can borrow a gazebo tyoe thing you might appreciate it. Watch the wind on gazebos though- peg down carefully.

I would advise against a padlock. If you need to get out of the tent in a hurry it will work against you and a padlock doesn't deter, it suggests valuables in the tent- anyone could just slash the fabric*. As you zip the tent, try to end the zips at the top where the children can't reach. Put your bed near the door.

*Very, very unlikely to happen.

Get on e bay. I've been camping with my boys since they were 2. I think lots of spare clothes are needed.
Aldi blow up mats.. not mattresses.
Fold up table.
Fold away stove
Cool box.
Woolly hats
Anti bac wipes
Flip flops for by tent
Empty comfort bottle for night time/early morning wees.
Lamps.
Aldi. E bay. B and m. Asda all very good for cheap and cheerful supplies.

Oh I was on my own too just to add. Dont buy a big tent. You wont be able to put it up alone. Get a blow up one if can but Pricey. I cant afford one. I got a 4 man dome tent. It's totally do able on your own. But to be fair I have never been camping were there hasnt been someone willing to help.
Yes for easy snacks. Cereal bars, bananas, brioche, oh and you need a water carrier and water bottles.

I'd get a larger tent if possible because the extra space wont be wasted! I actually saw an 8 person one at tescos yesterday for £45 on special!!!! I cant see that one online though, so possible just a local shop discount. Many places will have their summer stock of camping things, so you might get some bargains.

Also look at argos, asda home, tesco, aldi/lidl etc. If you are wanting longer lasting, you might need go outdoors or more specialist shops.

Sorry, missed the bit about you being on your own. Blow up tents are quick, but expensive. Might be worth a look though.

Many sites these days have campers lounges/kitchens I would go for one of those so you have somewhere to eat/ watch videos if the weather isnt great. For the same reason one where you can get the car near the tent.

Get a tent you can pitch alone and leave the children strapped in with a video while you are doing so.

Agree with dont ever use a padlock as it means you cant get out or be got out quickly.

And lastly, if your children are helping take the tent down please be very explicit about what you want them to do. I got rudely awoken one morning by a slightly panicked dad shouting 'no not those pegs ollie, that's not our tent' followed buy the end of my tent collapsing and being repitched by dad

For packing up we take those
Massive ikea bags and just plonk everything it in quickly. Then I sort through it at home as I put it away correctly. Found I preferred speedy putting away and sorting at home to trying to organise it back into the car when I inevitably ending up getting the car disorganised anyway!

got rudely awoken one morning by a slightly panicked dad shouting 'no not those pegs ollie, that's not our tent' followed buy the end of my tent collapsing

I have done lone parent camping with one 3 then 4 yo, not two.

Plan for getting set up: will they stay in the car watching a DVD, or be trusted to stay close by you?
Same for pack up.
You need a porta potti / Kampa khaki or similiar in the tent. Dragging two of them to the toilet block every time one of you want to go = nightmare.

Lots of very easy food. Brioche roll and banana for breakfast. Kids spill cereal when camping and spilt milk on clothing and stuff when camping is a pain.

Take tons of wipes.

Zip the tent door to the top so that the zipper is out of reach. And attach a little bell. Make sure the tent has a fully sewn in ground sheet: they can get out under a ‘linked in’ sheet.

Sorry but Sophie Hook references when camping with adults is really OTT. And padlocking a tent when you are in it is dangerous. A fire (massively unlikely) is a greater risk than someone getting in through main tent and bedroom tent with an adult present. Campsites are very safe places unless people do stupid things like bring a used BBQ into the tent or disregard the safety instructions on a ‘suitcase’ stove.

I had great fun camping with my pre-schooler.

Personally I would not get an inflatable tent. A simple tunnel style tent is very easy and quick to put up alone, and inflatable tents can take much longer to pack and fold up, getting all the air out etc.

Potty definitely.
A zip up bag for toys and books. If not being played with or read it goes IN THE BAG (things get lost easily in the tent)
Winter pyjamas and socks (gets cold at night even in August)
Lots of torches and batteries (gets very dark at night)

Take a big picnic rug or tarpaulin / extra groundsheet for them to sit / play on outside the tent.

Thanks everyone, im really surprised at people saying not to take them on my own! I do everything with them on my own, it hasn't occurred to me not to do this.

My tent is the sort with a "bedroom" at each end, and an area in the middle, between the bedrooms. I'm going to put it up in the garden, maybe we'll camp out there to start. Also have somewhere down the road we could camp too as trial runs.

Not too worried about them needing a midnight wee, or having nightmares. They sleep well, and will have me right there.

Good tips on easy to grab breakfast food. I think food is the bit I'm most concerned about.

For toilet runs you can get potette bags - put them inside a normal potty (whatever you already have) then after they pee in the night you just need to tie up the potette bag and throw them away in the morning.

We do have a potette already, it's been invaluable!