I've bought a tent, what other essentials do I need?

[ImFree2doasiwant]

I posted before, starting from scratch, camping with 2 small children. I've bought a tent! Vango icarus 5, with extension. Bloody huge.

What are the bare essentials?

I have -
Cool box, small.
Single gas ring, the sort that a little canister fits under.
Kids chairs. (Necessary? )
Loads of waterproofs, wellies etc.
Foam tiles for under beds.
Lanterns.
Fleece blankets.

To get -
Air bed or SIMs?
Sleeping bags
Er.........

To add, I have a small car. And a small budget.

Head torch for taking small DC to the loo in the middle if the night.
More layers of clothes than you think you could possibly need.

Small table.
Chair for you.
Blow up pillows if you don't have space for full size ones.
Box with kitchen equipment like pan, knife, cutlery, chopping board, plates, mugs... Can be stuff from home.
Washing up bowl.
Bin bags.
Kettle that can go on gas ring.
Lots of gas canisters.

Ooh yes I have head torches. The DC don't go overnight, but I do. We have a portable potty.....

Doormat and box/bad for leaving shoes at the door.
Dustpan and brush.
Washing up bowl.
Pee bucket if you don’t want to traipse the loo in the night!
Windbreak for privacy.
Folding airer to hang wet towels and clothes on.
Folding table/table and chairs combo (you could take that instead of their chairs as it would offer 4 seats and a table and take up similar space in the car)
Take regular duvets and pillows if you can fit them in - so much warmer and more comfy than sleeping bags!

Box/bag*

Freeze bottles of water to put in the cool box. Keeps everything cool for the first couple of days as they defrost, then you can drink them.

Towels (Not just for showers, we use them at the end of the trip to dry the underside of the tent.)

A footprint mat for under the tent - this is an extra ground sheet so that the actual tent stays clean underneath.

These (along with shoes off in the tent and sweeping it!) are the niceties that make camping a little more work but a lot less grim for me! My kids have it drilled into them, no food and drink in the bed pods, always keep the zips shut to the bed pods to keep insects out, shoes off etc which makes it a bit of a military manoeuvre but also means we never have spills, insects or wet bedding to deal with!

Loo roll
Kitchen roll
Washing up sponge
Bit of old carpet to wipe your feet on
A tea towel
Some plastic/metal plates and/or bowls
Plastic/metal mugs
A saucepan
A can opener

Don't know about SIMS as haven't used them but definitely something to raise you off the ground. We bought air beds from Aldi & they do the job.
You will need a pump though as well.
Poundland have lots of camping stuff - water carriers, lanterns, washing lines, washing up bowls etc. Also had a portable bbq at our local one for £5

You really should get a silk liner for your sleeping bags, somehow it makes a huge difference.
Does you rent have pegs? If so you’ll need a mallet.
Light source of some kind is handy.
Baby wipes are very hand in tents.
A tub for shoes which you leave by the rent door to avoid mud and dirt inside the tent is also very handy.
If you have lots of clothes you can get a few stackable foldable tubs to organise them/whatever else you bring.
In general foldable tubs are extremely useful when camping, don’t underestimate them.

Cooking utensils, salad bowl, chopping board.

Pegs.
Warm socks.

Cheapy croc type shoes as they’re waterproof, easy to slip on and off, washable.

We have camp beds and sims on top. Very warm and comfy.

Fleece pyjamas to put on over the top of normal PJs at dusk. Warmer for night time wees than a onesie.

Smidge. I’m camping right now (!!) and the bastard midges are out in force.

Tent carpet- makes such a difference!!

Wine. Make sure it's screw top [bitter]

Thanks for all the responses. I think I need a bigger cool box. Mine is quite small I think.

The boys have wellies which I'd take for mornings, they're kept by the back door at hone as they often run out to the garden first thing. I have some croc type garden things already.

@JackiesArmy good god. adds corkscrew to list

Collapsible water carrier.

Child 2 will still come and climb in with me so I think airbed/sim is going to be best for me at the moment. Double for me, 2x singles for DC.

Some sort of storage. We got ours cheap from lidl. Being able to put stuff away and then to be able to find things made it more bearable for me.

A hotel?

Off the floor camp beds - you will be warmer.

Hot water bottles.

Box red wine - no fridge required.

Will it be you in your own with the children?
And how long will your trips be?

I wouldn’t be taking half the stuff on this thread if it was just me and the kids for 3 night’s.

What you sleep on is a matter of personal preference. Was it cjnverrc on the last thread?

Basically insulated from the ground is important. Roll out foam mats and SIMS are well insulated, blow up air beds are not. The air just getsi cold from the ground.

But if you have a foam tile mat that will insulate well, and act as a tent carpet too.

Kids are OK on roll out foam mats like this www.decathlon.co.uk/m100-foam-camping-sleeping-mat-id_5591048.html
Especially with a foam tile mat underneath. You might prefer a SIM.
And advantage of sleeping bags is that they provide another layer of padding underneath you as well as in top, for comfort and insulation. But they need to be good quality and not Tesco or Halfords etc.

Torches
Tables
Seats
Event shelter
Electric hook up cables
Door mat
Bucket for night wees
Glow sticks
Marshmallows
Wet wipes
Electric grill
Bin bags
Plasters

I have no idea really, going for the first time tomorrow!

IMO, as long as you have good insulation (foam mats in the form of a playmat, SIM or roll out foam mats, you do not need to take additional camp beds.

If you are camping in your own with kids to watch the less you have to put up and pack down the better.