Help - camping in ne england with 19mth old

[hotbot]

Hi , we have a small 4 man dome tent pre-dd ,with no eating area, just one sleeping area. we thought we would try camping with dd this summer, just for weekends to see if we all enjoyed it, before we bought a new fancy smancy tent

does anyone have advice for us re:sleeping? im thinking of a queensize air bed for all 3 of us but dont know what to do sleeping bag wise. dd has only slept with us when she was v little and on the occasions when she has woke up and we've brought her to our bed, was a right mare fidgeting and v unsettled til back in her cot .
So if you're still with me help!!! EVEN IF ITS TO SAY DONT EVEN TRY!

We camped a few times when DD was around 24mths, admittedly in a bigger tent, but she could just as easily have slept right next to us in our "compartment".

We used a Ready Bed which DD loved - it was pretty cold at night so wrapped a big fleece blanket right round her & tucked under the ready bed so she wouldn't fall out. I think she was in fleece pjs inside her grobag (really was cold!) Had no probs at all - the fresh air wipes them out

We always just sleep on Thermarest self-inflating mattresses with own sleeping bags (hardcore ) but did take an extra one incase she ended up inbetween us.

Can't wait to go camping again this year - not sure what non-sleeping DS will be like though (he'll be 14mths+)

Ready beds are indeed fine and we have used them, Vango also make a childrens and babies range of bags with a great reputation which may be worth you looking at?

Also make sure you put ots of layers under her as the cold comes up through the ground- fleece blankets are ideal for this, or rugs.

Can't say you're nuts- at whitsun I shall be camping with my 2 disabled boys (ASD aged 8 and 4, my 7 year old NT son AND a baby who will be about 8 weeks! - eeeek!

thanks for replying guys, have to say i love camping, but dh and i arent very knoweldgeable, you will find we are always the two on the campsite that other campers will sit and enjoy a glass of wine to, whilst watching the "putting up the tent sideshow"
so the readybed says from 2 yrs onwards will dd 19mths be ok? am i being pfb? musy admit have been eyeing them up
amazonianwoman and peachy you are both very brave!!

This thread is giving me inspiration. DD is a fidget in our bed too and we have been worried about going camping in case she wont sleep, but those beds look great. I think the key is planning and it can be great...

Going to Beautiful days with 24 month old (she will be) so will look out for those beds too.

we do ready-beds too
DS1 still fits in his verrrrryy nicely, he is 7

when you get to the toilet trained/nearly but not quite stage, either get a spare one, or i made liners ( from a shower curtain, a single sheet and a towel sandwiched in the middle!) lol warm too!
enjoy your camping once you get practice with the tent (back garden or nearest park!) you will be great.

gigglewitch, funnily enough i was considering the backgarden!
pavlov did you go to beautiful days last year?

Hotbot - no I didnt, could not convince DH to let us go with DD just over a YO, tried explaining to him that it would be easier with her that age, unable to walk anywhere fast, than with a 2yo who will be able to run!!!! He just was not to be convinced, thought she was too young.

Did you go? You going this year?

our first trip with caravan / awning / everything has been to a site about 12 miles form home
yes our dc's idea of a huuugge treat in the summer is to kip in the tent in the garden! barbecue grub, zzz's in the tent!!

gigglewitch sounds great fun.

no pavlov, but read the acts and they appeal to me. We have a yen to go to the Roskilde festival when dd is a bit older. DH is festival goer, i am cowardly, love the music, but would go into bowel blockage for 3 days if i couldnt be guaranteed clean bogs and showers

Hot - rofl!

hotbot me too bout the shower but pmsl anyway

Hotbot - DD should be fine in a readybed at her age, all kids I know love them

I'm from the northeast - where are you planning on camping??

(Oh, and being cheeky, but DD has been given a next size up readybed - do you want to buy her fifi one??)

One of the best tips we had was to use normal size sleeping bags or whatever but to tie a bungee or elastic round part way down to convert them into child size ones.
Good luck - you'll have great fun

amazonian woman, we were thinknig alynwick / northumbrian side of things, cheers for your offer of bed its not cheeky at all, think we will do last min dash at the time, space is of the essence in the hotbot household

sccotergrrl, good tip. I think we will do the garden overnight and i think i would be more excited than dd

you gotta see the Alnwick garden then, next to the castle. gardens are fantastic family day out, esp in good weather

Fab part of the world Half of my family are from Alnwick

Good idea re camping in garden - too exciting!

We have a couple of plastic crates in the garage packed ready to go (pans, plates, mugs, tinned food, UHT milk, washing up liquid etc etc) so we can whizz off on a Friday afternoon if the forecast is good.

Now if the rain would just stop...

Must confess we are actually living in NE at the moment, but dont want to travel too far with dd hence somewhere about an hour away
i am convinced that there will be NO RAIN when hotbots in toon

hotbot I am in NE and have 2 under the sea patterned ready beds we rarely use, you can borrow one if you like? We camped near Bamburgh in Aug with our twins when they were 2.8 and it was COLD, also the year before on Arran and that was even colder! I think being in a small tent will be a good idea as you'll all warm it up! We do have a 6 berth tent going spare if you're interested?

gosh aren't you campers a friendly lot!
dingdong i am convinced that it will be 80 degrees when i camp Mind you theres nothing like the smell of a tent when its raining , and the sound on canvas is very soothing isnt it.6 nerth tent ,
wow i think we be be ok with our ickle one for now, out of interest how many adults does it take to put up your 6 berth? we provided great amusement for a campsite when we put up a massive tent once, or at least tried to . we had to tak eit back to the shop in the end. sigh

I do love the sound of rain on canvas! Our big tent isn't easy to put up tbh, pre-DTs we took it to the south of France when I was about 14 weeks pg, the really hoy summer of 2003 and I couldn't move or help DH at all (other than to give helpful hints )

We tried camping for the first time in Sept with our 3yr old and 15 month old. Our travel cot wouldn't fit in the car with all the stuff so I put in her "My First Readybed" which I'd bought for her for when she was over 2 but she was fine in it, it's got a "headboard" and inflatable sides and i was next to her so she didn't fall out. Lots of fleece, pj's and blanket to keep her warm, looking forward to doing it again this May!

Ooo, I'm getting all excited, may have to go & sniff our tent in the garage

We usually go to the Lakes, where it always rains...