Got the tent, got a toddler.... what else do I need to buy?

[sparkymummy]

We are hoping to go on our first camping trip as a family in a few weeks time. We have the tent but nothing much else. Any ideas on what to take and what to leave at home? DS is almost 2 and co sleeps so will poss need something for him to sleep in as we both have single sleeping bags!

bunting

Really really GOOD sleeping bags. 3 season AT LEAST.

Airbed (suggest colemans) and decent pump-one that plugs into the car is good.

a torch is fun but not NEEDED

tbh, that is all you NEED. I'd spend money on these basics first, tbh.

A pillow/duvet/sheets etc would not be a bad idea.

If you want to cook, bring stuff for that. We have a single burner stove and take the usual stuff you'd need at home.

There are all sorts of fancy gadgets out there (some people even have tent carpets but the best thing IMO is to try it for a night or two close to home and see what YOU need.

Someone always suggests a bucket with a lid for wee but somehow...eeeew. Because at some point you are going to have to empty a bucket of wee somewhere .

oh and picnic mat for under the airbeds-insulates them

the single most important thing when camping us to be warm and dry imo

am getting my posts in now before the tent doormat brigade arrive

If you are going out of season then decent tent pegs! Not those little wire ones but something solid. Just a few for the guy lines.

Fillyjonk - how can you do without a torch?

And a sturdy mallet to bang the tent pegs in!
How big is your tent?We have one of those big family ones so we take DD's travel cot for her to kip in (she is 2 and a bit)..it fits in one of the sleeping compartements. (is that poncy?)

Halfords had a wicked offer on tents about two weeks ago..you could get a family tent, living bit and 4 'sleeping bits',4 airbeds and 4 sleeping bags for £100, which I thought was pretty good..not sure its still on though..

Bubble mix and a kite. Realise that neither are essential camping equipment but we wouldn't go anywhere under canvas without them.

Otherwise, towels, toilet rolls, pillows and a watertight box for the matches.
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lol

I have honestly never used one, except for puppet shows

we co-sleep also and when camping we go at bed at the same time as the kids, which is generally around dusk.

I dunno, for me camping is a little kids holiday so it revolves around them. If dp and I wanted a holiday...it would involve a nice warm fire and a minibar, I think

omg HOW did I forget bubble mix and the kite?

suggest those cheapo pocket kites, btw, they are so easy to fly even for kids.

once we went on holiday with 6 friends and 9 preschoolers and someone brought...a bubble machine! brilliant! wine drunk by all!

Thanks everyone. When I last went we had sleeping mats not airbeds, are they much better? And would DS be ok between us on an airbed (neither of us are too big!)

he'd be fine, but I do think, if you are cosleeping, its esp important to get an airbed that doesn't deflate. so colemans or similar but with a really good pump.

if you have mats anyway take them and put them under the airbed for insulation. camping is sooooo much better if you're warm and have had a night's sleep!

Youre right there Fillyjonk - a good nights sleep is the absolute key to enjoying everything else.

Torch wise - you sound like a lovely chilled out sort of person to all go off to sleep together like that I really like my hour or two after to have some quite time talking to dh. This week I don't think I could have coped with going to bed at 8:30 - it was pitch black by then!

Ok, sleeping bag wise, for a small 2 year old would you get a childs one? And where abouts should I look for one, and what should I be looking for? I guess washable would be good, but when I looked in a few catalogues they seem to be more into the design on the front instead of how good the actual bag is iykwim!

What about one of these?
kids bags

Main thing is to look at the comfort temp rating and consider whether your child is a hot sleeper or a cold one. Lots of kids don't like mummy shaped ones though, there are some rectangular ones on the previous page of that link.
For dd (when she was 6 though) I got her a rectangular one and then made a little fleece liner to go in it. makes it more versatile. When its cold she has a blanket over the top.

When she was 2 she was hopeless at staying in her sleeping bag so it was more of a case of putting lots of clothes on her and hoping she would stay inside.

Also we did try those airbed/sleeping bag combos. Bad move - she hated it, it kind of slid round then she would tip and wake up wearing her airbed like a snail.