Camping with 3yo and 1yo for first time this wknd - tips in the heat?

[anyonether]

We are camping for one night on Saturday at a campsite with family. 3yo and 1yo who as a baseline don’t sleep well. 3yo in particular is prone to waking up very upset. Currently downstairs just having got her calm after she woke up (I suspect) too hot and really escalated into a meltdown

im aware That the weather will be similar on Saturday night. I guess it may feel cooler overnight in a tent than the house? But it’s been a long time since I last camped and it was always too cold rather than too hot!

Aware that we will have had all afternoon of being outside/warm before the evening. Any top tips for keeping cool in the afternoon/evening/particularly overnight when camping?

thanks a lot in advance! I’m worried!

It’s hotter on Saturday in some places, check your forecast. Children that small in 30 plus degree heat will need to be in the shade, what’s the campsite like ?

Eeek. My main tip would be Do. not. Use. Sleeping. Bags.

SIMs plus sheets and maybe some blankets I case people get cold. Abd expect very early start as tents heat up quickly in the morning sun.

If you can pitch in the shade absolutely do that.!

Sorry but you must be nuts. It’ll be awful, children will get hot and miserable and nobody will sleep. Just don’t go.

I second this! You’ll have a stressful trip.

Could you get a blackout tent? That will be cooler at night, amd during the day to cool down when necessary.
I wouldn't go if the campsite doesn't have some shaded areas, though

I asked the same question earlier this week…

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/camping/5356267-camping-in-hot-weather?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=app_share

I’m also taking a baby paddling pool and super soakers to help keep kids cool!

But what is the point of loading up the car with all that stuff just to keep cool when you’d all be much more comfortable at home?

I third this , it will be grim and it would be bad enough with kids that sleep well can’t imagine a worse way to spend a Saturday night than in a stuffy tent with a crying child .

In a heatwave!!

I just wouldn’t tbh. Go another time and if you can’t then not at all. This way lies misery (and I camped in all weathers with kids as soon as they were mobile)

Keep the outside windows/airflows open but obvs indoor flynets need to be closed.
try and pitch in the shade
the air flow through makes a huge difference - with this weather, the vents need to stay open

I don't understand why you would want to camp with such young children. They will wake at 4am with the birds and light which is miserable for you. By 10am you will feel like it should be bedtime. It will be really hot too , stay at home and have a paddling pool in the garden

They are 1 and 3 AND bad sleepers. I’m not sure why you would want to go camping, heat wave or not.

I would save it until they are older as you won’t be getting much out of it either.

My son was a bad sleeper at that age, but slept like a dream when we were camping, however the first night camping with children is always crazy, and one night to pitch a tent, get settled, have a rough night and then go home in this weather does seem a lot, you'll be taking the tent down before you've even settled. It does depend on the campsite, but if there's any other people near you they won't be going to sleep whilst it's light, children will be up late, and then in this heat they will be up early! I would postpone and then go for longer when you do go.

Haha this is worrying me as we are doing the same this weekend! I didn't think to postpone because of the heat....figured it would cool down once the sun goes down?

Have somewhere to sit during the day that isn’t inside the tent and you’ll be fine. Tents get very very hot during the day in the sun but overnight will be cooler. You’ll want to be up and out of the tent early in the morning once the sun is up, but with young children will be anyway!

Camping for 1 night is not worth the hassle at anytime.In this weather I would not be taking a 1 and 3 year old unless you can pitch in the shade, have a gazebo for shade, have a very large tent you can get any air there is flowing through. But I wouldn't go - it will be way too hot for them.They will be awake as soon as the sun comes up and not go to sleep til it goes down due to the heat and it's solstice Saturday so longest day of the year!

See I would love this. It will absolutely cool down, and I should think you will need sleeping bags,or covers, even if you remove them when it warms up. Camping is 💯 better in the heat.

Top tip - use one of your packing crates as a mini paddling pool, bejng water play toys - bath type toys. I don't mean super soakers

I’m on the S Coast atm, the forecast tells me it is baking hot. But actually there is coastal high cloud and a breeze, and it’s lovely.

Where are you headed?

Take a tarp or gazebo for shade.