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Camping

Our UK Camping forum has all the information you need on finding the right equipment for your tent or caravan.

Original poster

Blackout blinds in a tent?!!!

26 replies

Pumpkinhead · 07/06/2008 09:42

This might seem like a really silly question, but we have an 11 month old baby and are thinking about getting a tent, but I was wondering for anyone that goes camping with a baby are there any tips or ways to get the tent dark before it gets dark at night? At home we have blackout blinds which are great, but I don't have a clue what you could do in a tent. Any advice greatly appreciated! Also, is a travel cot the best thing for the baby to sleep in?

OP posts:
PeachyWontLieToYou · 07/06/2008 09:54

if you haven't got a tent yet, there ae several dar coloured ones out there- just get one of those. if its just you dp and baby then the one my mum has will suit- will ink.

travel cot fine for 11 month old. did ds3 fine at that age

OverMyDeadBody · 07/06/2008 09:56

If you haven't bought a tent yet you can buy black-out tents. They have them in millets.

Original poster
Pumpkinhead · 07/06/2008 10:03

I didn't know they did black out tents - wow! Would they get very hot though?

OP posts:
OverMyDeadBody · 07/06/2008 10:11

Don't think so, here's one Seems to have the ministry of sound logo on it though . Surely they do others?

tigermeow · 07/06/2008 10:29

I wouldn't worry about the lightness/darkness of the tent. The fresh air knocks them out quickly and makes them sleep very deeply. DD slept outside for her daytime naps until she was 2, including temperatures of minus10 (she was well wrapped up)....standard Scandewegian practice.
DD has been camping since she was 5 months old, she would sleep between us on a carry mat and sheep skin wearing her sleepsuit and a fleece sleepsuit, covered with blankets...we never bothered packing a cot for her.
Have fun!

debbiewebweb · 07/06/2008 12:13

We did struggle first night as it was light and our 2 dd's were used to very dark bedrooms but after the first night they stayed up til they were exhausted and slept like logs.
If baby is in travel cot, I used to put a single sheet under the mattress and then up over both sides and took the 'fitted' part under the cot feet - that way it was darkish inside the cot at least.

Blandmum · 07/06/2008 12:19

The light will often come in through the fabric of the tent, so before you buy, makesure you get a dark tent

Blinds as such will make little or no difference

bigTillyMint · 07/06/2008 14:11

We went camping for the first time when DD was 3 and DS was 2. My best tip is don't expect them to go to sleep at the usual time - we spent the first few days wrestling DS into sleeping bag, then moving him into car (strapped into car seat, with doors shut because he wouldn't let DD go to sleep), and getting REALLY cross because he wouldn't shut-up and go to sleep
Once we realised we could not force him to go to sleep (but had to put up with him till late at night - very full-on, running round, etc), it was much more relaxing for everyone! We also managed to go for a drive with them earlyish evening to get them to nod off in car seats and then found a bar where we could park the car and sit right by them asleep, while we enjoyed an adults only drink
Just remember, it gets musch better - they are now 7 and 8 and play with the other kids as far away from us as possible till it gets dark and then sleep in till past 8am!

Original poster
Pumpkinhead · 07/06/2008 15:08

Thanks for all the tips. Might look for a darkish tent, use the sheet over the travel cot and expect a few late nights to start with! A few glasses of wine might help too!

OP posts:
BettySpaghetti · 07/06/2008 15:12

I heard them talking about the Ministry of sound one on the radio recently and got the impression it was the first black-out tent on the market

sallystrawberry · 07/06/2008 15:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

PeachyWontLieToYou · 07/06/2008 17:38

there are other dark ones though

they do get very hot though- we had a very dark green tent and it got so hot mid summer out acrylic glasses cracked through

many tents have o rings tp hang a lantern from in the bedrooms, you could easily use that as the loop to make a tent over the cot using a black cotton sheet or similar

ksneddon · 06/02/2011 15:15

Hiya, if your little ones are going to be in travel cots, then it's not a problem as you can get blackout canopy's that fit most sizes or cot or travel cot. Try searching for the 'Content & Calm® Cot Canopy'.

It's when they go into beds & that it's a problem. I'm going camping for the first time this summer with my 3 & 5 year olds, and I know I'm going to struggle with the sleep thing! I'm used to having them in bed by 7pm and I know that's not going to happen!

Indith · 06/02/2011 15:20

When small enough (and I think 11 months would be fine) I used one a pop up travel cot and draped a length of blackout fabric over it, leaving one side uncovered for breathing purposes Grin. I felt fine with that rather than putting fabric over a normal travel cot as then I knew that it couldn't slip down onto the baby. It worked well. I took ds camping before having that set up and although he went to sleep fine having been exhausted by being outside all day he woke up with the dawn, with blackout that wan't a problem even int he middle of summer.

ClenchedBottom · 06/02/2011 16:38

I don't mean to be the voice of doom, but would just like to point out that some children (more toddlers, though) will run round in all that lovely fresh air for hours before going to bed much later than usual and still struggle to get to sleep because it's All so Exciting, and it may take a lot longer than a couple of days for them to settle into it all.

Can you tell that we had a couple of really exciting trips when our DC were younger Smile

SeaShellsDreamingOfSummer · 06/02/2011 18:33

I did the same as indith and it worked perfectly-just bought a large piece of blackout material and constructed a little "inner" tent over the travel cot arranged and secured so it couldn't fall in. It wasn't dark, but it helped keep him warm and stopped it getting superlight.

I agree with others-he was so tired we still had him asleep at 7 each night. They sleep so heavily he slept through the dawn chorus (unlike me!!)

This year with 2 under 3 may well be a very different experience!!

Have fun :) it's worth it!

ClenchedBottom · 06/02/2011 18:36

Where was I when the queue formed to get these deeply-sleeping-when-camping children???

I always feel like such a party pooper on these camping/sleeping threads, but surely we're not the only family to have had ishooooooooes with DC not sleeping well?

3rdnparty · 06/02/2011 18:48

clenched you are not on your own... ds prob up til 9/10 most nights and still awake most mornings at about 6 used to pan out in the car for a couple of hours every 2nd day but last summer that too stopped......and just had tired grumpy child instead, only up side is old enough to play with lego/something for my 5 minute lie in Grin maybe this year........

3rdnparty · 06/02/2011 18:53

sorry Op meant to add if you haven't got a tent already this make look good and have blackout type sleep pods..
www.kampa.co.uk/tents/tentsintro.html

dearprudence · 06/02/2011 19:01

Camping with babies is brilliant. Just relax the rules and go with the flow. You can always nap with baby in the day.

ClenchedBottom · 06/02/2011 21:27

3rdnparty - ah, so it's not just us. When our DC were younger, we found that they'd be up really late, then not sleep well, then wake early - a weeks' cmaping became this torturous descent into grumpy over-tired child hell......
But don't let me put anyone off..... Grin

ClenchedBottom · 06/02/2011 21:28

'camping', even....... (I prob would have preferred cmaping by the end of the week)

Marmitelover37 · 07/02/2011 22:02

Just in process of investigating something Vango is calling "Vango 'lights out' inner tent" - we are intrigued...may solve some of the problems we have with early waking - agree you just have to let them run and run in the evenings...Grin

IwishIwasmoreorganised · 07/02/2011 22:08

The cotton tents (which do cost quite a lot) seem to be much darker and cooler than the nylon (or whatever they are) ones.

fishandlilacs · 09/02/2011 20:19

I think the outwell tents come with inner bedroom designed for kids-i think they are blackout.