Advice needed for 1st camping trip please.

[cali]

Taking dd's on 1st camping trip tomorrow, age 3y and 10m. We have bought them sleeping bags 2/3 season and are ok for temps 4-20c.

Have just checked weather forecast for tomorrow night for Pitlochry and it's going to be 7c overnight but will feel more like 4c!!

We're only going for one night to try everything out before our main holiday in August.

What should they wear to go to sleep and does anyone have any advice/tips for camping with very young children?

thanks

We have thermals to wear under our pjs for really cold nights. Also hats and gloves really help keep you warm. If its really going to be that cold (and you have space)I would take and extra blanket. Also what are you sleeping on? If its airbeds then a blanket or mat spread underneath the airbed is also helpful. Another important tip to keep warm is to get into pjs relatively early before you start getting cold.

Pjamas, vest and socks and sleepuit/babygro with a bodysuit and socks for the baby.

Leave your dc in their car seats while you put the tent up - and be prepared for an early morning!

Have fun

Warm woolly socks and PJs if it could be cold. I always take a few lightweight fleecy blankets too in case it is colder than predicted - one underneath the bags and one over the top can dramatically improve the temperature. Stuff down small too so saves space. Also find it good to take toddlers pillows with their own pillowcase on rather than a camping pillow. The familiarity is helpful when they are tired and fed up.
For 1/2 nights, I don?t even try to shower/bath my kids I know that is probably rather contraversial and slummy mummy of me but we go clean, often swim and make sure with bathe fully when we get back. I just find that washing small children head to toe at night on a campsite creates more problems than it solves - get cross, cold, wet etc. Either mid morning when the block has clamed down or keep it to clean face and teeth.

The problem with camping for just one night is that 80% of your kit is needed whether it is 1 night or 20 nights so don?t worry if you car feels overloaded!
I find with tinies that you just need to keep the inside of the tent really really organised and calm. Make sure you have certain things to hand easily - ie. the torch/lamp, nappy changing kit, potty, drink bottles etc
You will have a fantastic time - hope it goes well for you x

We have got 2 double airbeds to sleep on but no mats to go underneath. Would picnic blankets with waterproof backing be ok to put underneath airbeds? Will buy some today.

Think will forget about showers too, baby wipes will have to do for one night for the girls,

think I'm going to be busy today, dh doesn't get home until 8pm tonight and wants to leave 1st thing in the morning, have made a list of al the extra clothes for the girls.

Am looking forward to it but with it being July, had hoped weather was going to be a little bit warmer!

Picnic blakets will be fine. We camp at Easter most years and it drops to 3 or 4 degrees at night but we still have fun. Hopefully it will be warmer during the day

Take hot water bottles.
Have a great time, let us know how you get on.

Thanks for tips, dd1 is very excited as she has wanted to go camping ever since watched Pingu when he went camping.
That plasticine penguin has a lot to answer for.

Will add 2 picnic blankets on to neverending shopping list

Bucket with a lid

lol MB how could I forget that most essential of itmes!

hot water bottles, great idea, adding them to list too!

will let you know how it goes, not expecting to get too much sleep as not properly dark until 11pm and it's light again by 3:30am,
we're going to be popular on the campsite as dd's can be a bit loud in the morning

thanks MB,
had completely ignored loo trips during the night
[wondering if car is big enough now and what have we done by buying a family tent]

I have just got home after our first family camping trip with 3yo and 11mo DS'; I would highly recommend taking more clothes and blankets than you think is necessary

We skipped baths/showers for the boys on 1 night and gave them a quick flannelling in the morning. They slept in vest, pj's, socks, grobag/sleeping bag and under a couple of blankets (twas freezing last night in Devon)

We had to use the travel cot to restrain DS2 whilst we put the tent up/down etc especially as the grass outside was wet most of the time.

Hi,
Have not long arrived back from our trip, went well and the only real problem we had were the midges.

We all managed to stay reasonably warm and dry, didn't have enough sleep but we were expecting that.

Wish we'd had space for travel cot as dd2 kept rolling off the airbed and would wake everyone up.

We're planning our next trip in 2 weeks, this time for 3 nights, and with plenty midge repellent too.

thanks for all your advice

oh glad you had a good time
Avon skin so soft is a very good insect repellent

have just ordered 2 bottles of skin so soft "soft and fresh" dry oil spray, hope it's the right stuff!

Family descending on me shortly and not enough beds. Can anyone recommend a good brand of airbed :)