Camping Virgins

[Fish]

No wimp, but daunted. Only experience of camping hitherto(closet bi-girlfriend sets up teeny tent and feeds hash cakes, all sparkly eyed)amusing only in retrospect. Inching towards a tent holiday with two little ones (5 & 2) while husband working away. Have seen details of a deeply respectable-sounding site exactly where I want us to go, fully-equipped tents, good loos etc but am scared we will be cold/hungry/worse. Somebody tell me it might be ok. Or not. Any tips/horror stories/good websites appreciated.

We had a camping holiday with a one year old when I was 6 months pregnant with number 2...and it was great! In fact I slept better on the lilo than I had been doing in my bed. We have had further weekends camping since then with two children (including a weekend at a music festival - V in Chelmsford). Always worked out well although we've been lucky with the weather. I wouldn't fancy being stuck under canvas with little children in wet conditions. (Although this wouldn't be so bad if the camp site has extra facilities ie kids clubs, social facilities, bar etc as at least then you could get away from the wet canvas)! Luckily I've heard we're supposed to be having a heat wave this summer (believe it when I see it!).

We actually took our own tent etc and also invested in cooking equipment, picnic tables, cool bags, decent sleeping bags , lilos and deck chairs etc. We even took our two portable cots with us and erected them in the tent. The kids were still sleeping in cots at home and this way we had a place where we could put them that would always be safe. The more 'home' comforts you have the more comfortable it'll be!

The only problem we had was keeping our then crawling youngest away from the camp stove whilst cooking. In the end we put it on the picnic table, out of reach and watched him like a hawk when we lit up the throw away BBQs (excellent for camping).

Prior to this I've only ever 'rough' camped before and that was in my youth (guides/Duke of Edinburgh's award etc). It all involved back packing with all provisions - and a lilo and deck chair were definitely not on the list of essential items! I called our family camping trips luxury in comparison!

What about a static caravan? It may be easier alone,fairly cheap and some have there own loos.

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Hello From New Zealand
Camping is the best! We went last summer when my one and only was 10 weeks for 3 days and then again when he was 4 months for 3 weeks. It's the best, BBQ for dinner every night, a stroll with the buggy in the evening to get him to sleep. My whole extended family go we have been to the same spot for years. It is great to see all the same families every year and what the children grow and develop. We have huge tent and take a trailer. We are lucky here, no snakes or other scary critters. The other good thing is thatt there is no TV or other mindless static so you have to talk! The Best, Do It!!

hi, fish!

we eurocamped with an 8,5 and nearly-2 - it was brilliant. you get the travel cot/playpen, high chair, baby bath etc laid on which makes such a difference to the luggage load! the nearly-2 had a fantastic time - the sites are so safe and he spent most of his time scooting around on his little ride-on. (we had a 2-site hol., returning to the first site but a different tent, and he used to keep going back to the first tent!)

much does depend on the weather - where/when is it? ours was in june, to normandy and the jura - except for a deluge the night before we left the second site it was never wet or cold.

tip - take a cassette player and lovely-music tape (we had james galway) to drown out sudden loud outside noises for nap time. (you get electric sockets in the tent.) the nearly-2-yr-old is now 12 and james galway still makes his eyelids droop!

canvas holidays, i think, do loo tents, but we managed without. mobile homes are obviously much much nicer but at least twice the price of a tent.

nb i am NOT one of nature's campers but have even survived a self-equipped camping holiday with 12,9,6 and 1. (we have an MPV and took our own cot etc.)

it really is a good holiday. good luck!

fish - i just had another thought...is there any chance you could take another adult, with or without their own kids? friend or relation? otherwise you might find the evenings a bit long...unless you keep the kids up and all go to bed at the same time...
i had another other thought too but it's gone...let you know if it comes back!
incidentally i'd love to hear more about the closet bi-girlfriend - do you mean you only found out in the tent????

Hi Fish,

Before we had the kids we did a lot of camping (small tent, out in the wilds sort of thing) so when our son arrived we naturally wanted to carry on. Both our children first camped when 6 months old (admittedly in a larger tent and on more civilised campsites than previously!) and both (now 3.5 years and 17 months) love it.

The key to it seems to be making sure they stay warm enough. Other kids on the campsite are also a bonus, and my son (the 3.5 year old) is very excited about having his own sleeping bag and torch. He just finds it all so exciting, and his little sister is getting into the swing of it too. It's a real adventure for them.

Fish,
You've got to do it! Camping is fantastic, we do it regularly. Our first baby was 3 mths old for his first experience in Belgium. Apart from that and two weeks in the south of France, (glorious weather), we've only camped in Britain.
Take water proofs and wellies! Need that be said? Having somewhere to dry wet clothes really helps, and decent showers are a must. On rainy days we pile in the car and do rainy day things! Like swimming, museums, pubs etc.
As has been said mod cons do help, travel cot for bed and playpen, high chair even, I suppose it depends how obedient your 2 yr old is.
Adult company is always fun but as for evenings my 3 wont sleep until it's dark!
Don't be put off, it's gotta be tried.
Good luck

Has anyone been to Le Vieux Port resort on the Atlantic coast of France? We've never camped before and will be going with our 15 month old and friends with kids of 3 and 4, staying in a mobile home. (Also never driven on continent before!) Any 'don't leave home without' tips gratefully received plus best ways to keep toddler amused on such a long drive.

jodee, are you all going in one (big!) car or in 2? if the latter, see if you can borrow the 3 and 4 year olds some of the time - alternately perhaps - to play with and amuse your toddler!

jodee - another little tip - take some post-it notes and leave a "drive on the right!!!" note on the steering wheel at all times. it's particularly tricky if you've just stopped for petrol or a snack...
and you go round roundabouts the wrong way!

Dear Janh, yes indeedee you have the picture. Ho ho ho.And after that she suggested a threesome with her boyfriend. But he fancied one of my other girlfriends as well. This was when I realised just how straight I am, poor wee thing. We laffed. meanwhile CAMPING - thankyou all for the very good words - I am actually going to B&B it this year in the same area (gorgeous unspoilt Channel Isle) but suss out the camping when I'm on site as a not entirely silly idea for another time. Tips for kids in the car: a walkman and story/music tapes are indispensible to us, toddler now beginning to beg for a turn as well - blissful peace for grown-ups. Don't forget spare batteries. Pipe cleaners are fun and silly to fiddle with - make something for others to guess, make lots of characters for stories. V cheap from any supermarket cigs desk. 2 car trip - have a numbered code list and huge number cards to hold up in rear window/windscreen for inter-car essential communication. Very silly, sometimes useful, fun for kids and no mobile bills. Do add "how many are in your car?" to the list - we lost someone for 2 hours after a picnic stop circa 1970.

fish, i bet you laffed and laffed - wish i'd been there! aren't other people "interesting"!!!

jodee,i do agree with fish about the walkmans in the car - esp. those designed for small kids with a volume limiter - sony's has one, does ELC? 15 months might be a bit little though. a selection of surprise toys (borrowed if poss) kept in the part of the car toddler isn't in, and handed out in rotation, would be good - i'm trying to remember what we did with our then 16-month-old when we went to france. he was actually pretty desperate to get hold of the others' walkmans but struggled with them when he did!

tapes in the car player and jolly singalongs pass some time, if you can stand it. board books...scrap paper and crayons to scribble with (but paper might not be what gets scribbled on...!) does he/she know some colours? you can play car spotting - red and blue if nothing else. very educational. and stop for a break at least every couple of hours - it slows you down but cheers everybody up. (and with 3 and 4 yr olds you'll need the loo regularly anyway!)

Brain still chuntering away about it even though B&B booked - I must really long to go, deep down. Gap in the market for an idiots guide to camping - sad magazines of hairy folk in plastic-bag hats are for experts, clearly, likewise those for the fashion-alert mountaineer; nothing in Stanfords between lists of sites and extreme survival stories. I've looked at a site or two and they seem to think you already know how to do it. Novices need tips on how not to set everyone alight, go to the loo at night, stay dry, stay warm, not meet the mad axeman, not get robbed. I love a simple life, nature study, no telly no phone and am not worried about any of us being bored. I would love to know if there are any single mums ( or dads) reading this who regularly go it alone with the tiddlers, I will never, ever persuade my other half to come and I'm a bit lairy of coaxing a friend to join us in case they can't stand my kids after all. The folks who'll put up with anything are all too frail one way or another. Ah well, some day.

Fish - The continental Europeans are much better at camping than we are and the sites are usually cheaper. Our family used to all pack up in our motor caravan and drive 2000 miles every summer right across Europe staying in sites all along the way. One year there was 6 of us in one car. As a kid I loved it and it was much more exciting than getting on and off a plane and being shunted to a hotel. Also abroad the weather is much warmer, keeping dry was rarely an issue, usually it was a case of having to get up because with the sun shining into the tent it was too hot!

Only problem is insects so get one of these burning coils to keep them away. Depends where you stay though.

Janh - thanks for the tips, if that little lot doesn't keep my little ray of sunshine amused then I don't know what will.
I've only just realised how far we've got to drive - the equivalent of London-Penzance for the first leg then London-Edinburgh for the second leg - I told my husband there was no way I was driving in France, I'd do the London to Tunnel bit, but I don't think I can get out of it!

By the way, re F&M and taking food into Europe, if you're going to the Netherlands then they won't let you take in ANY food whatsoever - my Mum went to Amsterdam via Gatwick in the week and had to leave crips and biscuits behind - but France is just meat and dairy products.