Beavers and sleepovers

[LouLouLove]

My DS 6 is about to start Beavers and we are very much looking forward to it. I just have a bit of anxiety about the sleepovers, I don't want him to miss out on anything however I am anxious because (1) he still wears night nappies and (2) i'm not sure how i feel about him sleeping away with people I don't know. Can anyone tell me their experience, are the sleepovers something they need to take part in? Thanks.

Dp a beaver leader. He usually has at least one in pull ups, if not 2-3. The leaders are totally used to it and will have arrangements in place for him to change discreetly evening and morning. Although he says come the morning they strip off and kick them into the room without a care! He'll be fine, and have a fantastic time.

When the time comes, you might find that you could volunteer as a parent helper. Most trips want them. You'll have to do a DBS check but they're generally really pleased for extra people. If you had a quiet word with his leaders, they could make sure he could get his night pants on in the bathroom/somewhere private.
Xx

Thank you both, that's very reassuring to hear that it's not unusual. He is very conscious of still being in nappies. I will definitely consider volunteering when the time comes for his first one! Thank you both.

I attended a beaver sleepover recently (I’m a cub leader) and several of the beavers were wearing pull ups at night. It’s not at all unusual at that age. The other beavers didn’t comment on it, except one child who came to ask me why ‘Fred’ was wearing a nappy. I told him it was a pull up, and I told him it was normal, and a good idea for ‘Fred’ to wear it if he felt more comfortable with it. The beaver nodded and said he thought it was a good idea too, and no more was said about it.

I’d tell your DS not to worry, but speak to the leaders if you are concerned. They can help your son find discreet ways of managing it if needed.

And if he really doesn’t want to do a sleepover, they’re not compulsory, but I wouldn’t let a pull up stop him .

I'm a brownie leader. I was recently at a brownie holiday where I was first aider. I called any girl on their own and the girl with pull ups used a separate toilet to put it on and no one knew. It was all done discretely and I would expect the Scout leaders to be the same.

I'm a Beaver leader. I invite the parents to tell me before hand if there are any issues with pull-ups/bedwetting. We make sure any children in pull-ups are given chance to get changed separately and it isn't an issue to worry about.

We are also used to dealing with wet beds and daytime accidents. Things like that happen with this age group.

I'm a beaver leader too. As said above the pull ups won't be an issue at all. While beavers can do sleepovers on their own several in our colony either opt out or bring a parent as a volunteer helper. If you did want to volunteer to help on a sleepover you'd be welcomed with open arms (there is a small bit of training you'd need to do). Beavers often do family camps where the whole family can come along. This is a great way to introduce them to camping if they are nervous - because of the two scouter rule a child can't be in a tent alone with a child that is not their own so can be hard to provide adult reassurance at night unless you have massive tents. Having said that many beavers are very happy their tent with friends or siblings. Enjoy beavers!

I know this is an oldish thread now, but another Beaver leader here!

As others have said, it is not at all uncommon for Beavers to still be in pull ups. We make sure that they have privacy to change into them without others being aware, and are able to dispose of them next morning. It may be fairly common, but we make sure that we deal with it sensitively, and the right to privacy should be a given at any nights away experience. We also make sure that we are prepared to handle any accidents.

Homesickness is another worry that parents sometimes discuss with us. We do find that the Beavers are actually a lot more resilient than expected, and we have a range of tactics to deal with this. Particularly, giving a homesick child an appropriate (and fun) job to do is often very effective. We also make sure that they are well fed, warm and as dry as possible, as well as getting them to bed at just the right time and encouraging them to have a lie in, as keeping them comfortable and occupied helps to keep them happy. Of course, a child could be picked up or phone their parents if they absolutely need to. We have found that phoning parents can actually make things worse though. - and if a Beaver is picked up it can cause the others (who were previously happy) to become homesick themselves. So, it tends to be a last resort. Having said that, if it is the right course of action (especially if a child may be ill) I will not hesitate to do the right thing by them.

Sleepovers and camps are of course not compulsory, but you may find that some leaders ask them attend at least one in order to attain their Chief Scouts Bronze Award before they move up to Cubs, as it is one of the major requirements.

We will soon be taking around half of our Beavers (some of whom will have only just turned 6) away for 2 nights along with our Cubs and Scouts at our County water sports center, and I hope to get them camping in tents for a night later in the summer too. I have to admit that I am really looking forward to it, although I am glad it is on May bank holiday weekend, as I will need a good 24 hours to recover myself!