help - we've bought a caravan!

[Birdly]

Any practical tips on caravanning with young kids would be very, very welcome! We've got a two-and-a-half year-old daughter and a little boy who's 14 months. Am hoping to get as much info under my belt as poss before we set out for the first time in a few weeks. Wish us luck!!

have a look at UKcampsite.co.uk.....a great bunch of people who know a lot about caravans and tents! Very helpful site

There is also a site on ebay community for caravan and motorhome enthusiasts (v friendly) and also one on practical caravan site (not so friendly but good techi advice). Anything specific, please ask me, as we have a van which we bought last year.

Hi we're thinkning of getting a caravan too we have dd1 who's 3 and dd2 - 6months look forward to hearing how you fare, sorry i don't have any tips, last year we went camping in tent, I was 34 weeks pregnant! DD2 then 2.6 slept fine in tent with us altho she would lie there really good at bedtime but we'd often hear her talking til about 8.30 cos it was still light. I wonder what it will be like this year! Potties are very useful and lots of wipes!

Our three year old loves the porta potty and it was great last year when he was being trained because he loved using it. Apart from that its mostly common sense, do it and you will find out the pitfalls for next time.

Try and get to your destination well before dark / bedtime though, because it does take longer to set up when there is only one of you to do it (the other being on baby duty). We bought an awning too thinking it would be a good place to park the pram but we havent put it up yet!!!

When you are booking, chat to your campsite owner and try and guage if they are friendly (and child friendly). Let them (and anyone around) know that you are inexperienced when it comes to pitching camp and suddenly a load of blokes will arrive and virtually do it all for you!!! (worked for us last year!).

Discuss your choice of pitch and try and get near other families, if thats what you'd prefer. Sometimes (I know this is awful and I sound like a right cow) but sometimes we wind up next to someone and there will be something about them that will irritate me to death!!! Our last trip to the lakes was great, the pitches were huge, and we had a half hedge between us, and lovely neighbours. But in the summer, in Devon, we were squeezed in next to a family with three girls aged 8-13 who seemed to spend every minute of every day giggling and laughing very loudly outside our window. (Yes I know Im a miserable cow! but it really irritated me at afternoon nap time and bed time).

hmmm...

take a small inflatable paddling pool, then you've always got somewhere to bath the kids.
Don't worry about a cot - we used one of those bedsides on the bunk, it also worked quite effectively as a gate on the door!
Take enough food for your first evening - setting up always takes longer than you think it will and the kids are guaranteed to be hungry.
Get some flipflops for you for the shower block - some are OK but some are a bit yeukky
Try to make nighttimes as normal as possible, with any bedtime routines etc. Take the kids own bedding rather than sleeping bags, it always made mine sleep better.

..I'll keep thinking! have a good time - I think caravanning with young kids is the best way to go on holiday!! Mine are 5 1/2 and nearly 3 now, we've been caravanning since the eldest was 9 months.

we used to have one but i hated it. Dh insisted we went to caravan club sites to aovid being cramped in like sardines. Lovely site at Sutton on Sea, Low Park Wood (Kendal), Watermouth Cove in Ilfracombe etc

jampots you hated it?! Was it a really old one with damp and no heating or water? Caravanning (in a decent caravan!!) is so much better than going to these self catering places where the beds and carpets are stained, the shower mouldy and you have to bath the kids in the kitchen sink!

err no we had a 6 berth Swift Conqueror which was a couple of years old then we bought a new 6 berth Lunar Freelander

Wow! Nothing to do with the caravan then. I know, it was the compulsory fleece wearing wasn't it? His 'n' hers matching on the way to the washblock?

We are actually contemplating a fortnight in Spain in an apartment as a special treat for a difficult time we've all experienced, but I actually wish we were all going in the caravan because its almost like a home from home and we find it very comfortable. But the weather in Spain beckons every so often ...

Orinoco so true, lots of those ones with wolves and pine trees on. MIL goes in her towel and dodgy fleece and flip flops.

Oh and don't send DH to wash the dishes in the communal dish washing sinks, I watched them on holiday. The woman wait for hot water to come through fill up the sink , use washing up liquid etc, the guys just seem to rinse under luke warm water and think its done.

But do get DH some lovely socks to wear under his compulsory sandals. Its the law!!!!. \link{http://spacetruckingmogul.com/socksandsandals/images/trash.jpg\Like this}
\link{http://wklondon.typepad.com/welcome_to_optimism/images/image144.jpg\this will do}
\link{http://www.photoshopdiva.com/images/personal/birkies.jpg\You will have to as well}
\link{http://www.sandalandsoxer.co.uk/home.htm\Plenty of caravaning fashion advice here}

Thanks for all for your tips and encouragement! We've booked our first weekend away now and decided to stay on the very (very!) safe side of things by going to a site about 15 mins from home! That way, if we forget anything (nappies?!) or the kids don't settle, we can run home and try again another day. Think dd will be fine - it's ds who's the unknown quantity.

We've bought an awning but don't think we'll brave putting it up this time - too scary.

Have enjoyed doing bits of shopping for the caravan but haven't yet invested in the matching fleeces, Orinoco!! Probably just a matter of time tho'...

We're off in a couple of weeks so I'll let you know how we get on.

jampots, I'm with you.
Ours was sold a year ago - what a relief.

Don't mind us though birdly, lots of people love it so chances are you will too. :)