Think in light of events in Portugal all of us parents feel a bit paranoid. I however cannot think of any safer environment than a family orientated campsite. It is likely you would hear somebody entering your tent. We have a 2 year old and a 3month baby, my partner and I tend to split up and sleep with a child each just to stop them waking each other.
My main concern when at a large site is my 2 year old wandering off and getting lost, however this has never happened. When I used to travel the world camping in unsavoury areas I used to tie a small bell to the zipper on the tent that would go off if the locals decided to rob me.
If you are sleeping a toddler in a junior sleeping bag, it is best to tuck any excess length of bag underneath them. This ensures that they wont wriggle down to the bottom of the bag in the night. It also gives that extra layer underneath which can ensure that they are warmer.
I always put my little boy in one of those fleecy all in one suits over his pjamas because no matter what I do he always wriggles out of his sleeping bag !
Quote: Originally posted by Ronni54 on 24/6/2007
If you are sleeping a toddler in a junior sleeping bag, it is best to tuck any excess length of bag underneath them. This ensures that they wont wriggle down to the bottom of the bag in the night. It also gives that extra layer underneath which can ensure that they are warmer.
first took my eldest when she was two...used to use belt to "tie" up the excess to stop her slipping down and waking up...as she got older we just moved the belt further down...and it kept my jeans up in the day! take stuff with two uses like my belt and you'll be right!
Hi. I worried about this too. We started with a dome tent, with two pods and the living space in the middle. Myself and my husband slept in one pod and our daughter (aged 5) in the other. We never do the doors on the pods up properly. We do our daughter's up a couple of inches (mainly so she doesn't roll of her airbed and leave our's completely undone. Not very private but I would rather know she is safe.
Luckily I am also a very light sleeper.
We now also have a tunnel tent for longer trips and the bedrooms are side by side. Again we don't completely do the divider up, probably just about halfway (at least I don't have to pretend I have a headache!)
Am so glad its not just me that worrys about stuff like this, my husband thinks i am crazy!!
Only 6 days till will go am hopeing for nice weather but we are going even if its chucking down! have spent so much money on equipment that we have to!!!
My kids first went camping when there were 5 and 7 and we had a tent which had bedroom pods at either end. I was really worried about their safety, like you, but decided to have one of us (hubby or I) sleeping with one child. After one night and speaking to the other campers they slept on their own in their own pod.
I do still get a bit worried but they are a nearly 2 years older now and they still sleep on their own. The thing that stops me worrying is that most family campsites are full of parents with kids all thinking the same thing and it is amazing how all the parents keep an eye out for all the kids on the site, not just their own. Obviously an inbuilt parenting alarm goes off ;) but seriously, if you sleep with you kids it will put your mind at rest and when they are older they can sleep on their own :)
Just in case the unthinkable should ever happen I issued the kids my wife and myself with perry whistles. The kids are under pain of torture if they play with them (emergency use only) but for the last 5 trips (two years) they have behaved themselves. I know they won't be much good for babies, but for those of you with slightly older kids it may put your minds at ease.
------------- 'I liked freezing my n*ts off so much, I bought the company'