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Hi,

I was just wondering if anyone had any advice on camping with a toddler. Our little one's 13 months and we've just booked our first weekend away (not bought the tent yet but have posted another topic asking for advice on that). We're planning on taking the travel cot but my main concern is keeping him warm at night. I looked at the vango nitestar baby sleeping bags but he's only 3cm short of the upper limit so didn't think it would last him very long. Any suggestions?

Thanks.

When we took our son last year he was s16/17mths & we felt he was too young for the kids bags so we got him a snuggle sac from TK Maxx and put an infant sleeping bag fleece liner inside it & he slept like a log in his travel cot in his fleecy all in one sleepsuit - we also put a fleece blanket over him when we went to bed but it was mid September.  We also put a picnic blanket under the travel cot and all the empty holdalls to insulate the gap underneath the cot.

Both of mine were stuck in pyjamas with socks over their feet to tuck trousers into, then into fleece all in ones and then layered up with blankets. Make sure there's a blanket under their bed to stop the cold getting through- picnic blankets are ideal for this - and tuck them into bed. Granted we camp in France but when my youngest was the same age as yours we stayed in a campsite in a valley and the nights were so cold the owner was loaning out blankets. Neither of the boys needed anything else.

Both my kids prefer to be cold rather than too hot anyway but when they crawled in with us first thing in the morning (5:30 if we were lucky) they were toasty and warm. At 13 months your child is old enough to pull blankets on and off if they need to and I don't think they get as cold as we all worry about to be honest. The disadvantage of a sleeping bag thingy is that they can't get out if they get too hot.

Hi

Just thought I'd add another experience. We camped for the first time with our toddler last year. On our first outing we took the travel cot thinking it would be nice and cosy but it turned out to be a nightmare he was cold in the night but because he was in the cot I couldnt get to him to cuddle him up, I think he was also a little scared waking up in such strange surroundings. On subsequent trips he slept on the airbed next to me then when he stirred in the night I was able to just give him a reasuring stroke on the head and he went straight back to sleep.

Also as regards to what to wear my two always sleep in fleecy tracksuits with socks as i find them warmer than pj's