Can anyone offer any advice on camping bedding for young children?
We have been away twice this year with our two children aged five and 18months.
1st time we used some self inflating mats which we didn't get on with at all! They both rolled off them, eldest refused to sleep on it and when rolled up they were so bulky they took up half the boot space!
2nd trip they shared a double airbed - eldest was fine but youngest kept rolling off, and ended up on the floor, squashed between the airbed and the side of the bedroom - result was a screaming fit at 3am!
We have a travel cot but again this is too bulky and all of the pop up ones seem a bit too small - our son is very tall.
Any experienced campers have any suggestions? I am thinking of either getting them both a roll up mat or a kampa airbed for the youngest as it has raised sides.
I just want something that will keep them warm and comfortable and not take up half the boot!
I have seen the ready beds but I have heard that they don't stay up very well and the cover really doesn't seem warm enough.
How did you find it?
Last camping trip he wore all in one fleece pj's was in a mummy sleeping bag and had a blanket tucked round him, we learnt our lesson from the previous night when he woke up crying as he was cold and came in our bed!
I'd highly recommend the Kampa airlock junior beds - mine were in them from an early age as they have basin sides and are flocked so the bedding will grip to the bed - we just put a small pound shop picnic mat underneath it and a dunelm mill single bed fleecy topper over it. When my son was the same age as your youngest he had a snuggle sac rather than a sleeping bag - same principle but shorter and made of thick cosy fleece. I used to put them in fleecy all in ones which you can get from Mothercare until age 8 but with feet in them until age 5-6, they loved wearing them and were cosy warm all night long.
I agree about the ready beds not being very warm or staying up well.
We use the lamps beds for our 2 girls have done from when youngest was 6 months and eldest 1 1/2. They are still going strong now and the girls are 3 & 4. Still plenty of room aswel height wise.
Amy
also my short 2 year old grew out of the ready bed!!!! ages ago!!!
Hes 3 now and we use the red and blue rubberised airbeds with normal sized sleeping bags!
My yougest has the kampa bed, and always sleeps really well, the raised sides are great for her (she is 2) we put a fleece blanket then a double fitted flannel sheet over the fleece and she has a single duvet as she wont get in a sleeping bag! Our oldest share a double sim and have never had any problems, again we put a fleece then a double flanette sheet and they each have their own sleeping bag aswell always nice and warm.
------------- 21st-26th april plas farm caravan & camping park
27th-30th may High bank farm
June??
July/aug fangfoss campsite
september 6th-10th bordeaux,France (for a wedding, not camping!)
We have just moved all of ours to SMs, but prior to that we used the Kampa Airlock Junior and recommend them highly. To combat the cold, we used fleece blankets under the bed and on top of the bed, in addition to the normal bedding.
Fleecey PJs all round, too (the eldest wears jogging bottoms and a fleecey hoodie)
I was coming to ask about that, my eldest are OK on the SIMs because they don't roll off them. But the middle 2 were forever rolling of their SIMs and ending up all twisted up in their sleeping bags on the cold ground sheet.
I think it's the slippiness of the SIMs and sleeping bags that's the issue, not sure how to stop that really.
I don't really want air beds as we like to put their beds away during the day to give them space to play in the tent without them stomping all over their bedding.
Next time we go I'm going to take a woven wool rug and lay that out, we can't afford the coir carpet for the bell tent so I think this will be the next best thing as we already have it. At least then if they do roll off they won't wake up cold.