Message Forums

We are new to caravaning, we have tried 2 weekends locally, and are taking the plunge for 2 weeks in the van. We are staying in norwich with our church the first week then going straight on to the Wolds way in North Yorks.

However, we have 4 young kids and I am finding the whole thing hard work. I can't get the toddler to sleep, he keeps running off and all the others are a handful anyway. (8, 7 and 3 and one is autistic.) 

We do love it despite the work, but I am desperate for tips on how to make it easier. Do you leave the beds up? I found it hard keep doing them. 

Where do you put your clothes? Do you pack them in cupboards or under beds? Is this ok for  Towing? Where is it easiest to access them? 

Any tips for showering 4 young kids?

I unfortunatley seem to be spending my whole time doing stuff, running round after the kids and have not yet found any time to relax because I have not been able to settle kids until 11. At home they are in bed at 8 so they are also tired the next day.Sorry it is a long post any tips gratefully recieved.

Hi Becky, I find it easiest to keep the clothes in the cupboards,and the bedding under the seats, and i pack them there for towing.I always  leave the beds up,can't be bothered making them up at night.We  live in the awning, more room out there anyway. 

Let the kids play and wear themselves out until they are ready to drop, over the next few nights it catches up with them and they will want to get to bed earlier.It sounds to me that  maybe you are trying a bit too hard to keep everyone in their usual routine like at home?( I do appreciate you do have extra pressure with your autistic child) It's much easier to not bother with routine when camping, just go with the flow, it's your holiday too.. Don't forget, it's so exciting and new for them at the moment , only having done two weekends, they'll settle much easier when you go for the longer break.

don't stress over showering the kids every day, wet wipes or a bowl of soapy water and a flannel will do now and then, a little bit of dirt won't kill them. We used to put our little ones in a plastic storage box for a bath, will even work for a 7/8 year old for a stand-in strip wash.

as for the toddler escaping, can you fence off a play area outside the van with a few windbreaks. Failing that, get one of the screw in pegs for dog leads, and attach baby by a harness and a long lead.

We don't leave our front double bed up, but we leave the side dinette bed in position.  Bed making is a chore, hence the reason we plan to get a fixed bed!  I suggest you leave as many up as possible, of course you still need room for sitting and eating.

Clothes........we pack everything in the van in the places they stay when on site.  Hanging stuff in the wardrobe, folded clothes in the overhead lockers.  Towels and bathroom stuff in the bathroom , or the wardrobe shelves.  Using food like cornflakes and teabags also go in overhead lockers, as do dishes.  Reserve food, tins, drinks etc go under the bunks. As does bedding, shoes, tools, vacuum cleaner, dirty washing, and anything else heavy.

You need to divide the chores between you and OH.

This works for us.....

Me....cooking, packing clothes and food, shopping, dish washing, keeping bathroom and kitchen clean

OH.....dish drying, washing BBQ, bed making, hoovering floor, fetching water, emptying waste and toilet, repairs, packing tools.

Our daughter can look after herself, but for showering little ones I suggest you take the girls and he takes the boys.  Even better is to use the van shower, but unless you have the separate shower this is not really so good.

have you got an awning? they are a pain to put up but once up you can use the awning as your living quarters and leave the beds up.

clothes-wise, we had a free-standing, portable rail that we used, again in the awning. 

Getting the kids to settle is a hard one, but maybe it is just the excitment of the new caravan and once the initial thrill has worn off they may be easier to settle.  we tend to let ours stay up playing out until 9ish when most of the kids tend to go in anyway. they dont feel they are missing out then, but we are lucky in that they will usually sleep till later in the morning.  also we often have showers at night as it is usually quieter than in the morning. my 8 yr old and i share a shower and she pops her dressing gown on so she doesnt have to mess about getting dressed. (my 12 yr old lad would quite happily go the full fortnight without a shower, so that is a different problem)

i am sure you will work our your own system. as the kids get older it does get easier.

Leave the beds up! your on holiday too! go out play with your children till you all drop, if you have to, forget the healthy diet and get something from the chip shop.

This is your family holiday, housework can wait, enjoy it ! ,

We have 2 kids, age 5 & 2. We basically let them play and run about all day, we bring them in the caravan for their tea to settle them down a bit, once settled, I find they fall asleep easily (usually before 8pm). I don't let my 2 yr old have a nap during the day and he has a 7 o'clock bedtime at home, so maybe that has something to do with it, but we've never had a problem getting him to sleep in the van. I personally don't leave the beds up, but if you have an awning then theres no reason not to. If it makes the holiday a bit easier for you, then go for it.

Our clothes, we always hang the jeans & t-shirts in the wardrobe, everything else we fold and put in the pull out draw/shelf unit. That way once we get to the site theres no 'unpacking' to do.

As for the toddler escaping, we just put George's toys in the awning, when we want to keep him close, we dont need to find a way to stop him from undooing the zips (yet) but there must be some way of securing the zips for when we do! He plays happily in the awning.

Hey relax.

Chores are for when you are at home, do just as much tidying as you feel you can live with and leave the rest, as long as the kids are clean when they go out in the morning don't worry about them getting dirty through the day, they will anyway, but you know a mucky kid is a happy kid. As has been said a quick rub down with a wet wipe will suffice for most of the time.

I find with my Grandchildren that if I let them run out of steam without the constant nagging about how there are other people about and they should be in bed, they settle down a lot easier, and sleep longer. It's an adventure for them too.

Enjoy your time with them, they grow up too quick.

I agree with the other posts here.  The awning is essential for a family like yours - you need to leave your beds up and have your awning as a living room / play room for your toddler. I have 3 children (13, 11 and 8) and I take them caravanning on my own.  The whole idea is that you have fun and relax and do things you wouldnt do at home!  So relax and stop trying to be wonder woman.

Early bedtimes are essential at home, but when caravanning relax the rules a bit and you'll find that most children play out til around 9.  You can be sitting outside in your chairs with your other half, having a glass of wine watching the little ones play football or badminton or something right outside your van.   Take a swingball or badminton set, games the children can play under your supervision, but which allow you to sit and watch if your tired out!

Put the clothes in the wardrobes  (so no unpacking) and before you go think up easy but healthy meals you can prepare easily.  baked potatoes are a great example of something you can easily cook on the barbecue with minimum supervision.

Showering - ok this is the one.  Get a towelling dressing gown and flip flops for each child. All of you have a shower together late at night (or you and your hubby with 2 children each ) makes it a laugh.  Buy shampoo and shower gel in one you've got one bottle which does all!  Quick rub of the towel, clean your teeth and back in your dressing gown and have the pyjamas on the bed for when you get back.

You'll find the kids will be exhausted and ready for bed, and although going to bed later will sleep better and let you have a bit of a lie in!