Inexperienced campers willing to try again after bad experience....any tips?

[angelgabriel]

We last went campling a couple of years ago with ds then 2.5-we borrowed an ancient girl guide style tent and camped on a steep incline at the top of a cliff. Was a complete disaster. First night was ok - excect for ds nearly diving off the cliff in excitement while we struggled for hours to erect our tent in the dark and drizzle - dh had left the complex instructions at home. Then I stayed awake all night worrying about ds rolling out of tent and down the hill. In the morning we realised how important a stove is and had to scrounge a much needed cuppa off a neighbour. On our second night after a dodgy fish and chip dinner ds vomited all over car then all over tent several times during a scary lighting storm. The next day everyone said they were worried we'd be struck by lighting - we had tall metal tent poles sticking out of the top while everyone else was in trendy dome tents. We packed up and went home early stinking of sick.

We are thinking of braving it again at end of August - this time with dd in tow - aged 17 months. Apart from getting a better tent and a stove, and staying on a campsite with a level pitch, does anyone have any top tips? In particular what do we need for the kids to sleep on?

[Tortington]

those pop up tents look good. i want one. have you seen them?

site with facilities - toilets baby changing, shop - where you can buy the things yu forgot.

[Flutterbye]

We're intending on going first time in a couple of weeks. Our 3.5 yr old is going to be in his ready bed (whith optional fleece blanket if it gets cold) and I was going to take our travel cot for 14 month old with different layers of PJs/growbags, etc. I have already got a readybed (with sides) for her but she's still a bit wee for it I think. I've searched for campsites with showers and playgrounds. We've bought a cheap small tent and have borrowed the cooking kit from friends to see if we like it or not! Good luck.

[PrettyCandles]

After such a dismal first experience, just about anything that happens to you on your next camping trip will seem wonderful!

Our dcs sleep in warm pjs and heavyweight grobag-type sleeping bags until they outgrow them, and then in warm pjs and ordinary adult sleeping bag with a belt tied around the foot of the bag to shorten it. We put two campermats side-by-side in a single duvet cover and the two LOs sleep on it. Two campermats more-or-less fill their sleeping compartment. If they're chilly when we go in to check on them before we go to bed then we just slip a cardie or fleece onto them. But they're usually snugger than the adults!

Get a tent with a sewn-in groundsheet and a porch (preferably with a gs as well, but doesn't need to be sewn-in). Insist on shoes being removed in the porch. Let the LOs run around barefoot, even in the rain, because skin dries almost instantly, whereas footwear doesn't. If you can keep the inner tent clean and dry, it's much more comfortable all round.

The inner tent and bedrooms will often have rounded doors with two-way zips. We always zip these upwards during the night, so that the zips are out of reach of the children. That reduces the risk of a child opening a door and wandering off during the night (my pet fear).

Have fun!