Do you ever worry about yr kids when you're camping?

[hex]

On the one hand,I'm sure kids can experience so much freedom; on the other...do you ever worry they'll wander off; or be snatched? Are they always in your sight if they're under 7? Do you give them limits where they can roam?

We're tempted to go camping with dds aged 6 and 2 but stuff like this is still niggling us...

[handlemecarefully]

Yes they are always in my sight (3 & 5) and No, I don't worry about this sort of thing

[Dottydot]

I'm not worried (yet) - but if you need a wee at night do you go off to the loos and leave them in the tent? I would, but just wondered what camping etiquette is.

[Surfermum]

On the whole dd (4)is within our sight or with her big sister (11) and not far away. The site we went to for our summer holiday was small enough for her to run back to the tent from the shower block ahead of me. I don't worry about her wandering off or being snatched.

And to answer Dot's question, I wee in a bucket.

[tortoise]

Only been camping once so far but i gave DC more freedom there than i would normally. I left all 4 in the tent together while i went for a quick shower (shower block very close opposite our tent).
I let DS1 10 walk to the shop on site alone when we were in the entertainment bit.

I didn't let them wander off but asit was our 1st time and we didn't knothe site i wasn't comfortable wih that.

As or wees at night we had a bucket for emergancies but i just waited until one of the elder two were awake in the morning before i went.

[cornsilk]

Well you'll be in the tent with them and if you're on a campsite it should be fine. I was worried when ds1 went camping with cubs when he was 8 - only chn in the tents. He loved it.

[Kbear]

I think as they get older you relax more. Mine are 8.5 and nearly 6 and when we arrive I case the joint, check out where the play area is and make sure they know to stay together and know how to get back. Usually the play area is in front of the tent so no problem but this time it was two rows of tents away.

Wouldn't do this on a massive site I don't think in case they got lost but on the small sites it's fine. Also DD is a complete mother hen and watches DS like a hawk and takes care of him. I only let them go for short bursts of time too, DH or I wander up there and say come back in ten minutes (DD has a watch) and when they come back I let them go back again!!!

I also relax more as the week goes on.

And I don't worry about them being snatched, highly unlikely.

[handlemecarefully]

I also use a bucket!

[FeelingOld]

My kids like some freedom too (they are now 12 and 7) and we take walkie talkies with us so that they can go to places like play area together (as long as not too far away)and they take 1 w/talkie with them and we have the other. We check in with them and they let us know every few minutes that they are ok too.

[hex]

oh walkie talkies sound a good idea...which ones have you got?

[Kbear]

Forgot to take the walkie talkies this time too but used them last time. It's just nice to have that bit of contact when they are riding on their bikes round the site. DD's are Barbie ones from a bootfair and DS has camoflages ones from ARgos I think.

[FeelingOld]

Not sure without searching through camping stuff as we keep it all packed up but they were from argos and cost about £20 last year and they are rechargable. They are very useful. Hope that helps.

[dustystar]

Walkies talkies can be good but dont forget that they are often used by the staff on a site - especially on changeover days. We have had some very amusing incidents due to other people using the same channel. We ahve 8 channels to choose from on ours but thats not always enough lol. When we casmped near the Thames all we could hear was other peoples chatter and nothing from dd.