Anyone with experience/advice re: camping with young kids?

[Snake]

Picking up our first CT in about a month, a 2015 Jayco Flamingo Outback.

We have a 2.5 year old and a 1 year old. Anyone have advice on how you went with sleeping arrangements? Maybe 1 kid in each bed with 1 parent in each bed?

Just don't want the young fella climbing off the high bed when we are sitting outside when he is in bed.

[Hairs]

G'day Snake and welcome to Myswag

Do the kids fall off their bed at home?
If you are worried about them rolling off, put a few pillows there to help them roll back the other way.

True story,
One of our previous campers, looked like a Jims Mowing trailer, with canvas walls, the bed was on top of the trailer, the young bloke managed to get out, ended up on the mud guard, 

They will learn their environment(He still ends up on the floor sometimes in our Swan and he is now 13) 


Just like sometimes I can't find my bed 

[BrindiCruiser]

The Phil and ted travel cot is pretty small.  We used a larger ttavel cot when we had a one year old.  By the time she as two we moved her into the normal bed.

[geopaj]

We started the kids young - both went camping before they could walk (now 5 & 7 yrs old). They sleep on their own camp stretchers in a kid's size sleeping bag on the floor, and we sleep on the bed.

Before they were in beds at home, the kids used a travel cot when camping.

[Rogerthatv2]

The Phil and ted travel cot is pretty small.  We used a larger ttavel cot when we had a one year old.  By the time she as two we moved her into the normal bed.

The Phil and Teds travel cot is the go, perfect size for camping. Fold the table down to the bed conversion in the Flamingo and then sit the travel cot on there during the night. Super lite weight as well and packs down to nothing.

Your flamingo should also have the child guard? I saw a post recently about someone who put a sheet / curtain down the middle to turn the double bed on one end into 2 singles.



Cheers Dan


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[edz]

Way back I'm sure  one of the threads in the "  my camper trailer " section some one had  divided [ lift up ply sheet from memory ] one  bed of their Jayco down the center to keep two kids apart.. pretty sure they also come with a bed rail option for little ones too, though falling out of bed should land them on a couch in some layouts ..

[chester ver2.0]

My goldstream came with a roll up and down mesh netting type of arrangement across the end of the bed so you can lock em in

Maybe Jayco does a similar option

[cruiser 91]

My goldstream came with a roll up and down mesh netting type of arrangement across the end of the bed so you can lock em in

Maybe Jayco does a similar option

They do and I thought it was standard meaning it comes with every jayco, swan, eagle, swift etc. We have them on our 2002 finch ob.

[poidda]

Up until the age of 2'ish, we used a Kinderkot.  The kids loved it, as it's "their own little tent", and we loved it because they were trapped.  It also doubles as a mozzie net as it's fully enclosed.

When we only had one, we went to Europe for 5 weeks and he (then 2) love the fact that he had the same bed each night no matter where we were.  That and it packs down small enough to fit in a backpack.

http://www.productreview.com.au/p/kinderkot-travel-bed.html

[stabicraft]

I took all my kids "camping" with tents and there is a few little snippets of wisdome I would like to share with you.
1) Tire them out, take them walking, swimming, fishing anything, but get them tired.
It will give you and yours a good nights sleep every time. Let them stay up late whatever.

2) take them out in the dark for walks, show them around, make them comfortable with the dark and the bush.
There is nothing worse that a frightened child because they are afraid of the dark and what may be out there.
Go spotlighting, show them all the cool things that make Australia a wonderful place.
Once the kids start to feel safe in a tent, they sleep very well.

3) When travelling, stop frequently.
We stopped every 2 hours on the dot, sometimes more frequently if it was hot (we didnt have air conditioning until later)
Let the kids run themselves stupid, even babies enjoy crawling around OUT OF THE CAR.
try to pick interesting places and if you do a regular trip stop at the same places and the kids recognise everything and feel more comfortable.
Feed them before they get back in the car, something light, just to make them slepy and they sleep until the next stop.
It makes your journey all the better and the kids arive hapy and refreshed.

4) involve them, dont just tell them to go away.
Get them to help putting up the tent, camper.
Start with simple jobs and as they get older, more complex and harder jobs.
They feel part of the experience then.
They may go and run away with new friends half way through, but they feel involved.

5) Finally, when its all said and done, make the whole experience something to remember.
Camping and relaxing is all well and good for us old farts, but kids need experience, something new and something exciting.
get them excited to go camping and they will join those of us who have loved our campiung life.

Enjoy

[mrsfirefox]

We used a safety bed rail with netting that you buy from target, etc and secured it to the bed floor and we chose to have them sleep in the bed above the couch.  That way if they did fall out, they had a soft landing.  We also put a body pillow between the two kids so they didn't encroach on each other. 

I've also seen bed nets that you can buy from motorhome manufacturers that can be fitted.  I recommend checking out your local canvas people and speaking to them. 

We also just kept reminding/showing the kids, don't get out of bed unless you call for us, it worked for us and we didn't have any accidents.  You are so close to them in the van, you will feel/hear them when they start to move anyway.  Good luck!  P.S. We started our kids camping when they were about 3 months old and they still love it. Now 12 & 10

[wilson79]

Mate we have 2 boys aged 3 and 2, the both sleep together on the double bed in the main body of camper (forward Fold)

we put the youngest to bed first and once he is asleep put the oldest in and it works well on "most" nights..

[V8CRSA]

Our little fella started in a porta cot and got a swag for his 2nd birthday.
He now sleeps in his swag, keeps him nice and warm and it's harder for him to roll out. He sleeps better in the swag when camping than he does at home in his own bed.

Matt

[duncandonuts]

Kindacots are great, sleep the kidschead to toe, use a foldind bedrail to stop them falling out

[steppenwolf]

If you read to your kids at bedtime when you're at home, you might like to try this as a sleep-settler when camping.

Out of some spare tent-repair canvas, I had a "camping bookshelf" made up for our three small girls. It was about 900mm square.
It had two rows of pockets, about 300mm wide and 200mm deep. They were wide enough to take their bedtime reading books, and shallow enough for them to see what books were there to choose from.

Another row of smaller-width pockets held hairbrushes, toothbrushes and some toys. The middle one was cut out so we could slip a mirror in it for them.

A loop section along the top had a dowel through it, so it could be strung up outside during the day and between two tent-poles at night.

20 years later, when I threw the worn-out remains away, you WOULD NOT BELIEVE the trouble I got into from them.

Unless, of course, you have daughters of your own.

[dazzler]

We made up a bed where the table sits between the two seats on our swan. Very cosy for the little one.

[99disco]

Yep we did the kinder cot for ours till they were old enough to stop falling out of bed, worked well on a 5 week wa trip for my 4month old son.

Never to young to start them camping.



Shane

[LeighC]

...another recommendation for the kindercot .  We had to tie the zips together as they soon worked that out but they were fantastic for keeping them in one spot and additional mossie protection. Also good for their day sleep to pop them in a shady spot but not in the camper if it was too hot.

We put two kids through these camping from 6 months old.  Doubles as a porta cot at home when you go to friends house for dinner.

Get 'em out young, ours love it even more now.

Cheers
Leigh

[lilstookie]

We live on the road and use a Kinderkot for the youngest. She's transitioning to a 'big' bed by using a Malamoo Mozzie net dome thing. Works a treat for us (not in a Jayco, but would still be a viable option for you).

Lil

[Colmano]

We have five of us in our 2015 Swan Outback - 14yo gets the 2nd big bed, 12yo gets the lounge/bed converter and 18mth old gets the dining table converted - In addition, we bought a bed rail from Baby Bunting which is sort of an 'L' shape with the bottom half sitting under the cushions - Once fixed in place, stops the rugrat from rolling out of bed...The 2nd bed does come with the safety rail stashed under the mattress...I initially floated the idea simply putting the port-a-cot on top of the converted dining table, but was shot down by SWMBO as being something extra we didnt need to carry - I have however heard some choice language from her when the sets up the bed each night as it's a bit cumbersome....Have fun