Hi you two and congratulations on the new arrival.
We can do no better than this excellent article from Babyworld which we all enjoyed reading and feel to be the definitive answer to your question.
Have fun!
The OutdoorSupermarket Team
“Already thinking ahead to your summer holidays? With a new baby to care for, chances are you badly need a break. But your maternity pay isn't likely to stretch to two weeks in Florida and besides, how would you get all those nappies, sterilisers and the kitchen sink on the plane?
The answer might be closer to home - and cheaper - than you realise.
If your vision of camping includes an ancient Girl Guide marquee or the sorts of creepy crawlies faced on I'm a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, it's time for a rethink. A surge in popularity means camping and caravanning now account for 17 per cent of UK holidays. It can be as simple or luxurious as you want - so you can even pack your hair straighteners!
The good, the bad and the downpours
Camping is very cost-effective, with holidays and weekend breaks easily affordable once you've invested in the right equipment. It's also a great opportunity for quality family time. You can take TVs, Playstations and laptops, thanks to the electrical hook-ups offered at most sites, but if you can bear to leave them at home it's a perfect chance for family walks, chats, games and sit-down meals.
The downsides include the great British weather. If you really hate rain, camping probably isn't for you. We once endured a week-long downpour at a Highlands' campsite, sloshing about our awning in ankle-deep puddles
. But the odd rain shower shouldn't spoil your holiday if you pack all the right clothes and plan your stay near good indoors attractions. The problem of babies not settling at night can also be magnified on a campsite, particularly with other young children needing sleep.
My husband and I have taken our turn at many a groggy 3am stroll to calm a crying baby. We've also learnt the hard way to leave the buggy assembled in the awning, to avoid fumbling around in the dark trying to spring it into position!
Sites for sore eyes
It's important to decide whether you want an all-singing, all-dancing site with family entertainment - or peace and quiet. Our friends favour sites such as Haven for the children's activities on offer and the alluring swimming pools.
Personally we prefer smaller, quieter sites such as those run by the Camping and Caravanning Club, as they are peaceful and immaculately clean. It's best to browse websites and brochures first to see what's on offer, and don't forget to quiz family and friends for tried and tested recommendations.
Which tent?
The choices are just about endless and astonishingly cheap supermarket options have really increased competition. Here, however, you get what you pay for. I'd recommend an outer flysheet and an inner tent, to keep out rain and condensation, and an awning in which to store all those wellies, bikes and prams.
Go for a slightly bigger tent than you think you need. A four-person tent, for example, will fit four people and very little else, whereas a five-man tent gives two adults and two children plenty of room. Increasingly popular are models with a main living space and separate bedrooms. Beware though, of buying a massive tent, as many are too big for normal-sized pitches.
We've seen families arrive on-site to find they suddenly have to pay for two pitches, so it's best to check size limits with site owners in advance. If possible, borrow a tent for weekend before you buy. They are a great long-term investment but too pricey to be used just once before gathering cobwebs in the shed.
Food, glorious food
The easier, the better! But just because you're camping, don't think this has to mean bread and jam - it's easy to make healthy and warm meals on two camping stoves. For safety, set them up outside your tent, or at least in the awning, and ALWAYS change the gas cylinder outside and away from children.
It's best to balance your stoves on a fold-up table (some sites have plenty of picnic tables) or at least find a level patch of ground, and never allow children to run nearby when you're cooking.
Packs of Pasta n' Sauce make a quick, filling meal as do cooked sausages and vegetables or sauté potatoes. A children's breakfast favourite is eggy bread - simply bread dipped in whisked egg and fried (lovely with cinnamon or maple syrup!). The variety pack cereals are handy if you want to avoid knocking over large, opened boxes, while Krisp-rolls or crackers are a good substitute for toast.
A simple cool box will keep everything chilled, but if you want to go a step further Argos does a great selection of mini-fridges, starting at as little as £19.99, which can be plugged into your car or linked up to the site's electric with an adaptor socket.
Making up baby feeds is just as simple as at home by boiling water in an aluminium kettle (available from camping shops for about £10), but we always pop in a few boxes of ready-to-use formula for emergencies. To warm these up, just boil water in a pan then remove the pan from the stove and allow the bottle to stand as normal.
Don't forget stacks of baby wipes for mopping sticky faces. Tommee Tippee makes a travel-friendly cold-water steriliser and Avent's pre-sterilised cups, which can be used up to four times, are invaluable for storing pureed food.
Play away
Small children are easily entertained with old favourites such as I Spy and staring at clouds to make out funny shapes. We always take plenty of paper, crayons and glue and our three-year-old loves collecting leaves and acorns with which to make pictures.
Hopscotch can be chalked out on campsite paths and even chores such as refilling water carriers and helping to wash up in the open air can be great fun for toddlers.
Essential equipment
- Your tent!
- Sleeping bags and blankets. An extra ground sheet on top of the integral one is also handy in case your child or baby is sick in the night.
- Two gas stoves, matches, pans and an aluminium kettle.
- A well stocked first aid kit, including Calpol and liquid Piraton.
- Sun cream, sun hats, swimsuits and armbands.
- Jumpers, fleeces, rain macs, wellies and woolly hats.
- A large water carrier.
- A trailing mains adaptor, to plug into a site mains hook-up (available for £5.50 from towsure.com).
- A carry cot or Moses basket.
- Nappies and baby wipes.
- Loo rolls! Good sites will have plenty but we once got caught out by an owner who said he didn't provide any because unruly children made papier-mache "bombs" with it! That's one excuse for penny-pinching!
Just as important is what you don't need. Many sites have extras such as hairdryers and baby baths in the shower block, so save valuable luggage space by finding out in advance what's available.
What the experts say
"Camping is certainly on the increase," says Ruth Walmsley of the Camping and Caravanning Club. "There are a lot of people like me who went camping when they were younger and are now taking their children. The equipment you can buy is phenomenal, and so family friendly. Things have changed - just step back in and look again."
Many people have preconceptions of camping but these days accommodation has all the comforts of home."
by Rebecca Blunt
Tips from parents
"We've been camping a few times with our son when he was 13 months, 16 months and 28 months old. I think it's a great holiday with a toddler. We had two weeks in France, where campsites are fantastic: swimming pools, playgrounds, other kids and lots of open space.
"Things to take: some kind of high-chair device so they can't escape at mealtimes (we had a Mothercare highchair that has two cubes that kind of stack, so we just took the top bit with the actual chair in). This keeps them away from hot camping stoves too.
"Food-wise, obviously in Europe you can get anything that you can get at home. We still took a supply of pasta and jars of tomato sauce and tins of carrots for instant meals after driving for a while. And his favourite squash too.
"Also, a travel cot is good so they can't escape while you're half-asleep. Despite being in a bed for the previous six months, we still took the cot camping this August. That, a football, kite and bucket and spade, and you're away!"
Clg
"Back carriers are essential for walking"
"Camping with babies is fine; it's such fun for them as it gives them lots of new experiences. We took our first son when he was eight months old, together with our retriever dog! We just used a grobag, and put him in the sleeping bag with us at night. I'd recommend using a back carrier for walking; it's a lot easier than a pushchair on the campsites, and great for walking on the beach.
We didn't need many toys as our son was happy just exploring the tent and all our belongings! We had a great time I recall, and I wished I had done it sooner with him. "We also did motor-homing with him when he was 11 months in New Zealand. This is absolutely great too, and gives a lot more freedom than using hotels but without the inconvenience of being under canvas.
I'd highly recommend it. We are now about to embark on a four-month trip in a motorhome with a six-week-old and a two-year-old!"
Michelle
"Ask for a pitch away from the main through road"
"Camping with young children is a great holiday - they love it and it isn't as stressful as you might think. We first went when our daughter was four months old. That was easy as she was still exclusively breastfeeding, so I didn't have to worry about feeding her, although I would say to make sure you take some sort of chair that you are comfortable feeding in.
We didn't as it was a just a weekend and we didn't take all our gear along with us but I ended up feeding her lying down most of the time as there is nothing to sit up against when you are in a tent! "My main tip for camping with toddlers is to ask for a pitch away from the main road through the campsite. That way they can run around as much as they want without too many cars being driven past.
Campsites in this country seem to fill up incredibly fast at the weekend but are much quieter midweek; going Monday to Friday was ideal as there were loads of unused pitches so the children had lots of space to run around and you could see them really well. The more crowded the site the harder it is to keep an eye on them.
If you are able to choose your own pitch then look for one at the end of a dead end - that way the only cars coming past your tent should be your own. "One really useful piece of equipment with young children is a portable potty - the type that uses a disposable liner. That way they (and you, if you really don't fancy walking to the toilet block in the middle of the night! ) can use it and not have to walk up to the toilets with a fully potty to empty it: you just tie up the bag and dispose of it like you would a nappy.
"The main tip though is to relax and go with the flow - live as much of the time outdoors and enjoy a different way of life."
Suzy
"Sleep on a thin, foam camping mat"
"For something to sleep on, I'd suggest getting one of those thin foam camping mats that roll up They are usually adult sized so if space in the tent is a problem, you can always cut it down.
They are useful because they not only provide a bit of cushioning but they also insulate against the cold of the ground."
Sue
"Don't forget the mosquito net!"
"We took our eight-week-old baby camping to Brittany last September and had a brilliant time. One thing we couldn't have done without was the mosquito net for his pram for when we were out during the evenings."
Chilton
"A large washing-up bowl is a great baby bath"
"We went camping in France when my sister was eight months old. The tents are fully equipped with cooking facilities and you can buy SMA from French chemists if necessary. The campsite where we spent most of our holiday had a baby bath in the shower block. But there was also a large washing-up bowl in the tent that proved useful as a baby bath (al fresco, under the shady pine trees!).
A very enjoyable holiday was had by all. She even made her first friend - a 20 month old Dutch girl who was staying in the next tent."
Emma
