Camping with a toddler, methods of restraint and enclosure!?

[fodtommo]

We have been camping for years, I travelled all over the world in younger years, as a family we started camping with my stepdaughter when I met my wife and my stepdaughter was 4.

We now have a son heading for who is 18 months old and is, like most boys, enthusiastic, fearless, energetic etc!!!

For various reasons we have nt been camping with him up till now, but we have the van ready and after a few day trips we are ready to go!

There are times when camping when we need to 'keep him in captivity' as it were.

what does everyone do t keep them in your vincinity at this age, - I was genuinely contemplating buying an xtendy dog lead and tying him to the van!!

suggestions please!

[cherl889]

We started camping when our son was 18 months old, so I understand your issues as it where, but to be honest one of the main reason we like camping is because kids to a certain degree when camping have a lot of freedom, that said you dont want them running around screaming across other peolpes pitches etc. We used to have a folding camper then a touring van and now a T25 we mostly used windbreaks to try and establish some sort of boundry with the wind break, depends on the kid I suppose our nipper was alway quite good and would never wander off, but when he did facncy a walk the wife and I would take it in turn to follow him and eventually guide him back to the van. We used a travel cot when cookikng to keep him out the way of the BBQ and kept him occupied with toys etc. we also took a DVD player and his favourite Thomas the tank engine DVD this will usually buy us 30 mins or so. It also depended on the site we were on, Most caravan club site's were not suitable to take kids to because of the snobby old misseries that frequent them,however some sites like alot of the camping and caravan club sites had loads of room between pitches for him to run around in.We stayed in a small farm site last weekend called Manor court farm...we were the only one's there so my son now nearly 5 years old had the whole field to himself needless to say he ran around like loon most of the day and then slept like a log..

Mark

[Trish]

We have 2 boys who have been camping with us in tents and campers since the older was 2 and the younger a very small baby. They are both very er...energetic, shall we say???
Some of the things that have worked for us in keeping them near the tent/van and out of the other campers' way have included colouring books/pens , little toy cars (they spend hours driving them round in the grass but can't be bothered with them at home), sweets (obviously!) and when all else fails we have resorted to a DVD player with an interactive game or DVD to watch.

Am going to avoid resorting to DS consoles for as long as it takes though!

[Trish]

Also, the OH has reminded me that the boot section of the T25 (with the seat up) made a fantastic playpen and the little beggars couldn't escape (well not at first anyway)

[syncro up]

Also, the OH has reminded me that the boot section of the T25 (with the seat up) made a fantastic playpen and the little beggars couldn't escape (well not at first anyway)

Haha, so true, it all changed when our little one realised she could climb out the back.
our next solution was a big awning with a proper sewn in ground sheet so she can crawl and play in there. great solution and will accept a heater in winter.

[fodtommo]

Thanks for all your suggestions - windbreaks had been something I was thinking of.. Its not that i dont want him be outside, quie the opposite, but he is adventurous, and its nice to have half an hour that is not spent running around after him!!

[iggi]

My son slept in a travel cot (in the awning, with us) and the cot was invaluable for use as a playpen at times when we really needed him to be safe - so, when we were putting the awning up for instance he would be in the travel cot. A portable highchair could achieve the same thing but for shorter times, and a bit more dangerous to leave a child in it. But it is all well worth it!