Best caravan for toddlers and babies

[lthorog]

Hi

I am new to this forum and as yet I am to purchase my caravan. I am looking at a Sprite Major 4 with the dinette.
Basically this gives us some adult space at the front to stay up longer in the evening, and allows the kids to be at the back of the van. I also like the end bathroom.
My worry is where to put the cot for the new born as the dinette transforms into a double bed?
So I have a few questions and would really appreciate some advice:
1. Does anyone else have this model and what do they think of it, and do they use it with toddlers
2. What do people use for Cots and where do they locate them?
3. Can anyone recommend a good model of van for families with young children?
4. What are the basics I need for starting out?
5. Where can I find some info on weighting the van and what the user payloads are?
6. Any other good advice for newbies
I know there is a lot I am asking but I am really excited about starting out……

 

[Mel]

Hi lthorog. Welcome to the forum. The double dinette version is versatile. We had one. When my grandson was very tiny we put him in this zip around pop up bubble cot thing which bends and folds away into a bag. (Think we got it from mothercare??He is 7 now so can't really remember) Then put this on the double bed of the rear dinette. You can use it up to age 10 months approx. By this time we had changed our van and then corralled him into a lower bunk with bed guards. As it sounds like you will have two children who are both too little for an upper bunk, the double dinette may well be the way to go.

the weight of the van MIRO and MPTLM should be on the Sprite website. as should the payload.

caravanfinder is a good website as it shows all the different layouts you can get and the weights.

good luck. Keep asking questions
mel

 

[lthorog]

Thanks for the reply.

Is there any good advice or info I can read up on regarding what the essential kit you need to get when you first purchase your van?

 

[AbbeyOwner]

Thanks for the reply.

Is there any good advice or info I can read up on regarding what the essential kit you need to get when you first purchase your van?

To be honest, The most important things are, aqua roll, waste master, toilet chem, hookup lead, battery, the list goes on ( http://ourlifeinacaravan.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/top-10-essential-caravan-equipment.html) If you have a read here it will give you top 10 things you need
Hope this helps
AbbeyOwner

 

[Raywood]

We have the same layout but different make. I would use a travel cot which should fit between the seats in the rear lounge and the front one for your bed. The double dinette as used in the Lunar Quasar 525 might suit you better as this gets you further away from the baby if you put it at the back. The advantage is that you do not disturb the baby when using the toilet or kitchen but the compromise is a smaller toilet. The layout is fairly rare however so not many alternative makes.
You can see the layout on http://www.lunarcaravans.com/brands/lunar/ariva-quasar