Kids?

[skysky69]

Just a quick question to those who go away as families, do you find that the children manage to stay asleep after they have gone to bed and you stay up for longer?

Just wondering how my 2.5 year old is going to manage being in the end bed - I can probably keep up her till about 9.00 but she will by that time be a narky git. Will we still be able to have the TV on etc or will this keep her awake.

OH is on about modifying the caravan to incorporate a kind of sliding door across the rear seating area (we did look at one that seemed to have this as standard), so at least she might have some quiet time to get some sleep.

Any experiences or thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

P.S. I apologise if I seem to be asking a lot of questions lately!

 

[parker1158]

Mine are a bit older, son is seven and daughter is twelve but we have been vanning just over three years now so they were younger when we started. We never found it a problem. We have a side dinette layout that has a curtain that pulls round. We don't take a tele so that is not a distraction, we tend to read. When we are away the children tend to be out all day either on trips with us or playing on site so to be honest they are 'all in' by bedtime. My lad reads for ten minutes then he is out like a light and no amount of us banging around wakes him. I would say you may find when you are in the van you will find your time spent differently than at home, for instance we tend to go to bed earlier but then get up earlier the following morning.

I can only speak for us as a family but when we are in the van we have a completely different set of routines (No tele, computers, play stations etc )and I think because everything is 'different' being children they adapt, and our children adapted very quickly to that routine.

And don't apologise that's the beauty of forums you can tap into many years of experience.

 

[paulduckworth]

Hi, we have two boys - 4 and 6. We've been caravanning for 2 years now and have never had a problem. Some times they stay up a bit later, but generally they go to bed at their normal time which is 7pm.

We take a TV and are watch films, etc until our normal bedtime. We have a 6 bith (end bunks with curtains) but when we had our first caravan (4 birth with a wooden sliding door) we even managed to get to play singstar on the PS2 (Playstation Karaoke for the uninitiated) without waking them up!!

I suppose we should consider ourselves very lucky. We someitimes get cheeky prying eyes round the curtain for the first half an hour or so, but they've normally been so busy during the day that they are tired enough to go to sleep.

 

[RiaandJames_374303418]

My mum and I are taking my nieces children in the caravan at half term.

By the time they have been to the beach and played boules and been in and out of the pool, with all the fresh air they will be knocked out like us

Ria

 

[cokey1970]

Hi Kirstie,

We generally let our 2.5 year old son stay up later in the caravan because he is on holiday like us. However, he gets himself so excited about being in the caravan, that it takes a while for him to go to sleep.

We have used an inflatable 'My First Readybed' placed onto the dinette seat slats which has raised sides to stop him falling out.

Martin.

 

[DanPaula]

We have a Bailey Ranger 470/4 front bed and side dinette model. The side dinette turns into bunk beds and has a pull around curtain. Our 3 year old gets into his Thomas the tank sleeping bag (worthwhile purchase) without a struggle normally between 8pm and 9pm and is asleep within 10 mins. Once asleep the curtain is pulled around and you normally don't hear a peep out of him. We don't really tiptoe around and usually have the television on until latish. Our son doesn't seem to mind.

 

[AnnM1]

All I would say Kirstie is "Don't worry!". It is amazing how the fresh air will 'knock' the socks of small kids. Try to keep to a sensible timetable and not let the little one get too excited around bedtime (harder than at home!). Watch TV if you want, this won't affect the little one getting off to sleep.

However, remember to take along a couple of favourite toys which a 21/2 year old can snuggle down with.

Then enjoy!!!!

 

[RogerP]

We've got a 2 year old and , touch wood , he's been very good when we've been away.

We have a fixed rear bed layout and when its time for him to go to bed we get him off to sleep in the rear in his 'cheeky monkey' sleeping bag , glass of warm milk and a cookie seems to work aong with a story.

It generally takes about 10 minutes before he's asleep. We then pull over a concertina type door to screen off the bed.

After that we just carry on as normal TV , Radio , going in and out of the van etc etc.

Come our bed time we make up the lounge into the bed , scoop him up in his sleeping bad and place him in the front. He doesn't stir at all.

We find when we're away he sleeps far better than at home , in as much he sleeps in longer. At home he's up about 06:30 but in the van its usually 07:30ish.

 

[Surfer]

Simple really. Tell them to go to sleep in no uncertain terms at a specific time. It is called discipline.

 

[jinty0_0]

i wish my little girl of 18 mth would go to sleep like all the other posts say. we have the fixed bunks at the rear and have got cot sides to fit in, and it takes me all night to get her to sleep. when we are at home she is in bed for 7.30 at the latest and i never hear her again that night, in the caravan i start putting her to bed at 7pm and have seen me still trying to get her to sleep at 11.00pm and sheis very unsettled during the night and up early in morning. I try to let her run around outside as much as possible during the day but it never makes any difference

sorry to be the bearer of ad news

 

[S-MaxJon]

My daughter is 3.5 yrs.We have been caravanning since she was 1 year old.We have a twin dinette with built in sliding door.When she was younger we had to sit in the awning as she was quite a light sleeper.

Now she is older she goes to bed between 8-9 and insists on having the sliding door left open.She likes to know she can see us and eventually she nods off.With TV on and popping of corks !!!

I would say just go with what is best for your child.

Funny story - on our first outing in April 2005 at Clumber Park I put the awning up but not the skirting under the caravan.We sat in the awing freezing with wind blowing through while my daughter was asleep.

Morale - don't forget the heater and always put up the skirting bit

 

[RogerP]

i wish my little girl of 18 mth would go to sleep like all the other posts say. we have the fixed bunks at the rear and have got cot sides to fit in, and it takes me all night to get her to sleep. when we are at home she is in bed for 7.30 at the latest and i never hear her again that night, in the caravan i start putting her to bed at 7pm and have seen me still trying to get her to sleep at 11.00pm and sheis very unsettled during the night and up early in morning. I try to let her run around outside as much as possible during the day but it never makes any difference

sorry to be the bearer of ad news

Hi Jane

have you looked at the differences between home and the van.

for instance , because we live on a main road , and little ones room is at the front of the house , his room is always very light (from the street lights).

Yet in the van we no external lights it is litterally pitch black. We've taken to leaving the Awning light on to give a similar effect to home. Seems to work.(we have also just got a night light which we'll try next outing)

Also are you following the same routine as at home? All be it as close as you can.

 

[debs1474]

our eldest son who is now 10 has been caravning since he was 2, as our first van was only 2 berth he had to sleep with us.

after a short time we upgraded to a 4 berth where he slept on the lower bunk.

our youngest son who is now 6 as been caravaning since he was 6 weeks old. both boys really enjoy the caravan we try to go two weekends each month if were not away for the week.

in 2004 we bought our first brand new caravan a 6berth senator with fixed side bunks, both boys sleep on the bunks and although they don't go to bed to early they go before us and don't seemed to be disturbed by us. although they are reluctant to go to bed they are soon off to sleep.

most kids are reluctant to go to bed and its more exciting for them to be in the van, so you may find that she dosn't settle as quickly as at home. i think once shes off to sleep you'll be ok.

best of luck

 

[JeremyClarksson]

Have 2 girls now 5 and 6 and have been caravanning since the youngest was a baby, no problems at all.

Fresh air helps you all sleep well and they soon get used to the noise of background chat or TV, in fact I think they find it comforting.

 

[ProfJohnL]

i wish my little girl of 18 mth would go to sleep like all the other posts say. we have the fixed bunks at the rear and have got cot sides to fit in, and it takes me all night to get her to sleep. when we are at home she is in bed for 7.30 at the latest and i never hear her again that night, in the caravan i start putting her to bed at 7pm and have seen me still trying to get her to sleep at 11.00pm and sheis very unsettled during the night and up early in morning. I try to let her run around outside as much as possible during the day but it never makes any difference

sorry to be the bearer of ad news

Hello Jane,

I can symathise with your posting, we also had a youngster who was difficult to get to sleep. We found an article in Parenting Magazine about getting a good nights sleep. We applied the process and it worked. So much so we have passed the article onto many distraught parents who have since sung its praises.

It is a 5 page document so rather than post it directly onto the forum, I have sent a copy to the forum managers and asked if they will email it onto you.

If you don't receive it, just post on this thread and I will try again.

It does work, and it is is emotionally hard, but the benefits are really worth it.

 

[jinty0_0]

hi thanks for your posts. have had my daughter at a sleep councilo organised through my health visitor and they couldnt find anything i was doing wrong now she has turned things around in the house and sleeps very well in her cot, i cant think of anything i do in the van that is really that different to bedtime at home sometimes she is a little later going to bed and has no bath other than that everything else is the same. just about had a for sale notice in window after the first outing who said caravaning was stress free?

 

[Rita1]

Jane

If you have caravan at home why not let her sleep in there

It might acclimatiser her to it better

 

[jinty0_0]

Jane

If you have caravan at home why not let her sleep in there

It might acclimatiser her to it better

have thought once or twice about this. lately we have been away in the caravan every weekend so you would have thought she would be getting used to the idea, next trip October school week cant wait looking forward to the time with the family but not to the bedtime horrer

 

[Murakami09]

We've been caravanning and motorhoming with two kids since they were babies. We've found that they take a bit of time to settle on the first couple of nights, but after that, they're fine.

B

 

[Abby_5110349]

This post has really made me laugh! We have a 14mth old who we have taken caravaning since she was born. We have been caravaning for years as a couple so truly believed that our baby would just fit in and would sleep on the side dinette behind a curtain. How wrong we were!!!!!!! We have just spend the whole summer, most weekends and a few weeks hols, sitting in the awning willing the rest of the site to be a bit quieter! Just like Johnathan said, it's been freezing! But you've got to laugh! She is now really good at sleeping in the van (was a nightmare in the beginning) and we have got a bit braver and are now not so quiet. But saying that, we are selling it and buying a 6 berth so that she can sleep much further away from us!

 

[Martin_374319553]

This post has really made me laugh! We have a 14mth old who we have taken caravaning since she was born. We have been caravaning for years as a couple so truly believed that our baby would just fit in and would sleep on the side dinette behind a curtain. How wrong we were!!!!!!! We have just spend the whole summer, most weekends and a few weeks hols, sitting in the awning willing the rest of the site to be a bit quieter! Just like Johnathan said, it's been freezing! But you've got to laugh! She is now really good at sleeping in the van (was a nightmare in the beginning) and we have got a bit braver and are now not so quiet. But saying that, we are selling it and buying a 6 berth so that she can sleep much further away from us!

We went away last weekend for the first time in a caravan with our 2 year old boy. He was a bit unwell the morning we left and hadn't been sleeping that well at home recently as he has a cough. First night we put him to bed he was asleep by 7. We went to bed about 9 as we thought we might be up a lot in the night. Wrong! He slept until 6am and we had the best nights sleep we've had in a long time. Same happened again the next night.

Our van is a 5 berth with a wooden sliding door across the rear dinette/bed area so we don't even need to be particularly quiet and we can have the lights on no problem. That was one of the main reasons we bought this van (Abbey Expression 500L).

As usual, children are very unpredictable. I expect next time we go away he won't sleep at all.