Hey guys, question for those of you that camp with toddlers. What do you use for them to sleep? Do you put them in a sleeping bag? On a pad? We would like to join the crew heading to Alaska next summer, and are just trying to figure out the logistics for Cadence to sleep.
Thanks in advance!

Awesome!

My kids sleep in sleeping bags, the REI Kindercone. They love it and are always warm.

I put them on 1" thick self inflating pads. I also take an extra blanket I can throw over both kids if it is really cold.

A1Skinner wrote:Hey guys, question for those of you that camp with toddlers. What do you use for them to sleep? Do you put them in a sleeping bag? On a pad? We would like to join the crew heading to Alaska next summer, and are just trying to figure out the logistics for Cadence to sleep.
Thanks in advance!

From infant through 3-ish we zipped our sleeping bags together and kept kiddo with us.

Sweet!

We camped a fair amount with our kids when they were babies and toddlers. It can take a while to get them used to being in a tent and sleeping bag. I'll admit that we did have some nights when we didn't get a lot of sleep at first, but it's so worth it once they settle into it.
If you can, I'd suggest setting up the tent in the back yard and getting them used to it before heading out on a major expedition. Maybe do nap time in the sleeping bag, etc.

One thing that sometimes helps is to unzip mom and dads sleeping bags and use them as more of a blanket with baby in between.

I'm sure you'll figure it out. It's definitely worth it! Good luck!

Thanks for the responses so far guys! I'm a very "floppy" sleeper and I think I'd squish my daughter if she were between my wife and I. We were more wondering if you did anything special to keep them on a pad, but being in a sleeping bag should keep her contained.
Thanks!
David

David,
Great suggestions above, especially the one about trying it out in your yard before you go........

How does your daughter sleep at home? Does she stay under her blankets, with her head on her pillow all night or is she turned around backwards, totally uncovered with her head and at least two limbs hanging off the bed when you check on her?

My kids wouldn't stay in their sleeping bags consistently until about age 4.........it didn't matter how cold it was, they would flop around until they were out of their bags and had their heads wedged in the corner of the tent, but they did the same in their beds at home also.

We used a down snow suit for my son when it was cold and we were camping, but at first, he didn't want to sleep in it. He would wear it all day, but when it came time to go to sleep, it bothered him. This is where the practice at home comes in.

This photo was at JC, when he had just turned 1. Great memories, and now that they are 5 and 8 years old, they are pros at camping in the cold.......we spent the night over Thanksgiving in a car hauler trailer in the Safeway Parking lot of Burns Oregon last week during that cold snap, as we were traveling to Utah. They both slept great all night in their sleeping bags while my wife and I Froze! They begged to camp the next night in the trailer, but my wife and I said no way, and stopped at a hotel.......lol!

highroad wrote:They begged to camp the next night

This is a measure of great success, my friend.

We tried everything and just went with blankets until they were old enough, about 5, for a junior sleeping bag.

It gets cold in tents and little ones are really susceptible to that. Just like getting in a swimming pool, as our bodies cool, we have to pee. Blankets are much easier to dry and keep clean and that was the overriding factor for us. Diapers only old so much A good ground pad to keep them warm is a must, too.

My kids are now 16 and 14 but I remember camping with them at that age like it was last night. Except I slept last night;-)

As mentioned previously, the best system depends on how Cadence sleeps. A tossy/turny child will do better under blankets.

Practise, practise, practise. A tent in the yard is a great idea and it is just as much fun for a young child as Alaska.

Man, can't thank you guys enough. High road, my daughter is just like your kids, roams around the crib all night and never stays put. A snow suit is a great idea! That combined with blankets should do a great job.
You guys are awesome! Thanks!

Forgive my ignorance, but isn't this sort of the nanny's responsibility?

Thank you Hammer, I was wondering the exact same thing.

Not really a bedtime accessory, but I can see this being useful around camp.

Hammer wrote:Not really a bedtime accessory, but I can see this being useful around camp.

I'd rather have a cowgirl for a nanny, but whatever floats your boat. He looks plenty capable.

CW

Hammer wrote:Not really a bedtime accessory, but I can see this being useful around camp.

I need that NOW. The baby holster that is.

A lock on the tent zipper might be a good plan, We went on a family camp out in July in Yukon and woke in the AM to my aunt yelling, Her crawling around size boy was gone from the tent! He was fairly easy to track through four inches of new snow but he had made it out of site of the tents. Our girl, ten days younger, slept through it all. Little boy was happy as a clam as soon as he was dried off and fed some moose meat and hotcakes.

We used the aero bed for all of our kids when they were younger than 3. It takes up a lot of space so only one kid got one. When the next kid came along it promoted the older one to a hiking sleep pad. The raised sides let the gymnast toddler toss and turn all they wanted. Not for everyone because of the size and not insulated, but worked for us.



Brett

My son is 5 now and my daughter is 4, but they have been camping with us since they were babies. We bought some cheap mummy bags and bring a spare bag to put over them like a blanket if things get cold but we find that it is rarely needed. For pads, I have a thinsulite pad and a self inflating pad to keep them warm, but the great thing about kids is that they don't need a lot of padding, just insulation. We did a lot of practice campouts in the back yard and it can be VERY hard to get them to settle down and go to sleep with the long Alaskan summer days. I even took my son on a 3 day caribou hunt when he was 3. It was well below freezing with 4" of snow on the ground. He slept just fine. Walking around was another matter, owing mostly to poor footwear choices for him, but he was a real trooper. Last spring we flew out to Port Alsworth and camped out in the plane. With the seats removed and the tail cone access cover out, a 150 can be very comfortable.

Up until about 2 we kept them with us. We most recently had two Exped pads that we slept on and two large bags that were made to zip together. Dee found it easier to just put them on the outside of her. Probably so I wouldn't disturb the child when I finally came to bed after BSing at the campfire with friends. Then they graduated to the Kelty Grasshopper bags. The kids love them, they stay warm, and they come in purple for girls Tyler was so excited to graduate to his own sleeping bag. We haven't ever had a problem with the transition. Maybe because they have camped all their lives. The two younger sleep on REi self-inflating 1" pads and Adam got bumped up to an Exped pad last year. To save a little bulk for the trip, 2 more Expeds will be purchased for the younger two this spring.

Hope this helps and you can come!