We're getting ready to go on a family camping trip, and one "branch" is a mom with two children, ages 5 and 3. They have a tent, and they have camped before, but this will be the first time since the younger child has gotten mobile. We're concerned about keeping him in the tent at night. He is very curious, and finds very inventive ways to satisfy his curiosity. Short of having us take turns standing guard over their tent, what do you suggest?
Thanks!
zip the tent to the top or you can use zipties if it only zips at the bottom. that's what i had to do when we camped at the pinery over in canada b/c the racoons there know how to unzip tents. have fun and let them explore!!!!! bring clothes that you DON'T care gets ruined, and a rainjacket, just incase!!! I'M SO JEALOUS....i love camping and we aren't going until the end of july :)
Tie a rope around his ankle, waist, or wrist and tie the other to yourself. Not tightly, just enough so that if he is able to get out, you have him on a short line. My brother does this when he takes my nephew (3 year old) mushroom hunting. It's perfect, they feel like they have freedom, but they are safe. I just got back from camping with my 4 year old son and his 3 year old cousin. Everyone did fine. Usually everyone is so tuckered out they fall fast asleep. Good luck.
We would sleep in front of the door so the young ones couldnt leave without waking us. I like the bell idea om the zipper as well.
Our daughter's first camping trip she spent the whole night pacing in the tent hollering, "No! Not my bed!".
Good luck!
You could put a bell on the zipper of the tent. Then if he's trying to escape the nearest adult will be alerted. Or mom could sleep lying in front of the door so he'd have to climb *over* her to get out. Also, tents usually have 2 zippers so if you really needed to you could get a tiny lock and just lock the little Hudini in.
We've taken our little ones camping before and never had a problem with them trying to get out. With all the activities and fresh air, they're out cold by bedtime.
I'm assuming you are talking about putting the kids to bed early and the adults staying up late around the fire?
I would stack a couple of coolers up in front of the door so he can't get out.
There are some good suggestions here, but if there's still a concern that the child will slip out of the tent in the night, when everyone is asleep, one option would be to clip small bells (could use a key ring, paper clip, etc) to the door and window zippers of the tent. This would, hopefully, rouse any adults sleeping in the tent and alert them that someone is coming or going. Depending on what you use to clip the bells in place, you could potentially remove them in the morning so that you don't have to listen to them ring every time someone exits or enters the tent.
I'm guessing that if the little guy is truly determined, he'll be able to get himself out of a play yard. My daughter was able to walk her feet right up the side of her play yard and make her escape before she was 2 years old and had to be switched to a big girl bed when she was 1 1/2, so I've got a bit of experience with adventurous kids who have a tendency to wander at night.
I like Lesly's idea with a bell, lock and adult sleeping by door.
no separate tents for them. They need to sleep in the same tent as their parents. the parents may have to lay down like they are going to sleep when the kids do, just to make it easier. Personally when we are camping my kids 6 and 4 just stay up until dark(which is way pass their bed time). Then it is very easy to get them to sleep.
Also our kids sleep away from the zipper and we sleep right next to the zipper. We use to put something right up against the zipper to make it difficult if they got curious, but it was never a problem.
I would take a Pea Pod (made by Kidco) or a Pack n' Play. Then the little one would be contained.
The Pea Pod comes in 2 sizes. I have the slightly smaller one, but my 5-year-old has slept in it comfortably. The zipper is only on the outside so they cannot open it from the inside.
my kids were all the same way! we go camping every so often, so i totally get this.
when your kid is inventive, you have to be as well!
i would sleep right next to the door and make sure the zipper was secured, or tied to the sleeping bag zipper with a string or shoelace or something.
since he is 3 years old, he should be able to understand his parents when they explain to him how dangerous it is to go outside at night without them. i would rather have a scared kid than a dead kid, so i explain it to my children in detail, starting at age 1, when i know they can understand some english.
You could put a bell on his foot after he's asleep. Adults can sleep across the entrances to the tent. Attach loud bells to the zippers of the tent. Adults can hold them quiet when they need to exit/enter. We took 2 very active grandsons tent-camping and had them sleep along the back wall of the tent behind both of us, with the most active/younger one right next to one of us. They loved camping. By the way, the younger one struggles with ADHD as an adult but he is quite an outdoorsman!
Like Lesley said, my daughter has slept like a rock every time we've camped. She gets worn out with all the running around in the fresh air. We started camping with her when she was 6 months old.
And tent zippers are noisy, I would wake up in a flash if anyone opened the zipper...
