Advise for camping with 2 infants

[carterzest]

[buildyourown]

[carterzest]

[buildyourown]

I was thinking about starting a thread asking and giving some advice for camping with kids in diapers.

My tips:
Carry an empty kitty litter bucket on the roof. Having a trash can in camp is nice and a place to put smelly diapers on the road is priceless.
Turn the 2 vertical cabinets in the back into diaper and clothes bins.
Rocket box it good. Keeps clutter out of the van.

Questions:
How to keep a 2yo in the back when it's bed time? My freakishly tall 18mo old can get over the seat back. Bed time is a chore.

[DAIZEE]

I enjoyed this whole thread and I guess I'm still a kid at heart but I agreed with everything and even learned a lot. I think it is great for kids to be involved at a very very early age if possible. I can see that most of the kids in this thread already have well healthy developed imaginations. My only real luxury will be music and books.
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'09 2.5L Jetta 5 cylinder, 5 spd, super turbo, see thread in H2O Cooled Jetta, etc...
83.5 Vanagon L Riviera Model with 98 1.9L TD AAZ 4 speed Daily Driver 3 out of 4 seasons (sold)
84 Vanagon GL Wolfsburg Westy WBX 4 speed (sold)

[cotc03]

FRONT COT CRIB ADAPTER

We use to have a Split Westy 66 up until this spring - we sold it for a newwer Westy 88 as our family is growing...

In the split, I modified the front cot with what I call my "crib adapter" :
- I've put velcro on both sides, near the doors, on the cot and the curtains attached to it - so baby wouldn't fall on the door sides.
- I've sewn a panel on the back of the cot with a flexible bug mesh window to see the baby and for better ventilation. This panel was holding into the split's upper lip with a simple conduct pipe with bent tips.

I am confident a similar approach could render the Vanagon Garry Lee type front cot safer for really young children too...

See pictures here : http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=385409&id=829305112&l=7b52158180

In this album, you also see pictures of a simple wooden barrier to use the rear facing bench of my SO-42 camper as a crib, but it might not be relevant to Vanagon's interior...

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USING THE REAR MATTRESS AS IS

In my Vanagon Westy 88, I plan on having my youngest sleep behind the rear seat without even unfolding the rear bench. Maybe adding a curtain under the rear cabinet as some have proposed...

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ANTI-FALL PANEL FOR UPPER BED

I'm now pregnant with baby no2 - so I'm not sure if I will be able to climb up to sleep upstairs to go camping this summer... But if not, I might sew a "crib adapter" to put in the opening of the pop top and put my 20 months old up there or have her sleep with me downstairs for now...

While looking for a Vanagon Westy this spring, I saw one for sale with one : they used one side of an old play pen and screwed one end under the pop top bed and the other end had a piece of metal with a slot that slide just into the pop top latch - no sewing required as the play pen side is already equipped with a bug screen window for ventilation and to see the children upstairs...

See a picture : http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=13024855&id=829305112&l=7b52158180

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SMALL PEAPOD PORTABLE CRIB

When the new baby arrive, I was contemplating buying a really small portable crib to put on the floor - looks cool for the beach or outside naps as it is UV/bugs protected and even to bring to friends houses for napping instead of a bulky play pen...

There is 2 sizes : one for infant and one for toddlers... They have an air mattress to protect from the cold of the floor, sold with or without an air pump and some self-inflatable.

Here's the link : http://www.kidco.com/main.taf?p=4,5

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STOVE BUTTONS ??

I'm just a little apprehensive now with the stove burners buttons being so much attractive to my oldest (20 months now) ; any idea how to prevent playing with them? I might just see if I can remove the buttons and put them in only while the stove is in use...

OK - I just removed them, they slide easily and I've stored them in the rail on top of the curtains ; accessible only by adults

Thanks!
_________________
Caroline Côté
Vester Winfried - Westy '88
Günther - Squareback '69
Montreal, QC, Canada

[bac914]

Thanks for the picture of the baby bunk. That will come in handy for #3.

One tip to add for sleeping. We bring a battery powered white noise machine and use that to drown out the campground sounds at bedtime. It's amazing how loud a campground can be at 8 or even 9 when little kids normally head to bed. And we also just made some darker curtains to block more light during daytime napping.

Have fun out there.

[tangojeff]

You might not sleep in much any more. When our boys got old enough to sleep upstairs in the Westy. we found the first to awaken always bugged the other one. The early morning wiggling and shaking that woke up everyone, never stopped until we moved them outside to their own tent.

[GWTWTLW]

[RicoS]

[Katscar]

Yes it is the one from Bus Depot, we waited and got the new model with the floor. I should mention the second time it was put up my husband did it by himself. There are a couple small issues with it however, you can't close the door of the vehicle it's attached to and you could get any number of furry visitors inside your bus or tent from under the bus, we're going to make a canvas flap for ours.
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1986 Wolfsburg Westy Weekender (mine)
1972 Riviera Bus (his)
1967 Beetle (ours)

[Katscar]

We have only had it out twice, once in the front yard the day we got it and the second time in my brothers pasture, don't worry no livestock. The first time was windy and the as long as you have good ground to stake it to it does fine, but there are a ton of stakes. The second time was in sand and some of the stakes worked there way out but faired well overall.
_________________
1986 Wolfsburg Westy Weekender (mine)
1972 Riviera Bus (his)
1967 Beetle (ours)

[ranchero]

[Katscar]

We have 4 kids, from ages 12 to 2, camping with them is what you make of it. Naps, lots of naps. It may be rough at first but hang in there, you will find what works for you. The first few trips you'll pack way to much, I did, the more you go the more you figure out what works. The fresh air and outdoors have a way of making them sleep better, at least mine do. We go camping as often as we can, sometimes with my husbands Bus and them sometimes with both the Bus and Westy Weekender.

We also bought a side tent for the Bus however you need to have a pretty big site to put it up.

_________________
1986 Wolfsburg Westy Weekender (mine)
1972 Riviera Bus (his)
1967 Beetle (ours)

[ranchero]

Preach on Brotha!

I totally agree. Leave the DVD player and electronics at home. Bring the stuff the encourages exploration and understanding of the outdoors. My son gets one exception to this - an old digital camera that he uses to take pictures of bugs and trees and campers in funny hats.

[1621]

Please excuse my brief rant as I was just reminded of people's tendency to plop their children in front of a DVD player while driving. While dropping my son off at school this AM, I look over into the SUV next to me and see a Disney movie playing on TWO screens in the back seat! Now that's fine for in-flight entertainment as there's not a lot to see from 30,000 feet, but I think it robs children of part of the experience of getting out to begin with. Sometimes just observing the changing scenes while en route is a conversation sparker and/or triggers some imaginative story creation of their own. Sing campfire songs with the children or teach them to quote Shakespeare (my wife teaches English Lit), but engage! I know a family whose kids are either in their trailer watching DVDs, or playing some hand held video game. Time to un-plug and reconnect with the real world. For most of us that's the reason we were drawn to these vehicles to begin with.

So...things not to bring: DVD players and video games. Generally speaking, electronic devices that prevent kids from engaging with their family and surroundings.

Things to bring: Bicycles, books, boardgames, and a small paper bag for each child. You would be amazed at what natural treasures they will discover and want to share with others. They might even help us adults rediscover a bit ourselves.

Thanks for reading.
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'85 Westy

[climberjohn]

This is a superb thread. So many posts in just a day or two!

I'll toss in this:

We found a roof rack and cargo box to be mandatory. Many of you can take less stuff or pack it better, but not having to solve the 3-D packing puzzle each morning makes things a lot easier for us (me, wife, 2 kids ages 2 and 4).

A small backpack tent for large not needed at night objects (kiddie seats, cooler) is nice too.

For attaching kiddie seats, here is a post with some detailed instructions and photos of how I added LATCH attachment points in my van.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=309271
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'86 Westy, 2.5 Subaru power
Know your limits. Exceed them often.

[mikey9]

@ Aircooled chris re; Parcel Shelf Bed.

Prob one of my simplest ideas.
Piece of Plywood sheet.
Some reinforcing strips of wood.
1 Shaped lobster net (form net supplier)
1 Cot Matress
3 hooks

Sits on strip on the wardrobe/cupboard side and one on the window sde (already fitted by Convertor or VW?) to support the missing parcel shelf.

We get to slep with our feet underneath (I have BIG feet and have no probs turning over int he night) and make the bed up with him sleeping.

If he wakes we just unhook and drop him between us.

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Another tip or two.
Take a BIG waterproof bag or two to put the baby seats in when camped - they take up a lot of room.

travel while they are sleeping or to encourage them to sleep - but not exclusively - our first now 2 and a bit yrs loves looking out the window at trucks, buses etc.

Shut the curtains and wind it all down from 1 hr before bedtime - and stick tot he routine at home e.g. Clothes off - flannel wash - dress - bottle or feed - story(-ies) - sleep.

Take a peg spider (one of those things you use for drying socks). Wash their clothes as you need but you are camping - expect to bit a bit grubbier!

If you are feeling brave - take reusable/washable nappies (Daipers) - wash em out in a bucket (or find a lauderette). Saves on packing bales of nappies and all that rubbish you otherwise have to dispose of or find somewhere to store. We have managed about 4 weeks away like this so far. Looks pretty cute with them strung out between the mirrors on the campsite.....

[moogster]

we first took our little one camping at four weeks old.
He first used to sleep on the bunk over the cab seats but as he got a little older he now tries to crawl off it so he now sleeps behind the rear seat and we have to sleep in the pop up roof.

If you have the front cab bunk wait till your kids switch your hazard lights on in the middle of the night kids like switches.

The swing out table on a west conversion is great for changing dipers on

[Neo-Nomad]