Camping: toddler sleeping arrangements

Sleeping arrangements for our toddlers is one of the things that cause me the most anxiety when I think about planning a camping trip. We keep our kids on a relatively strict sleeping situation – in their cribs, super dark rooms, fans, blankets, etc. So when I have to think about putting them to sleep and getting them to stay asleep while camping when those circumstances are different, I get a little stressed out. Strike that, a lot stressed out. Luckily, we seem to have found a situation that seems to be working out pretty well for both of them. If there is one piece of advice that I could give to anyone who is taking a toddler camping, it would be to make their temporary bed as much like their bed at home. You will have much more success at getting them to sleep if they are in a comfortable, familiar surrounding.

In our camper, we have a bunk bed in the back with a double on bottom and a twin on top, a table that folds down to make a double and a couch that folds down to make a double as well. We decided that the best bed for Silas is the double in the bunk to keep him from rolling off onto the floor while he is sleeping. When he sleeps he is all over the bed and often times end up on a completely different side of the bed than when he went to sleep. At the entrance to the bottom bunk is a person sized hole that you can crawl through to lie down. Because we wanted to avoid him rolling out this hole, we had to rig something up that would be sturdy enough to keep him in the bed if he bumped against it, but that would still be flexible enough to be able to be moved if we needed to get to him or if there was an emergency. We tried several things, the scariest of which was a sheet tied between the sides. It was fine until Silas rolled into the sheet and was fighting like crazy to get out. After that, the sheet went away.

One of Corry’s most amazing ideas of 2013 has been to use the top bunk’s twin mattress in that entranceway. He folded it almost in half and when pushed into that entranceway, it fits perfectly along the sides of both walls. We are still able to easily get Silas in and out of that bunk, it comes out easily in case he gets stuck towards the outside of the bunk, and it keeps him safe. Another bonus is that since the mattress is so wide, it blocks out most of the light that we have on in the camper, which leaves the light more like his room at home.

After several different places, we decided that the best place for Isabella to sleep is on the fold down couch. She usually is rather still while she is sleeping, so we really don’t have to worry about her rolling off the side of the bed or anything like that. I make sure, when packing, to pack her blankets, pillows and some stuffed animals that she sleeps with on a daily basis. Because she sleeps with so many blankets and stuffed animals, we can’t bring it all. Normally I bring at least one, if not two, blankets and both glow-worms and one baby doll. All of these items help her to feel more comfortable and more at home, which helps her go to sleep easier and stay asleep longer. She normally fights us a little bit longer before agreeing to go to sleep, but normally because she is so excited to be camping.

All in all I think that we have established a good sleeping arrangement for both toddlers in our camper. Even though this situation in general causes me stress, it is comforting to know that we already have a system in place that works for us and has worked for numerous camping trips.