Camping in Ireland with baby and toddler

Carra23

Hi

Anyone ever done this before ? Strongly considering it as a holiday this year. Myself or my girlfriend have never been camping and I think it would be a bit of an adventure !

We have two young sons, one is just 6 months but will be 8 months by thye time we go, if we go and the other son is 3 and half so he would love it.

The plan would be to go to camp site in Kerry. I have checked one out on the internet and the facilities are fantastic but I am having trouble convincing my girlfriend that it is ok to camp with the young lads. I am just wondering if any one has done it with kids so young , maybe not so concerned about the 3 and half year old but more so the baby. If you have what was the experience like ? good fun or absolute nightmare ?

Moonbeam

bringing your own tent or using one that they put up?

theboss80

Sorry now but that is an extreemly bad idea. Ive been camping before in Ireland and Australia and both times its been damp and freezing cold , so to take toddlers would be very unwise no matter what precautions you take.

At least go for a caravan imo

edellc

a toddler and an 8mth old in a tent seriously in Ireland SERIOUSLY :eek:
thats fine for you and the OH but for them its not whatever precautions you take like the poster above consider a caravan or mobile home instead and leave the camping until they are a little older

bulmersgal

you'd be crazy too, sure at that stage baby could be crawling. I went oxyigen one year and half the girls left because it was too cold camping. Stay in a mobile home least then you have some where warm for baby and also somewhere you can go when its raining.

God i'm still shivering thinking of it

_ariadne

I agree with the others and think you should give it a miss for this year at least

something you could do for a weekend would be to camp out in your (or a family members) garden. i'm sure your three year old would enjoy this and the baby could perhaps be bought inside during the night or stay with family etc. this would also give you and your gf a 'taste' of camping and see what you think. and if you all hate it, well the house is right there! but if it goes well then you could perhaps do it next summer or go in a mobile home this year and bring a tent to do some camping if the weather is good.

outdoor holidays are great with young kids and Ireland isn't that cold when you have a decent tent and gear

Carra23

Thanks for all the replies. Maybe I should listen to my girlfriend a bit more because she said no chance from the start !

seamus

bulmersgal wrote: »

I went oxyigen one year and half the girls left because it was too cold camping.

Ah here. You can't compare oxegen to camping. You can barely call it camping.

The warmth at night is largely dependent on the quality of your tent and the facilities you bring with you. Most people (especially those going to music festivals) will bring the cheapest tent they can find and will sleep in their muddy clothes after a skinful. Of course they'll be cold and miserable.

August/Early September camping in Ireland is actually quite pleasant, provided that it's not pouring down. The nights are warm enough, in the early teens, and they're relatively dry.

Camping with a toddler is easy enough, my parents did it a lot when we were young. But I'm not sure about a baby. I'm sure it would all be fine, but you probably wouldn't sleep for worrying about the 6 month old and whether he/she is warm enough, safe, etc.

_ariadne gives the best advice. Maybe take a weekend between the two of you to see whether you enjoy camping first.

As someone with a lot of camping experience, I know I could handle having a baby with me, but it would be a lot of work. If either of you haven't much or any camping experience, then bringing a child, never mind a baby, on your first go wouldn't be advised.

Also note that for family holidays, your bog standard dome-style tent is not all that suitable. They're for adults who are travelling and just need somethign to sleep in. You really want somewhere that you can store and prepare food as well as have the kids sit in and play with their toys if it's pissing rain.
This is an example of what I mean, but it's not nearly big enough. You want to be spending two or three times that amount in a good camping shop.

cbyrd

We took our little lad camping last year, he was just over 6 months and he loved it. Our other 2 are now 12 and 9The site we stayed at was very basic, just washing facilities. But if you're geared up for it, it shouldn't be a problem.
We have a 4 man tent with the sleeping pods inside. Newer tents have the rainproof membrane cover and because the sleeping pods are not part of the outside of the tent they're quite cosy.
My husband is taking them again this year, i'm not going as i've to work and i'll be 6 months pregnant.
The tents will accommodate a travel cot. The tent we have is the urban escape family tent from halfords it sleeps 4, has a seperate living area and cost us €254 last year. It comes with 2 double mattress's and a sleeping bags.
Most of the better campsites have great facilities, my husband is taking ours to Hidden Valley in Wicklow and they can't wait. Bringing a young baby is not really the hassle you'd imagine it to be and if it does rain you can either go to a b&b or come home. If you're not up for adventure it's not going to work cos you'll find everything wrong with everything, but if your up for it, it's a great way of spending time with family.;)

Ayla

seamus wrote: »

As someone with a lot of camping experience, I know I could handle having a baby with me, but it would be a lot of work. If either of you haven't much or any camping experience, then bringing a child, never mind a baby, on your first go wouldn't be advised.

+1: completely agree. Camping is loads of fun, but it can be tricky enough, and if one person has to juggle the entire tent setup/cooking/etc while the other person's juggling the kids it may not be as much fun. As others have suggested, try a campout in the backgarden in case it all goes pear-shaped.

Carra23

cbyrd wrote: »

We took our little lad camping last year, he was just over 6 months and he loved it. Our other 2 are now 12 and 9The site we stayed at was very basic, just washing facilities. But if you're geared up for it, it shouldn't be a problem.
We have a 4 man tent with the sleeping pods inside. Newer tents have the rainproof membrane cover and because the sleeping pods are not part of the outside of the tent they're quite cosy.
My husband is taking them again this year, i'm not going as i've to work and i'll be 6 months pregnant.
The tents will accommodate a travel cot. The tent we have is the urban escape family tent from halfords it sleeps 4, has a seperate living area and cost us €254 last year. It comes with 2 double mattress's and a sleeping bags.
Most of the better campsites have great facilities, my husband is taking ours to Hidden Valley in Wicklow and they can't wait. Bringing a young baby is not really the hassle you'd imagine it to be and if it does rain you can either go to a b&b or come home. If you're not up for adventure it's not going to work cos you'll find everything wrong with everything, but if your up for it, it's a great way of spending time with family.;)

Well that's my kind of attitude ! I could not see the problem with bringing the baby because I saw it as being the same as any holiday but sleeping in a tent !

I'm aware that it would be slightly more challenging but don't see that as hassle but more as being part of the adventure ! Will probably put the plans on hold till next summer and try to buy soem decent equipment through out this year so we are properly prepared.

Thanks for the comments

Tabnabs

Another voice of experience here to say do your planning, spend a few quid and go for it. My parents took me camping in Scandinavia and Ireland from when I was one year old and we took our then one year old camping in Ireland last year.

We went to Wexford for a long weekend in late June and had to sit in the shade at eight in the morning it was so hot.

If you have no equipment at all, be prepared to spend what it would cost for a night or two in a hotel in Ireland (i.e. €200-400). It's a one off hit, but then you have the gear to go again and again. You'll only be cold if you've bought cheap gear. I'd recommend buying online from http://www.outdoormegastore.co.uk/

We bought the tent and most of the ancillary gear here last year and we're very happy with it (no connection, satisfied customer etc. etc. )

It's very easy to put up a tent with a baby. Stick them in the buggy and let them watch. A toddler can help to "unpack" while mum and dad do the tent. 15/20 minutes is all it will take. But for the love of god, practice in your back garden or even local park/field before you go to make sure you understand what goes where and can actually unpack, erect and then repack everything.

You will have some fantastic times and it's a great way to holiday on the cheap.