Friday 1 September 2017

Festival Camping with Children

Our recent weekend at Wilderness festival was not only our first family festival, but our first timing camping with children too.  We were apprehensive about having four children under six in a tent for four days but we had a brilliant time and the children loved camping.

We arrived later in the day than we were hoping to and there wasn't long before the sun would be gone, but a kind stranger helped us get our tent up (trying to pitch it whilst keeping the children together was a struggle).  We were sent the Eurohike Rydall 600 6 person tent from Blacks and it was perfect for our first festival experience.  It had one large bedroom that could easily be separated into two and both halves accommodated a queen sized airbed with plenty of space.  The living area was spacious and had both a big entrance and a smaller one so it could be as open as you liked.

festival camping, camping with children, Wilderness festival, Eurohike rydall 600 6 man tent

It rained on and off throughout the four days but it didn't dampen our spirits and we were well prepared with full waterproofs for the children and wellies for all of us.  We quickly realised what were our camping essentials and what we could have left at home.  Here are our top 5 camping with kids essentials

festival camping, camping with children, Wilderness festival, polarn o pyret

1) Full waterproofs.  

There isn't much to do inside a tent so we were relying on the children being outdoors pretty much all day.  A full set of waterproofs meant that whatever the weather they were prepared.  It was an extra layer to keep them warm in the colder mornings and meant there was nothing to stop them rolling around and jumping in every muddy puddle they could find.

festival camping, camping with children, Wilderness festival

2) A big bucket

I brought a big plastic Tesco container with me and it was perfect as a welly holder.  We all took off our boots as we entered the tent and the bucket could fit all 6 pairs in there.  It meant we didn't tread mud through our living space.  We also gave it a good wash and used it as a makeshift bath for the children outdoors and I filled it up for them to splash and play in when they needed a bit more entertainment one day.

festival camping, camping with children, Wilderness festival, Eurohike rydall 600 6 man tent

3) A good tent

We hadn't been camping before and weren't really sure what we were looking for in a tent but this one ticked all our boxes.  It was spacious enough for the six of us, easy enough to put up and take down and it felt secure for the whole weekend.  We liked the flexibility with the two entrances and the built in groundsheet was essential.

festival camping, camping with children, Wilderness festival, Eurohike rydall 600 6 man tent

4) Your sense of humour

Everyone we spoke to recommended bringing a portable potty with us incase we didn't fancy taking the boys to the toilets in the small hours.  It was working brilliantly until we awoke to find the little two splashing in it one morning.  If you don't have toddlers (or you are going to keep them in travel cots) then a portable potty can be brilliant.

festival camping, camping with children, Wilderness festival, Crotec wagon

5)  A Wagon

This was invaluable during our weekend, we used it to carry the tent, mattresses and sleeping bags from the car to the campsite and then we used it every day to cart around tired children, coats and belongings.  All four napped in there at some point in the day and we had all four in there together on occasions too.  We put fairy lights on to make it fun and easy to spot in the evening and the hood meant we could keep the sun out too.  (I bought this from Amazon and it says Crotec on the side).


We loved our first festival camping experience with children and we are definitely planning on taking them to another festival next summer - it will be even easier now we have all the gear!




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