1. When by Emma Dodd / 2. Play and Go Sack / 3. Buddy and Bear Plate / 4. Ikea highchair / 5. Tiny Cottons Summer Collection (on sale) / 6. Buddy and Bear plastic cups / 7. Twig Creative Camera / 8. Modern Buralap Swaddle / 9. Ragamuffin pennant / 10. Giant swan (obvs)
Adventure awaits. Tomorrow, we’re packing up our little grey car and driving under the sea to France. We’ll spend a week with my family in a great big house and then on for seven days in a tent, just the three of us. Camping with a one year old. Easy. Said no one ever, I’m sure.
Yikes.
I think (hope) it’ll be ok. Sam has just got to the stage where he kindly hands me things he’s found on the floor rather than eating them. He’s almost at the point of walking professionally and he’s finally got a taste for sandwiches. Phew. It’s more the fellow campers I feel for, with his 5.30am wake-up call. But at least we’ll have fun, right?
Luckily I married a man who loves making home in a tent as much as I do. Some of our best memories belong to make-shift dinners of sweet peaches, cold beer and a pack of cards under the stars. From Devon to Barcelona, Mount Cook to Yosemite, it makes us very happy. We even snuck a night around the campfire on our honeymoon.
I’m so desperate to share with Sammy the simple joys of outdoor makeshift living and to give such adventures a place in his childhood. No automatically switching on the tv in the morning, or spending the day trapped in an airless house. We’ll eat together, sleep together and explore nearby beaches together. Think the Goonies, with our mini gang of bikes.
So whilst we don’t need to pack up our entire house to go (we treated ourselves to a pre-erected tent and all the kit), above are some things I thought would make our trip a little sweeter. I’m imagining cosy stories with milk and the day’s sun on our faces. The little drama queen tantrums he’s adopted lately will vanish into thin air and so will his need to climb up everything no matter how high or teetering (one can dream). And although rain tapping on the tarpaulin is one of my favourite sounds, fingers crossed the weather will be kind. Tents can get pretty toasty. Lately, I’ve found a million and one uses for muslin swaddles – picnic cloths, pram shade and cool sheets at night, I’ve totally resurrected them from the newborn stage.
Come rain or shine we should have a good time. Roadtrips together are where our ideas happen, where Jonny and I actually talk properly without distractions and share our hopes for the future. Whilst it will be different with a little one in tow, living the simple life for a bit is just what we’re after. We’ll have two weeks with daddy; to eat ice creams, to swim (Sammy and his papa share the same love of the water), to close the computer and just be. I can’t wait.
Until then, if you have any tips on camping with a toddler, please send them this way 🙂
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