Baby question - sleeping arrangements

[paul-thompson]

We have an active 14month old and a 6 year old. Just thinking through california sleeping arrangements for the summer. Any suggestions?

thanks in advance

 

[HB19]

When the grandchildren aged 2 & 3 years old, are using the van (with their adult supervisors) we found that the younger one could not be contained in the upper bed, even with the net. He came flying over the top as soon as he was parked there and at regular intervals after that!! We now have have a one up, one down arrangement with an adult in each level and the younger one on the bottom bed. It works a treat. In the morning we all pile into the lower bed for breakfast. In does however mean a late bedtime for them and an earlier one for the adults .. very much on a par with more European family timekeeping.

 

[Paulfwb]

We have an active 14month old and a 6 year old. Just thinking through california sleeping arrangements for the summer. Any suggestions?

thanks in advance

Assuming that there are two adults then I would suggest one adult and the 6 years old upstairs and the other and the 14 months old below.
For “adult” time then an early night for both kids , with safety net then switch for sleeping.

 

[Meoncoast]

Something like this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/162577489067 for 14-month-old and the 6-year-old in the roof

Bunk to go across front seats

hello Does anyone have any experience with front seat bunks? we have three children and they are not getting on that well together all in the top bed (arguing, grumbling, squishing each other etc....) and wondered if anyone had used a front cab bunk and if so which ones? My daughter is 4 so not...

vwcaliforniaclub.com

 

[HB19]

The bunks look really good and if you have a compliant and sleepy child, it might work well. We found that once the horn is discovered, there’s no stopping it being tested out at midnight and at least every hour after that. Not very campsite friendly. I believe there might be some hammock designs that have sides on them, which we had considered searching for, but went for the separate and contain option with the existing beds instead.

 

[Billywizz]

I’ve got a 22 month and a 4 month old, 4 month downstairs with mummy and the other upstairs with me.

 

[ThomasHJ]

We kept the little one in the basinette that came with the stroller and put that on the kitchen. Worked great; could always easily reach him. Had the bigger one on a matrass across the fronts seats for a short while. But when the little one became to big for the basinette we just put them together in the upstairs bed. Worked well ever since.

 

[Borris]

When the grandchildren aged 2 & 3 years old, are using the van (with their adult supervisors) we found that the younger one could not be contained in the upper bed, even with the net. He came flying over the top as soon as he was parked there and at regular intervals after that!! We now have have a one up, one down arrangement with an adult in each level and the younger one on the bottom bed. It works a treat. In the morning we all pile into the lower bed for breakfast. In does however mean a late bedtime for them and an earlier one for the adults .. very much on a par with more European family timekeeping.

Have you tried a Velcro upper mattress cover and Velcro sleepl suits?

 

[MartinH]

When ours were little we put them in a Koo-di travel cot across the front seats. The front seats were rotated 90 degrees to face each other and the armrests held the cot in place.

 

[Amarillo]

Have you tried a Velcro upper mattress cover and Velcro sleepl suits?

Some great options with a Velcro sleep suit. Velcro to the ceiling of the main cabin, velcro to the inside of the roof.

 

[dave6779]

We have an active 14month old and a 6 year old. Just thinking through california sleeping arrangements for the summer. Any suggestions?

thanks in advance

We used to put a cot up downstairs on the edge of the bed and the two front seats swivelled round (there actually is enough room too). Then I’d sleep up, mrs slept down. Bliss

 

[HB19]

Some great options with a Velcro sleep suit. Velcro to the ceiling of the main cabin, velcro to the inside of the roof.

Good idea re the Velcro & if you also attached a bungee cord the the PJs you’d have a backup plan in case of a severe attack of the night time wriggles.
Once we started to have little-eees on the top bed we discovered all sorts of bits and pieces we had only been peripherally aware of before .. wires, metal bits, plastic pieces .. the zips were much noisier than we had remembered, and the seams and roof top canvas generally are almost musical if you scratch them with your fingernails in the early hours of the morning .. AMAZING ‍

 

[podge]

We put our 18 month old (at the time) on the parcel shelf downstairs to get them off to sleep without making the downstairs bed up fully until grown ups ready to go to bed

At that point, we had one grown up downstairs and one up with each child as we didn’t trust 18 month old upstairs overnight.

We also considered trying to get a portable court of some sort and placing it across the rotated front driver/passenger seats, but never found a good product that would do that for us

 

[bxl_lad]

Something like this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/162577489067 for 14-month-old and the 6-year-old in the roof

Bunk to go across front seats

hello Does anyone have any experience with front seat bunks? we have three children and they are not getting on that well together all in the top bed (arguing, grumbling, squishing each other etc....) and wondered if anyone had used a front cab bunk and if so which ones? My daughter is 4 so not...

vwcaliforniaclub.com

We still use for our 'nearly 3 year old' one of these front seat bunks. We're in a T4 and luckily the horn only works when the ignition is on. He's fine in there and with the thermal screens he's warm too. The T4 model sits on the door tops and so is flat. We fabricated a fabric liner to hook over the seat's headrests and tied up to the sun visors which further contains him. All very cosy. I think we'll have one more season out of it this year and then try him on the top bunk next year.
Versions of this exist for the T5/6 too...
Happy Camping!

 

[be1t0n]

I just bought one of these....

Reisebett VanKid von KiLe für VW T6.1, T6, T5 und T4 (auch passend für Mercedes Benz Vito oder Viano)

So wird der VW-Bus zum Familien-Camper: Das Bett schafft in dem sonst oft ungenutzten Raum in der Fahrerkabine einen zusätzlichen Schlafplatz speziell für Babys und Kleinkinder.

www.spacecamper-shop.de

Haven't tried it out yet but seems well made. Bit pricey though.

 

[bxl_lad]

I just bought one of these....

Reisebett VanKid von KiLe für VW T6.1, T6, T5 und T4 (auch passend für Mercedes Benz Vito oder Viano)

So wird der VW-Bus zum Familien-Camper: Das Bett schafft in dem sonst oft ungenutzten Raum in der Fahrerkabine einen zusätzlichen Schlafplatz speziell für Babys und Kleinkinder.

www.spacecamper-shop.de

Haven't tried it out yet but seems well made. Bit pricey though.

Looks like it will do the job!

As you'll only need it a short period, I'm sure there will be a market for it second hand for a good price - circular economy and all that ;-)

You will find your Cali feels a whole lot smaller with a little person, the amount of stuff you end up taking is ridiculous - but doable...

Happy travels!

 

[be1t0n]

Looks like it will do the job!

As you'll only need it a short period, I'm sure there will be a market for it second hand for a good price - circular economy and all that ;-)

You will find your Cali feels a whole lot smaller with a little person, the amount of stuff you end up taking is ridiculous - but doable...

Happy travels!

This is our second. First (3years) will be sleeping in the roof with me........but the amount of stuff for both of them is staggering

 

[Ch1pbutty]

We still use for our 'nearly 3 year old' one of these front seat bunks. We're in a T4 and luckily the horn only works when the ignition is on. He's fine in there and with the thermal screens he's warm too. The T4 model sits on the door tops and so is flat. We fabricated a fabric liner to hook over the seat's headrests and tied up to the sun visors which further contains him. All very cosy. I think we'll have one more season out of it this year and then try him on the top bunk next year.
Versions of this exist for the T5/6 too...
Happy Camping!

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We had the cab hammock in our T4; my son used it up until 10yrs of age when we sold the van. He loved it!

 

[ThomasHJ]

In our T4 we always just kept the baby in the stroller's bassinet, placed on the kitchen next to the lower bed where we were sleeping. Worked just fine. Had him close to us.

 

[ThomasHJ]

later when he got bigger, he slept on a DIY bed over our feet. Again, had him close to us. The bed was foldable and fitted under the matrass of the lower bed when not in use.

 

[davidgeoffrey]

I just bought one of these....

Reisebett VanKid von KiLe für VW T6.1, T6, T5 und T4 (auch passend für Mercedes Benz Vito oder Viano)

So wird der VW-Bus zum Familien-Camper: Das Bett schafft in dem sonst oft ungenutzten Raum in der Fahrerkabine einen zusätzlichen Schlafplatz speziell für Babys und Kleinkinder.

www.spacecamper-shop.de

Haven't tried it out yet but seems well made. Bit pricey though.

Hi, any chance you're now selling this? Been trying to get a hold of one but struggling big time!

Many Thanks
David E

 

[be1t0n]

Hi, any chance you're now selling this? Been trying to get a hold of one but struggling big time!

Many Thanks
David E

Possibly. Will need to see if he still fits in it before our next trip. I'll see if I can check and get back to you.

 

[davidgeoffrey]

Fantastic, thank you.

 

[davidgeoffrey]

Possibly. Will need to see if he still fits in it before our next trip. I'll see if I can check and get back to you.

Hi, I know this is a big ask, but if by any chance you didn't need it and wanted to sell it, I would happily come pick it up from you... I'm based near Wakefield. We're going away this weekend as well (friday evening).

 

[be1t0n]

Hi, I know this is a big ask, but if by any chance you didn't need it and wanted to sell it, I would happily come pick it up from you... I'm based near Wakefield. We're going away this weekend as well (friday evening).

Sorry. Didn’t see this until now. Only just checked as we’re away now. He still fits fine. Looks like we have at least another season out of it.