parents of toddlers (or former toddlers)! advice sought.

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

We are trying to decide whether we should go to Baitcon this year. It seems like it would be rather difficult to do it with a fairly active, happy, yet stubborn child who will be not quite 2 years old at that point. However, it's obviously been done many times by people who are not us, and so I solicit advice on how to do it without major loss of sanity or enjoyment.

One subject on which I'm torn: Would it be easier to request a cabin, which is kind of far away and takes a while to reach, or would it be easier to procure a tent, which we could set up closer to everything but has the added work of finding a spot and erecting it?

Comments

[mytheria.livejournal.com]

As a non-parent, here are my hints for organizing camping with kids.

Number 1 rule for camping with kids, tent or cabin: realize it will mean one adult basically tied to the child all weekend. But having that expectation up front for all adults involved and making sure all get time to be a grown up too, it should be doable.

Some other useful tidbits:
Get them used to the idea in advanced. Picture books about it are great.
Make it something fun for them. I don't know if there are good toddler lanterns or the like, but something that gives them a sense of control about the new space.
Bring things to make it more familiar for the little one. Their usual blanket, stuffed animal, bedtime books, etc.
Talk to as many parents as you can who've done this.

[beah.livejournal.com]

I'm taking my 1-year-old, and I opted for a tent. I have a huge one, so I'm going to bring a pack-and-play to use as a crib inside the tent. I am also going to bring my battery-powered monitor and hope it has enough range to prevent me from having to be tied to the kid after bedtime. My kid isn't quite mobile yet, though, so it's a whole different ball of wax.