10d tenting it at FW with a 3 year old as a single parent. Have I lost my marbles?

[lbmiller77]

I have 14 days off in May of 2015 and wanted to devote that time to a great vacation with, by the time the vacation rolls around, 3 year old son. I remember my own childhood trips to the fort and thought this might be a great option for us. While staying in a cabin or rented RV would be ideal, my thrifty side has persuaded me to go the tent route. I like the idea because the fort offers so many activities, I already have all the camping equipment, I can cook my own meals on site and the money saved camping will allow us to extend our trip and allow us the freedom to see more. So the trip is booked, 10 days at the fort....tenting it.....with just my energetic son and I ....and now I'm starting to second guess myself.

My concerns:

1. How to keep him from running off while I'm setting up camp. The little man has my adventurous side I was thinking of doing a number of test camping trips this summer so I can teach him how to help me set up the tent and/or B) bring some sand toys to keep him occupied. Any other suggestions?

2. Are there any other parents out there who have attempted to do a extended camping trip (7+ days) in a tent with a toddler that could give me some lessons learned or things you would avoid if you chose to do it again?

3. Inclement weather: How are the sites at the fort when it comes to drainage? My tent has raised seams but had problems in the past with torrential downpours, which I know Central Florida is prone too.

4. My relatives think I'm crazy for even attempting this, but then again, they say that about every trip I have ever done with my son (3 cruises, 9 countries, 23 states and all trips went really well). Should I just scrap this whole notion of staying at the fort, shorten my vacation time and stay at a Disney budget hotel for the sake of it being easier?

Any input would be appreciated!

 

[sookie]

Honestly, I think a shorter trip camping would be really fun, but 14 days would be really pushing it (especially if you end up with wet things in the tent because of rain, or if it is super hot and your little one needs to cool down).

Maybe do 5 days or so camping, then move into a value for the theme-ing? Best of both worlds. You might really like the resort (and the AC since May can get pretty toasty).

 

[Leveretttltl]

Camping would be so much fun but I agree with the last post that such a long stay in a tent might be a little much. If it were me I would camp for about 5 nights then move to a value room.

I definitely think some practice sessions with the tent are in order. If your little one can help put up the tent then you may be able to keep him from wandering off. If not I would find something else to entertain him such as a portable DVD player or ipad so that he can entertain himself while you get the tent up.

I hope you have a great trip!

 

[piccolopat]

I would be concerned about your son wandering away if he happens to wake up during the night while you are sleeping. At least in a hotel room there is a door. With a tent, is there a way to secure it at night so he can't get out?

 

[Betty Rohrer]

to pp all the tents we have had had zipper doors that you can place zipper at top so toddler or young child can not open. my 3 year old grandson could open a resort door before he could open the tent door. yes we have tent camped with young ones

 

[Sundancer330]

I am a single dad and have camped with my son since he was four. We do at least three week long trips ever summer in northern Michigan and most of them are on the water. I make sure he has things to entertain himself with like books, games, iPad, etc. When its time to set up camp I have him help so I can keep an eye on him, one job is count the tent stakes and help hammer them in, then hold a pole till I get the frame up. Its just like anyplace else you try not to take an eye off them. We rented a camper at the Fort last year and had a blast, we were close to the pool and nightly movies. We would hit the parks then come back in the afternoon and go for a swim eat some lunch at the camper and back to the parks.
You may want to look into a camper rental, you can rent a basic popup with a/c incase it gets hot or as others said keep things dry if it rains. You and your son will have this memory for a lifetime so don't second guess yourself just do it.

 

[JanL]

If we single moms waited til things were just right, we'd miss a lot of opportunities!

Get a rubber mallet in the camping section of Walmart. He can pound stakes all day long and not injure himself to the extent he would with a regular hammer.

I would leave him strapped in the car seat with a electronic hand-held game (one that he had not been using on the trip so far). That way he would be occupied and you could keep an eye on him thru the windows. Tell him Mickey wants him to sit until the surprise is ready.

Then set up camp, fix the interior of the tent and maybe slip a surprise (candy or toy car) under his pillow. Then retrieve him from the car seat and give him a guided tour of the camp set up and at the end of the interior tour, tell him Mickey left a surprise and play the "getting warmer...getting colder" game til he finds it.

 

[tiggerdad]

You can buy a luggage lock for the tent to keep him from getting out without you knowing. These are small padlocks that have a key. Some luggage come with these. You bring the two zippers together and run the lock through both zipper loops.

 

[lbmiller77]

I agree with you Betty. My son would be able to get a hotel door open in a minute but I know he would have a hard time reaching the top of my tent to get the zipper pull.

 

[lbmiller77]

tiggerdad, awesome idea! A luggage lock would definitely work.

 

[lbmiller77]

Thanks for the support and great advice Sundancer and JanL. Sometimes the logistics of taking a trip with just the two of us gives me a little anxiety, but after our big adventures, I'm always glad we got to do it together. I'm sure our trip to the Fort will be another great trip to add to his memory book. I can't wait to see the look on his face when we get there!

I thought about renting a pop up, but with the cost of renting one (Cheapest I found was $69 a night in the Orlando Area and $450 for seven days from a WI rental place) got me thinking I might just make the investment and buy one if I keep second guessing taking a tent. Typically, we camp every two or three weekends from April to October using my parents 5th wheel. As my son gets older, it would be nice to have our own camper. Ideally though, and economically speaking, just using my big ol' 14 person tent would be my best solution.

 

[MattFromPA]

Have no fear! With the number of trips you've already done with him, sounds like you can handle tent camping for 10 days. Your experience with RVing will help too; at least you're not new to the whole campground experience either.

We did 7 nights at FW in a large cabin tent with our kids, who were 3 and 1 at the time. Setup was difficult as our son was (and is) a "runner"! Otherwise we did pretty well. Besides the sleeping tent we also brought a dining canopy. For our 'kitchen' I picked up a folding table with built-in sink and faucet (Cabela's and the like have them, try Amazon too). The faucet needs to be assembled on-site but it was fantastic to have a real sink for cooking and washing up. I funneled the grey water into a collapsible water container and then ferried that to the comfort station to flush. We brought a small electric stove as well, and a dorm refrigerator. Those were the major purchases of items we didn't already own (we also have an RV). We came up with a master packing list over a period of weeks and found that we used every single item during the trip. I suggest thinking through what you might need/want!

Our tent has kind of a tarp 'tub' floor with raised seams. We waterproofed the side seams also and had no issues, but no real rain either.

 

[Sarah_Rose]

I think the only thing that would give me pause would be the idea of having to take your son with you to the comfort station EVERY SINGLE TIME you had to use the bathroom. I know as a mom you get used to having company while you pee, but at least in the hotel room you could leave your kid sitting on the bed watching TV. But camping, you'd have to take the kid with you every single time. That would get old, for me.

Otherwise, it sounds like fun! I would definitely do a few shorter trips, first, to get down the details. Also, your child will likely change a lot in a year, which will make it easier in some ways and harder in others. My son was a runner at two, but by three he always wants to be right underneath and helping when I do ANYTHING.

 

[endy]

I've been tent camping every year since my son was 2 (he's 17 now). Just me and him. We've gone to San Diego (27 hours each way) for two weeks every summer and usually another week elsewhere. I've never worried about the tent zipper as I wake up when I hear it. We haven't been to Florida but I found when he was younger it wasn't worth the hassle of cooking everyday for the two of us, I always had a cooler full of milk, juice, yogurt so we only needed to buy lunch or dinner and happy meals are pretty cheap.
I will say tenting was much easier when they're young as now he'll say why can't we stay in a motel, do you have to be so cheap, etc.
I prefer to be outside, have no tv tho now he'll watch a movie on his computer at night. Even now I still want to camp and have been looking for campgrounds along the Oregon coast for this summer.

I say go for it. You already have the necessities. Kids adapt to their situation more than we give them credit for.

 

[Sundancer330]

I was also worried about the bathroom thing, its hard to keep toddlers hands off everything in a bathroom. So the simple solution was to buy a port-a-pottie, about $80 on Amazon. The NorthFace tent we have has a covered area about 15sqft in front that is covered by the rain fly. This made it totally private and he could sit as long as needed, and he had fun using it, only had to dump it once a week and that was very simple since everything was sealed tight.

 

[5stljayhawks]

1. Rope the table to kid? Or give him rope and tell him to tie up the table to the car or tree or any close post...... you want to make sure gaston, darth vadar or any other villian takes the table. Heck even a 3/4 yo just holding a pole upright can make all the difference in getting a tent up. I know from exp from my own back yard running back and forth putting up a monster fam tent.

2. Practice weekend trips and have a comfortable inflatable mattress the more space you have the better. One challenge if the kid is still taking naps when you are there and it's 90 degrees out, the child is probably not napping in tent.. Fans and extension cords can help.. also tent with lots of windows.

3. camped for two weeks in tent and had major rain. If your tent has a front room , deshoe there so you are not tracking sand in. Also doormat helps clean shoes. Broom and dust pan or small handheld vacuum. Also I brought a extra large tarp from costco and put over and tied down. This help keep water out, by providing extra layer of water protection. May want to try first at home 1) see if tent can support 2) how to tie down.



4. tell them to eat your pixie dust. pack as light as possible if you have a small tent. Plastic rubbermaid tubs (20 ro 35 gals, the big ones ) make packing easy (food, cloths, toys) and also double as tables in tents to set alarm, cups, phone charges.... lights.. snacks table... Small RV folding stool about $10-$15 are nice to have to sit on when getting shoes or dressed or a camping chair. I also had a folding table in the tent as well.

if you can borrow a large 10 X 10 screened tent allows to have extra shade, leave items on picnic table and don't have to worry about rain as much.


***** CAMPERS AT FW ARE 99.6238421635% SUPER NICE AND WILLING TO HELP WHEN ASKED. ASK FOR HELP IF YOU NEED IT..... Heck you may ask the front desk if you could borrow a CM for a few minutes to give you a hand putting up the tent and a fellow camper for the rain tarp.

 

[lbmiller77]

Wow, gone for the weekend and come back to some great suggestions on the boards. Thanks everyone!

I'm not all that concern about the bathroom. Then again, maybe I should. It would be nice to believe he would be completely potty trained by then, but who knows what the future will hold? I guess the last few years of being in my parents 5th wheel has me a wee bit spoiled because the idea of keeping a port-o-potty into a hot tent made me grimace at the thought of the smell. I requested the back of the 2000 loop in hopes that there would rarely be a wait at the comfort stations. We just moved into a house without a bathtub so I've been getting him use to taking showers. I'm hoping we can just get away with doing showers together while we are at the fort so I can reduce the possibility of him running off or playing peekaboo with our neighboring shower stall mates

Now that I've heard so many people say this trip is doable, I'm just going to go for it. We have our first practice trip scheduled for the weekend of the 16th and another over Memorial Day weekend. Hope we don't get snowed on!

 

[MattFromPA]

We did the 'porta-potti in a hot tent' thing. It's not too bad really - the blue RV deodorant does a good job. That being said, the task of emptying the potti at the comfort station fell to me so you would have that to look forward to!

We actually take the potti with us to FW when we rent pop-ups too. Avoids having to stumble to the comfort station at midnight, and the kids are toilet training anyway so its good to have it right there.

 

[JanL]

I got a shower / potty tent at Walmart for less than $50. It also serves as a changing room when my daughter brings male buddies along. That way, the potty would not be in the same tent with you. At the very least, I would have something to serve as an emergency urinal, in case it is storming or on a moonless night (cereal tupperware type container with tight fitting lid, for instance).

Also, I put a tarp inside on the floor and clip the corners upright with clothes pins to form a tray. If water comes in through the bottom of the door or the tent's floor, the "tray" floats on top of it and keeps the bedding, clothing, etc., dry. Makes it easy to clean the tent when you strike camp...just roll or fold the tray tarp and shake it & brush it off outside.

 

[PixieCamper]

A Luggable Loo with hefty bag and kitty litter is a God send with little ones and tent camping. We've used chest tube ties (I was informed "normal people" call these zip ties LOL) for tent zippers before, no getting out without the scissors to snip the ties.

Does anyone in your family have a station wagon, SUV, van, etc that you could use for your trip as a back up place to sleep in case of bad weather? You can always take a window unit AC for your tent and it should work well in May especially if you're in a shady spot or put reflectix over your tent.

I'm sure you'll have a great time!