After some advice, all options considered.
My wife and I 33 and 32' bought a single axle caravan in 2008, fixed bed side bathroom, and had a three great years away every weekend and all holidays(both teachers) including winter and ft of snow.
Things changed when we had our first child, and few tripswere taken, baby is now 1 year old and we were slowly getting back into it. With Agnew little trips under our belt (before nordelectric charger died)
My wife is naturally cautious and wants everything to be right, so we had sorted bed guards for baby on front beds but the options for us on a night were limited, ( baby in bed at 7 means we got to bed at 7)
So I said wait until next spring and we can get going again as baby will be nearly 2.
Good news however is my wife is expecting again ( spring 2013) so what are our options
1, sell van and leave it a few years
2. Manage withmourbvan as it is- sleeping arrangement, early bed
3. Sell van privately and get ??????????
Trade in and get ??????????)
You said,"My wife is naturally cautious".
You then said," Good news however is my wife is expecting again"!!!
If I were you, I'd put the kids to bed at 7pm (in your bed) and then when it gets later, transfer the kids to the front seats (with adequate safety against falling)
I would then move out of the 'van and sleep in a pup tent, until your wife becomes even more cautious!!!
------------- How come when some people visit the fountain of knowledge, they only gargle!!!
Baby in Moses basket on your bed & toddler in travel cot between the 2 front beds. I had a right job trying 2 find 1 that would fit & in the end got 1 from eBay. Can't think of the name of it now but ill have a look tomorrow for you. My last van was 7ft 4 wide & it fitted in a treat. Congrats on your new little one ;o) I've got 5 kids.
Quote: Originally posted by masekwm on 12/10/2012
Buy a big awning,put kids to bed, open wine.
We are same age as you, second child due at Xmas and lookin forward to camping in the spring.
second that.
we went for a van with a double rear dinette, used singly they are as long as a junior bed.
We looked for one with a solid door, so we could stay up front if we wanted to, but tbh, we usually whack the awning up to sit in on an evening, you don't even need a baby monitor.
We have camped/caravanned with all our 3 from the age of 6 weeks onwards.
Rear double bunk/triple bunk caravan like ours could be a good long term option if trading in. In ours I'd put toddler on bottom bunk which is floor level and at night remove table from rear dinette and fit a travel cot between the seats. At night it closes off to main caravan like a bedroom giving you full access to bathroom and kitchen and you make up front bed for yourselves. At least then you have a layout you can also grow into with bunks ready for when they are old enough!
An awning might be the way to go - kids in bed at 7 and then you can both relax in the awning, glass of wine or whatever - doesn't matter if its rain or shine. Congratulations by the way!
Yup, get an awning. We have had brilliant nights in the awning with friends while the kids are all tucked up and sound asleep. OR we now have an end bed, the granddaughter gets the benefit of this but we have the front all to ourselves.
We have 2 children age 8 and 4. I would look too the f uture. If you think that caravanning is your future for family holidays trade in to something with a longer term lay out with bunks for the children. We are v happy with our Olympus 540- 5. But whichever make you choose I would suggest fixed bunks and a separate shower rather than w wet room.
As has been mentioned above I think the double dinette layout would suit you best for the next 4-5 years. We also have a 2yr old with number 2 on the way and brought this layout with future proofing in mind. The two rear seats make ideal children single beds and will easily last them till 5 yrs + and while they are younger we have removed the cushions (left at home) and intend to use straps to to attach 2 large travel cots in their place. The Bailey we went for has a solid parition door so once our 2 yr old has gone to bed (by 7pm) then we can still sit at the other end and watch tv, eat dinner etc. We also went for this model as it has the seperate shower lacking in some other makes.
Longer term I agree that the fixed bunks are the way to go but my OH won't consider putting kids in them until they are older so think our current van would last at least another 3 yrs. The Bailey Provence was made for several years, ending in the series 7 around 2008/2009. We opted for the last series 6 (early 2008) as it still had the L shaped front seating layout which is ideal for a high chair and gives more floor space for the toddler.
In terms of price we are considering selling ours in the new year (OH not sure if she wants a years break with the new arrival comes, so similar to you) and would expect to get around £9400 with the new powrtouch mover fitted and a transferable MB&G warranty that runs till 2016. Looking around dealers are asking for about £10k-£10.5k but you should be able to knock this down but I would suggest getting a mover fitted as they are a fairly heavy van and I wouldn't be without one now!
I think if we decide to sell ours we will wait till March time as this seems to be a better time for selling..........although OH has suggested we try it on ebay later this month as a classified ad just to test the water!.
Interesting options,
Caravanning is something my wife and I have been loving for a number of years so it will continue. Been llooking at anew eldiss twin axle 636 this weekend, bunks end bathroom, side dinette. Wife has fallen in love.
No probs with size or towing/reversing/ car size, need to maybe do some number crunching and see what deal we can maybe get.
W are a family of 2 adults and 4 boys aged 14, 9,8 and 4 and have just bought our first caravan..a swift challenger 636. We had our first weekend away this week and it suits us great, youngest three have the triple bmks, teenager in the nice large side dinette and us in our large cosy bed when set up..,,loads of storage too!
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Options with children
