One of the perks of caravanning

We’ve just gotten back to Somerville Lane after a few days away, our second trip in the new extension caravan.  While we’re far from seasonsed caravanners (really, who would have thought to double check that all the windows were shut), we’re slowly learning the tricks of the trade.

And yes it’s true that we’ve certainly discovered the not so great sides to caravanning – being locked out, a broken skylight, living in confined spaces with small children – we have also discovered one of the great perks. That is, that when caravanning with young children, you can get a lot of sleep.

Of course you need to play your cards right. For us that involves running the Little Gs ragged and no daytime sleep for Mr 3. Under no circumstances. Unless you head off in the car and he falls asleep the minute you drive out of the caravan park. If this happens an extra hour of swimming, jumping and chasing a ball is in order.

Jump, jump, jump.

Being a baby, Baby G gets a sleep. We are not crazy. We do not want to spend three hours trying to get an overtired baby to, well, sleep.

Refuelling is permitted.

And so with the kids in bed, one either end of the van, there aren’t a lot of options. The dining area’s been converted to Mr 3′s bed for the night, there’s nowhere to sit and watch TV from, no light to read by, and - to be honest – we’re just as buggered as the kids. And so we head to bed too, the other night as early as 7.00 p.m. Bless the end of daylight savings.

If all goes to plan the kids don’t wake until 6.00 a.m. Eleven hours. Of course even the best laid plans can be foiled by a baby waking at midnight (then 1:00 a.m., then 2:30 a.m., then…) or the cry “I need to go to the toilet!”

But if you don’t get your 11 hours sleep you can always look forward to one of the other perks of caravanning…