CamperVanning with children

To share ideas and experiences for successful holidays, longer journeys or even long-term living, with children in a VW camper ...
  • ScoutingSquirrel

    I am just starting to camp with my 6 and 2.5 year old sons in our Multivan T5. We will have my husband with us sometimes and not others - he unfortunately has to work whilst I get the school holidays off!

    We live in Southern Sweden and wish to explore as much of this corner of Europe as we can, as cheaply as we can.

    We also have our trips back to family and friends in the UK to manage - this uear I am taking the boys and van for the whole of July and hubby is joining us at weekends.

    And we then need to consider the long drives to and from England, and whether to spread the drive out further and to have more leisure stops along the way ...

    I've just bought a Quechua Base Seconds pop-up gazebo type tent to use in place of an awning and for cooking and dining ....

    However I am new to this form of camping and looking forward to hearing the experiences of others who have travelled with young children!

    Helen

  • Big Blue's Driver

    We have a 6-month-old and are just starting to get back into it after his birth. Good idea in having a forum with advice on this subject.
  • Big Blue's Driver

    I'm still trying to figure out the best way to put my child's car seat in the bus. Way too much slack in the after market seat belts. Results in a car seat I can almost pull all the way over. The issue doesn't seem to be slack - seems to be more about angles of the seat belts. This is a serious issue as I won't put Little Dude in the bus until I figure something out. Any ideas?
  • whc03grady

    Big Blue's Driver--Does Big Blue have vinyl seats as well? If so, the slickness could be compounding the problem.

    For our part, we never have had any trouble with the car seat (indeed, two car seats on one drive) in Ludwig. I suspect the seat belt mounts are in the same places across the years. Perhaps upgraded seat belts and a towel under the car seat? I'm no safety expert, mind you....

  • Derek Leininger

    I assume your lil one is rear facing?  The suggestion of a rolled towel under the base's foot end is an excellent suggestion.  Simply use the lap belt.  The trouble comes when the knee biters graduate to boosters.  My 6 y/o is requiring me to locate and install a 3 point solution w/ shoulder belt.  GoWesty is charging an arm/leg for what appears to be a late 90s jetta belt.  Anybody have any experience belting in kids in boosters?
  • Big Blue's Driver

    Thanks for the tips! I'll try it and gauge the results.

     

    Another friend who has a 80s westy is going through the shoulder belt issue. He's on the forum here - I'll see if I can get him to share a solution if he came up with one.

  • Scott

    We have a 5-month old baby, and have had success with the Peg Perego base in the back of our 74 camper with a rock and roll bed.  We have stock seatbelts that go three lapbelts across the back.

     

    As she gets larger, (and needs a bigger seat) I am seriously considering the following 4-point harness for installation:

    http://wescoperformance.stores.yahoo.net/am4point.html

     

    I came across the harness on another vw forum a few months ago, where someone was expressing that it worked great in their type 2 westfalia...